Sawdust

We’re in the process of milling 26 red pines into lumber and I’m starting to wonder what to do with all the sawdust. We will probably be able to fill 2 pick ups with it by the time were done.

Originally, I wanted to “save” it, but soon realized there’s no possible way to dry it all (or even most of it) quick enough to prevent it from growing who knows what.

I considered composting it with chicken manure. But even if I had enough manure (I have nowhere near enough) I think it could just turn to a big anaerobic sludge pile because the dust is so fine.

I considered using it as mulch, but I’m not sure how acidic it is and if it would be bad for certain plants.

Now, I’m considering just buying some mushroom spawn and mixing it into the pile to let fungus turn it into mushrooms for us.

So, my question is, do any of you creative crafty people have any better ideas for what to do with all this sawdust?

I've got a pile of sawchips and bark peelings that I accumulated over the winter. I've been getting donations of grass clippings, so I started making a compost pile where I layer a veneer of bark/chips over a layer of grass clippings. If I keep getting grass clippings, I should be able to utilize about a pickup load of the chips/bark and have something resembling composted mulch in a year or two.
I've checked the internal temp and it gets up to 140degF whenever I add a new batch of clippings.

I use sawdust for paths in my food forest.

I used to buy bagged sawdust from our local feed store. It was in clear plastic bags about the size of a black trash bag.

This could be a money-making operation.

I used it in our chicken house, in rabbit cages, etc.

Anne Miller wrote:I used to buy bagged sawdust from our local feed store. It was in clear plastic bags about the size of a black trash bag.

This could be a money-making operation.

I used it in our chicken house, in rabbit cages, etc.

My main problem with doing anything like that is I cant figure out a way to dry it reasonably. We would need hot, dry weather for a week or two and a lot of space to spread it all out. Plus, no wind to blow it all around!

Michael Helmersson wrote:I've got a pile of sawchips and bark peelings that I accumulated over the winter. I've been getting donations of grass clippings, so I started making a compost pile where I layer a veneer of bark/chips over a layer of grass clippings. If I keep getting grass clippings, I should be able to utilize about a pickup load of the chips/bark and have something resembling composted mulch in a year or two.
I've checked the internal temp and it gets up to 140degF whenever I add a new batch of clippings.

I think composting it with grass clippings would work well, but I dont save my clippings and even though the neighbor does, he wouldn’t have nearly enough. I’ll probably have to compost some, dry some, use some for mulch and who knows what else. Maybe grow mushrooms on some!

I got a lot of sawdust too. Douglas pine mainly. Been to the Douglas grove and found some decaying Douglas branches full of mycelium. Chopped the rotten bits off. Brought them back to the pile in buckets and buried them at differing depth.
I hope the mycelium will be able to start running through the pile. It might take a yearbut it was a nice walk.
If it really starts running i hope the redwine cap mushroom can follow up after.
Apparently they’re not too fond of pine, but it costs nothing to try.

IF you go for fungi, make sure you pick pine loving mushrooms (oysters will do: especially blue oyster, and phoenix)

I don't have access to wood chips, which is what I really want, so I made do with 50 yards of sawdust a sawmill was getting rid of.

So far one of my main uses has been digging the soil out of my garden paths and replacing it with sawdust. Grass runners pull out beautifully.

I mix it with grass clippings to compost.

I use it in the toilet bucket.

I mulch perennial beds and trees with it.

I use it to trace stuff out on the ground to better visualize what I want to do or to use as guidelines for digging, building beds, or whatever.

I used a thick layer as a quick, easy patio.

I haven't done it, but moist sawdust should work well for root cellaring carrots in.

Also haven't done, but you can make biochar with it.

Daniel Tura wrote:IF you go for fungi, make sure you pick pine loving mushrooms (oysters will do: especially blue oyster, and phoenix)

As far as I know, that doesn’t leave me with many options. Phoenix oysters are probably the only species that will do well on pine that I can buy commercial spawn for. Id love cauliflower mushrooms to grow on the pine, but I think they’re particular for growing at the base and roots of living pines and dont think sawdust would suffice. Although I have some cauliflower spawn on pine rounds and some of that seems to be growing.

Jan White wrote:I don't have access to wood chips, which is what I really want, so I made do with 50 yards of sawdust a sawmill was getting rid of.

So far one of my main uses has been digging the soil out of my garden paths and replacing it with sawdust. Grass runners pull out beautifully.

I mix it with grass clippings to compost.

I use it in the toilet bucket.

I mulch perennial beds and trees with it.

I use it to trace stuff out on the ground to better visualize what I want to do or to use as guidelines for digging, building beds, or whatever.

I used a thick layer as a quick, easy patio.

I haven't done it, but moist sawdust should work well for root cellaring carrots in.

Also haven't done, but you can make biochar with it.

I like your ideas! We dont have a composting toilet yet though, so that option is out for now. Definitely will compost some though and add some to new beds. Probably will use some as a mulch as well, although I already have bunches of woodchips for mulch.

Really like the idea of root cellaring vegetables with it, but am wondering if the pine scent or flavor would seep into whatever is stored in there, especially if it is moist.

Also, this brings to mind my main problem with the amount of sawdust. I can’t dry it all. Hell, I cant even dry half of it. Whatever I do dry will get stored for later use, but the bulk of it will be soggy and surely infested with a variety of mold and fungal spores by the time this project is done. I have a feeling something will be growing from it within a year or two, whether it’s on purpose by me adding mushroom spawn, or by nature just due to the fact that there’s not really another outcome!

Jan White, I'm not sure what climate you are in but if you are in an area that may have wildfires please reconsider a patio of sawdust. Firewise is an organization that educates homeowners who live in areas where there is potential wildfire danger. They do a great job on their website and with their videos of informing people how to prevent their house burning down in a wildfire. https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire

I made a bunch of sawmill sawdust this spring and we used most of it on the paths of our gardens and food forests.  Some went into big bags (left open) and set aside for use as chicken bedding.  It seems to stay dry enough that it hasn't molded yet.  Of course we collected it up before it got rained on...

Mike Haasl wrote:I made a bunch of sawmill sawdust this spring and we used most of it on the paths of our gardens and food forests.  Some went into big bags (left open) and set aside for use as chicken bedding.  It seems to stay dry enough that it hasn't molded yet.  Of course we collected it up before it got rained on...

Unfortunately, most of this has gotten several inches of rain since first being cut. Didnt have enough tarps to cover it all! That wont matter for making compost or using it as mulch though. Might even help. But getting it dry now that its wet is a real struggle, even in relatively small quantities.

As for chicken bedding, have you used sawdust before? I guess it may depend on the saw. This is a bandsaw type mill and the dust is very very fine. I think it would be airborn inside the coop and the chickens would be breathing it in all the time.

I haven't used fine sawdust for bedding.  The sawmill I used was a swingblade so it's shavings were not so fine.  Sorry about not mentioning that with my prior post...

denise ra wrote:Jan White, I'm not sure what climate you are in but if you are in an area that may have wildfires please reconsider a patio of sawdust. Firewise is an organization that educates homeowners who live in areas where there is potential wildfire danger. They do a great job on their website and with their videos of informing people how to prevent their house burning down in a wildfire. https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire

Oh, we've already had a fire less than two clicks from our house this year. We expect our property to burn at some point. The patio's not super near the house, though 🙂

I don't know if you need to worry so much about stuff colonizing the sawdust. We've got sawdust piles out in the bush that are decades old and plants are only growing around the edges. I never see mushrooms. I think a big sawdust pile is pretty inert.

Jan White wrote:I don't know if you need to worry so much about stuff colonizing the sawdust. We've got sawdust piles out in the bush that are decades old and plants are only growing around the edges. I never see mushrooms. I think a big sawdust pile is pretty inert.

That’s interesting and I have no explanation for it! I figured if the downed logs are growing fungus, the stumps are growing fungus and the totems i made from the trunks are growing fungus that the sawdust would as well. Especially since remnants of everything growing in and under the bark gets smeared through the works as the saw is cutting.