Mulching & Chipping in Monbulk

Mulching & Chipping in Monbulk: Local Conditions

Mulching and chipping in Monbulk is closely tied to the orchard and nursery heritage of the area. Many properties generate significant annual volumes of woody pruning material, from the fruit tree crown-thinning work done in July and August, from the cypress and pittosporum windbreak cutting done in autumn, and from the ongoing clearance of invasive blackberry and sweet briar canes along paddock margins. Processing this material on-site rather than cartage to a green waste facility is both practical and logical: the chipped output is high-quality organic mulch directly suited to the volcanic loam garden beds that benefit most from it. Our chippers handle material up to 150 mm (6-inch) diameter in a single pass; larger timber is split or cross-cut first. On the typical Monbulk lifestyle block we will generate between three and eight cubic metres of chipped mulch from a day's pruning and clearing work, which is usually spread directly onto garden beds and pathways at 75–100 mm depth. Where volumes exceed what the property can use (common on the larger blocks that have been clearing a neglected orchard), we can haul surplus chips away or leave them in a dedicated composting bay if the owner has space. For properties that need mulch imported rather than generated on-site, we supply and install composted pine bark, eucalyptus chip or sugar cane mulch sourced from commercial suppliers. Pine bark is the most common choice for the ornamental garden beds on residential Monbulk blocks because it stays in place on slopes, doesn't compact as quickly as fine material, and releases nutrients slowly into the loam without temporarily locking up nitrogen the way fresh sawdust or unaged wood chip can.

Working in Monbulk