Fruit bush mulch

[brooklynodog]

Hello,
I have access to a large amount of wood chip. This is basically chipped shrubs and small trees. Would this be suitable as a mulch for general fruit bushes? (currants, rasps, gooses, blueberry etc)

[scarletrunner]

Will conserve moisture but will not add much in the way of nutritional value.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Totally agree with Scarlettrunner. It will be an excellent weed suppressant though.

[brooklynodog]

Wasnt really thinking of it as adding any nutritional value, really just moisture retention and weed suppression. I was just worried it might be too acidic or alkaline or whatever?

[Aberdeenplotter]

There is a school of thought that says that a wood mulch will leach nitrogen out of the soil thereby reducing fertility. I don't subscribe to that and I don't think the ph of the soil should be noticeably affected either.

[FB.]

I would avoid it.
I've heard of bark chipping/wood chipping mulches bringing disease in.
How do you know whether the chips haven't come from some old, diseased fruit tree that died, was cut down and shredded?
I've also heard about bark chippings bringing in the dreaded "honey fungus" (Armillaria sp) and destroying almost everything in its path.
Most bark chippings will encourage wood-rotting fungi.
Conifer chippings will acidify the soil.

I use about an inch of ordinary compost as a mulch for my trees. I tend to apply my mulch in two or three half-inch-thick scatterings - one in late autumn, one in mid-winter and one in early spring. I find that it gets into the topsoil better when done in two or three lighter applications - worms and blackbirds move it around through the winter.