I had a tree stump ground down and I'm wondering what I should do with the shredded wood. Some people say it's good to keep the mulch, but should I leave it in the current pile, or spread it out evenly over my yard? I know my lawn isn't looking great, and I've got plans to give it some TLC in a few months. A few folks suggested removing it completely and replacing it with new dirt, but I'm really looking for advice on whether to let it decompose naturally or if spreading it might harm my grass.
3 Answers
Honestly, it depends on what you want. If the goal is to have grass, then yeah, clean it up. Decomposing wood can suck nitrogen from the soil, which isn’t great for grass. If you’re okay with dirt and it's a temporary solution, leaving it might be fine, but you’ll probably want to fill in that spot later.
If you want your grass to thrive, I’d recommend raking up as much of that wood as you can. Leaving it in a pile might slow down grass growth, since the decomposition process requires nitrogen from the soil. You can use the chips as mulch in a garden area too, which is a great way to recycle it! Just keep in mind that it’ll take a while to fully break down.
Unless you’re aiming to farm mushrooms next year, I’d suggest moving those wood chips! They’ll break down eventually, but in the meantime, they can hinder your lawn’s growth. Raking them up is definitely a better move if you want a healthy lawn.