Roots in decaying mulch pile - Ask Extension
This was a pile of wood chips from a maple tree I had cut down. I've been using the wood chips for several years and am now left with a pile of someth...
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Roots in decaying mulch pile #925842
Asked March 11, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT
This was a pile of wood chips from a maple tree I had cut down. I've been using the wood chips for several years and am now left with a pile of something like soil. It has roots growing all through it. Where could this be used? I am thinking I should not put it on a vegetable bed or flower bed for fear that the roots will continue to grow.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
We can't say where the roots came from (any mature tree or shrubs nearby? their roots can travel many feet from the plant's main stems or trunk), but the material is essentially compost and fine to use anywhere. Root pieces rarely regrow by themselves without pieces of stem tissue attached, and unless you have a highly invasive plant nearby (say, running bamboo or Japanese knotweed), you probably don't need to worry about the pieces regrowing into new plants.
Miri
Miri
