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Hi,

can i put wood chippins in my compost bin?

also i have noticed that i have ants in my compost bin will that be a problem when i use the compost?

Thanks.

Wood chips are broken down by fungi rather than the bacteria that break down compost, and the process takes a couple of years rather than the couple of months to compost vegetable matter so I wouldn't say that wood chips are particularly helpful in a compost heap.  Whether they're positively harmful I'm not sure, but I have an idea that some wood contains natural chemicals that suppress plant growth so it is possible.  If you can I'd say it was better to compost wood chips seperately.  I also seem to remember something about not using dung from animals bedded on wood chips because it takes more nitrogen to break the wood down than the dung contributes, but as you don't add dung for its nitrogen anyway I'm not sure now about that advice.

I wouldn't worry about the ants in themselves, but it probably means you've incorporated a load of soil in the heap and that will make it heavy and exclude the air.

And welcome to A4A B19 SIN, happy allotmenteering.

Quote from: Unwashed on July 21, 2011, 22:40:45
Wood chips are broken down by fungi rather than the bacteria that break down compost, and the process takes a couple of years rather than the couple of months to compost vegetable matter so I wouldn't say that wood chips are particularly helpful in a compost heap.  Whether they're positively harmful I'm not sure, but I have an idea that some wood contains natural chemicals that suppress plant growth so it is possible.  If you can I'd say it was better to compost wood chips seperately.  I also seem to remember something about not using dung from animals bedded on wood chips because it takes more nitrogen to break the wood down than the dung contributes, but as you don't add dung for its nitrogen anyway I'm not sure now about that advice.

I wouldn't worry about the ants in themselves, but it probably means you've incorporated a load of soil in the heap and that will make it heavy and exclude the air.

And welcome to A4A B19 SIN, happy allotmenteering.

Wood chips draw nitrogen out the soil, so you dont put them on new plants or the plants will die of nitrogen deficiency. This isnt a problem ina compost heap, but it does take a couple of years to reduce down.

Compost bins need the right mixture of 'greens' and 'browns'.

Wood chippins make a good source of browns, but too many and your contents will be too dry and slow to compost, but too few and the contents will turn slimy and smelly.

If you get it right it will compost well in a few months.

Unless you have load of ants, I would leave them, as any attempt to get rid of them will also kill other insects that are helping in the heap.