Wood Chip Myth
penstemon (Sun, 26 Mar 2017 15:47:22 PDT)
When using arborist's wood chips (not retail bark chips) in the garden, the
chips do not bind up nitrogen in the soil if you just lay them on top of the
soil. Here the arborist's chips are free but you do have to take a truck
load, about 10-13 cu.ft. if you are spreading them yourself.
In a semiarid climate like mine, wood mulches, like mulches of other organic matter, prevent rainfall from reaching the soil.
I use gravel, or no mulch at all.
Bob Nold
Denver, Colorado, USA