Brush in a Hugel?

Other than the extra work of covering it with dirt, is there any reason to not mix some brush with the logs? Searched a bit here and did not find much on this, did find mentions that chips rot too fast. (And the thread about chippers being evil.) Brush should fall in between in how fast they rot, perhaps even closer to logs if the brush is fresh and the logs already partially decayed.

I see not reason not to add some brush to a hugelkulture.

In fact all kinds or organic materials can be added.

As long as there are sufficient logs to help hold in the water

Here is what one person said:

I've been using lots of old and new brush in my hugulcultures, and I pile everything willy-nilly. Generally, I think you just need to use more dirt and compost to fill in the cavities, but otherwise potatoes and blueberries have done great on them.

https://permies.com/t/25696/Turning-brush-piles-hugelkultur#289389

I think that if you are using fallen wood material, it is likely that much of it will be brash, and as you say will spread the speed of the wood rotting. This ought to give good results in a shorter period of time, and as long as you do have good sized logs as well, needn't shorten the life of the hugel.
Well done Anne for finding that thread!
I'm making mini hugels just with brash - it's also a good way of making safe potentially flammable material in fire prone areas I would have thought.

Thank you both! Had to look up "Brash" in this context, new one on me. Yes, some tree brash but mostly privet hedge and feral pair trees that have been popping up everywhere since a neighbor planted Bradford's:-( Logs are mostly pine since on the rare occasion a hardwood dies it gets scarfed up for firewood long before it starts to rot. We use some pine for kindling but never keep up with the supply.

Anyone interested in a way to compact brush into a roll? Discovered it by accident last winter, does require a driveway maintenance tool some folks already have.

I see no benefit of making compact brush rolls in a hugel though if it works for you then that is great.

Or is that an experiment waiting to happen ...

William Bagwell wrote:TAnyone interested in a way to compact brush into a roll? Discovered it by accident last winter, does require a driveway maintenance tool some folks already have.

I'm interested William, and I'm sure others may be. I've been using sticks as the core of french drains. They are supposed to be surprisingly effective even after the wood has gone due to changes in the soil structure, rather than getting blocked like gravel drains can. Having a better way of making the stick bundles would be good I think.

making stick drains

When using brush in a hugely, it may be difficult to get the soil touching the wood. Also any air gaps may be habitat for rodents.

Anne Miller wrote:I see no benefit of making compact brush rolls in a hugel though if it works for you then that is great.

Or is that an experiment waiting to happen ...

Experiment in progress since early spring. Rather ambitious and unusual Hugel in other ways besides possibly including a bunch of brush. If I decide to not include brush or just do a tiny test section will drag out the hose and burn most of it October 1st when the summer burn ban ends. Bio char and ash are good too.

The compacting involves a tractor and box scrape. Video below is worst case scenario since that pile was mostly tree limbs with no sticker vines or feral pear trees with thorns. And on smooth hard ground, rough ground such as a gravel drive and it would have started rolling much faster.

William Bagwell wrote:The compacting involves a tractor and box scrape. Video below is worst case scenario since that pile was mostly tree limbs with no sticker vines or feral pear trees with thorns. And on smooth hard ground, rough ground such as a gravel drive and it would have started rolling much faster.

Hmm, thanks for showing us that. I'm thinking if you added a scoop or two of soil in as well, it would mix in with the branches and you'd get good compaction that way. Then all it would need is top soil, seeds and mulch .
Do you think a curved bucket would get the bundle rolling quicker?

Nancy Reading wrote:
Hmm, thanks for showing us that. I'm thinking if you added a scoop or two of soil in as well, it would mix in with the branches and you'd get good compaction that way. Then all it would need is top soil, seeds and mulch .
Do you think a curved bucket would get the bundle rolling quicker?

Worth a try to deliberately include dirt, will report back later. Have noticed it will sometimes pick up small amounts just moving / rolling across soft plowed ground. Might not show in the video but the box scrape is also curved on the back. Do not have an ordinary scrape blade to test if the back of one with a reverse curve will work. Might be better or not work at all? Still photo below is the same pile after moving quite a distance and slightly more compacted than at the end of the video.