Bamboo chips and saw dust?

[macbow]

This is a little off bow making. I have a lot of chips etc. from planing bamboo. Does anyone know if they would make good addition to the soil in my garden to help keep moisture in the ground?
Ron

[JamesV]

My wife is a chemist and avid gardener and she says NO because the decaying sawdust will change the PH in the soil.

James...............

[John Scifres]

If you let it compost for a season or two it will a good soil amendment.  I use osage sawdust around my house to keep bugs away.  Almost all of my trimmings are in my "nature area" on one side of the house too.  It's not a garden though and nothing much grows there unless I do some stuff to the soil around the planting.

[matts2]

I always heard of putting hedge balls in the house to keep spiders away.  John mentioned osage sawdust for bugs.  Would putting a bunch of the sawdust in some socks and placing around inside the house do the same as the big yellow balls?  It won't rot and get all over the place if you forget about them then??

[Savage]

I stuffed a couple burlap bags full of sawdust and use them for targets. Make sure you stuff them pretty good and add a new bag when you get too many holes. Just a thought.

[macbow]

I guess I'll put into my long term mulch pile. I use the w-mart bags to make my targets.
Thanks, Ron

[Pat B]

The problem with using raw materials is the bacteria that breaks down this stuff eats nitrogen so it depletes the soil of nitrogen. Composting breaks it down to a neutral(pH), loamy soil with water soluable nutrients.

[shamus]

Mulch: yes.

Garden: no.