How to Put Cedar Sawdust in Soil

Any garden brings bright foliage and blooms to the home landscape with spring to fall growth and flowering. Gardens may last for one season or many years, depending on plant growing habits, and always require rich soil for nutrition and moisture. Amendments like wood chips and cedar sawdust loosen soil for drainage and growth but come with some important considerations. The microorganisms that decompose the wood matter pull nitrogen from the soil to do so, creating a nitrogen deficiency in the area. Amend soil with sawdust and add some other ingredients to restrict the nitrogen deficiency for healthy plant growth.

Garden fork
Cedar sawdust
Organic compost
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Dig into the top 10 inches of soil in your chosen site. Mix the soil completely to loosen it and add air to the foundation. This process alone gives the garden a healthier foundation. Pull out rocks, weeds, roots and litter, and even out low and high spots for better site drainage.
- 2
  Lay 3 inches of cedar sawdust over the soil. Use a garden fork to turn the sawdust into your tilled soil and mix well. The sawdust increases organic nutrition, loosens the soil and holds moisture between waterings.
- 3
  Lay 2 inches of organic compost on the soil. Use the garden fork to turn this amendment into your sawdust-amended soil to increase nitrogen content and balance the soil. Compost neutralizes some of the short- and long-term effects of the sawdust, and does more for moisture retention in the soil.
- 4
  Turn nitrogen-rich 13-13-13 fertilizer into the top 6 inches of soil to further neutralize the sawdust. Put fertilizer out at a rate of 1 pound per every 100 square feet of planting. Water the site for 30 minutes to settle the soil and dissolve some of the nutrition, and allow the soil to rest for at least a week before planting.

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Soil