Moldy mulch!!

Hi everyone! So I am trying to start a small permaculture project. Initially i wanted to establish some berms full of natives around the edges of the property and then a food forest close to the house. I heard of chip drop and was excited to have a source of free mulch. I got a huge delivery (im talking 20 dumps) of freshly shredded juniper, elm, hackberry (I live in central Texas), but just within a few days it has turned moldy!! Even one inch below the surface it is releasing spore dust everywhere into the air. I think its because of all the shredded leaves in the pile plus recent rains. Can i still use this on all my berms and fruit trees and is there any health risk to people? I also wanted to create a few johnson-su piles but is it no good since its already moldy and probably quite anaerobic in the center of the piles? Thanks yall!

Not a surprise, and certainly not a disaster - just a problem to be managed. If there is a lot of leaf litter shredded in the mix it will influence how the pile decomposes.

Mold is nasty, and it thrives in the margins between dry and wet. Forcing a moldy pile to go wet/anaerobic for a while stomps down the mold completely, while continuing the decomposition of the base material. Water it down, and stomp it down tight, removing air; and cover with the impermeable or moisture retaining substance of your choice. My 2c.

Be careful dealing with moldy wood chips! Some one had bad experience:
https://permies.com/t/257912/Ill-shoveling-lots-wood-chips

May Lotito wrote:Be careful dealing with moldy wood chips! Some one had bad experience:
https://permies.com/t/257912/Ill-shoveling-lots-wood-chips

Agreed. Mold hits me hard. I have learned how to manage it in my compost piles and other situations like a chip drop. Hint: mold does not thrive in wet conditions.

Edit: Sonu Soo, the link above has a ton of useful information. It may be worth a look.

Oh no - i was hoping it was just an “im overthinking it” problem as I have probably 100 yards or so of the stuff already. I did actually want it to prevent the soil from drying out and less as compost so this is a bummer. Watering it down and stomping it might not be possible with the amounts i have. I could take the tractor and spread it over the ground to dry out - its about to get hot hot in Texas, but then it might not be good for much at all.

I do a Back to Eden style of permaculture and am dealing with large piles of wood chips quite often. I tend to get chip drops several times a year. In my opinion the mold or fungus is a feature not a bug! I want it to do this, and it enriches the soil food web. In my experience the dust is most bothersome in Day 3 to Day 20 or so when any fresh green in the pile is cooking down and the pile is steaming. It does bother me so if it's bad I wear a dust mask while spreading/moving the mulch. Once the pile cools down I notice it's not as bothersome though, your milelage may vary so you kind of need to get a feel for it. Other than that, it sounds like this is primo material to be spreading around your area!

Sonu Soo wrote:Oh no - i was hoping it was just an “im overthinking it” problem as I have probably 100 yards or so of the stuff already. I did actually want it to prevent the soil from drying out and less as compost so this is a bummer.

I think you can use it if you take reasonable precautions. The leaf matter will degrade with time and the mold will likely reduce. If you're handling it, wear a good mask (N95 at minimum; P100 respirator if you are highly sensitive).

Did that load that that had cedar have the berries and cones included.

What you are seeing may not be mold instead it might be Cedar pollen.

I like the advice given by Adam Dylan.

Let me be the one to say, I would not sweat what you are seeing.

If you disturb the mulch, take precautions for breathing in the dust but I would not worry about it once it is placed. I have found cedar/conifer mulches go through an initial white mold phase that weakens their natural anti-fungal oils so other fungi can start processing down the lignin. You might be seeing an initial boom in population but it will settle itself out.

Adam Dylan wrote:I do a Back to Eden style of permaculture and am dealing with large piles of wood chips quite often. I tend to get chip drops several times a year. In my opinion the mold or fungus is a feature not a bug! I want it to do this, and it enriches the soil food web. In my experience the dust is most bothersome in Day 3 to Day 20 or so when any fresh green in the pile is cooking down and the pile is steaming. It does bother me so if it's bad I wear a dust mask while spreading/moving the mulch. Once the pile cools down I notice it's not as bothersome though, your milelage may vary so you kind of need to get a feel for it. Other than that, it sounds like this is primo material to be spreading around your area!

Thank you! Would you suggest keeping it wet or just leaving it alone?

Timothy Norton wrote:Let me be the one to say, I would not sweat what you are seeing.

If you disturb the mulch, take precautions for breathing in the dust but I would not worry about it once it is placed. I have found cedar/conifer mulches go through an initial white mold phase that weakens their natural anti-fungal oils so other fungi can start processing down the lignin. You might be seeing an initial boom in population but it will settle itself out.

Thanks!

I probably should have mentioned the mold is dark green/grey. It basically looks like smoke rising from the pile when its disturbed. I am used to seeing white mold so i think thats why this surprised me a little.

I've gotten viciously sick from shoveling wood chips. I thought I'd come down with a terrible flu– chills, aching, and generally feeling crappy. When it happened the next time I collected tree mulch, I figured it out. I will use a face covering next time!

Be careful. I'm not sure a regular mask would work–they don't filter out smoke so I doubt they'd stop spores.

Cara Campbell wrote:I've gotten viciously sick from shoveling wood chips. I thought I'd come down with a terrible flu– chills, aching, and generally feeling crappy. When it happened the next time I collected tree mulch, I figured it out. I will use a face covering next time!

Be careful. I'm not sure a regular mask would work–they don't filter out smoke so I doubt they'd stop spores.

Same thing happened to me.  It happened 3 or 4 times before I figured out what it was, and each time I got sicker.  All the symptoms you mentioned along with a really high fever.  It was miserable.  Now when I'm moving lots of wood chips that are actively composting, as evidenced by steam or heat coming from the pile, I wear a respirator.  It's hot, uncomfortable, and harder to breathe, but it's light years better than getting that mold sickness.  I have giant piles of wood chips right now that a tree service dropped off for me.  I have no problems while they are in piles or once they are in place in the garden or around trees.  I only have issues when I disturb the big piles.  

Sonu Soo wrote:
Thank you! Would you suggest keeping it wet or just leaving it alone?

I would do both if you have the opportunity to leave it in one place for some time.  Keep it wet and leave it alone to break down.  Once it's past the composting phase, it's fine to move around.  If you need to use it while it is still in the moldy composting phase, I would strongly recommend a respirator.