Wood chipperis a device more and more often used in home gardens and allotments. Having a shredder for branches, we can easily get rid of woody shoots of perennials and thinner branches after cutting shrubs and trees. The ground parts of the plants take up less space and are composted faster. See what theconstruction of the shredder is , how this device works,which shredder to buyand how to use it in the garden.
Wood chipper
Why do I need a wood chipper?
Often, after cleaning plots and gardens, we have a lot of plant residues. While the management of easily decomposing waste is not difficult for us - it can always be used for compost, there is often a problem with what to do with hard, woody parts of plants.
In the past, it was common to incinerate waste in gardens, which caused a very oppressive smoke in the area and harmful substances were released into the atmosphere. Nowadays, such a procedure is still justified if plant residues are infected with bacterial, viral and fungal diseases. In order to prevent the spread of pathogenic microorganisms, it is worth destroying the infected plants as soon as possible after cutting them, although sometimes it is better to bury them deeply instead of burning them. However, there is nothing to prevent the woody shoots of perennials, shrubs and trees, remaining after trimming the plants and showing no disease symptoms, to be re-used in the garden.
The best way to do it ischop them in a branch shredderThe work of such a machine is based on the fine fragmentation of fragments of fresh shoots and medium thickness of the branches. The resulting shavings are perfect as a replacement for the increasingly expensive bark, the prices of which have skyrocketed again this season.
Shredded remains of branchesare an excellent material for mulching the soil under the plants. Such a litter protects the substrate against excessive drying and weed infestation, and in winter it prevents deep freezing. The rests obtained after grinding can also be added to the composting plant, where they will loosen the structure of the pile. The small size of the shavings makes them decompose quickly, providing a very good compost with a high proportion of humus.
Shredded branches can also be successfully used to pour paths in the garden, as well as for garden playgrounds for children. A layer of 10 - 15 cm of bedding already protects our children from painful bruises after falling even from a greater height. If you want to manage larger amounts of branches, hard shoots and other plant debris left over from maintenance work in an orchard or garden, you should now look for a suitable shredder for branches.
Construction of a wood chipper
Currently, the market offers many models of wood shredders, so everyone can find something for themselves. Thestructure of the branch chipperis quite simple: a cutting device works under a solid casing, based on the principle of a slowly rotating cutting cylinder or a worm knife. In the past, rotating knives were also used in shredders, but due to the high risk of working on such a device and its noisiness, they were withdrawn from production. The new modelsof shredders for brancheswork very quietly, and the mechanism of automatic drawing of plant fragments inside the machine made the work much safer.
Which shredder to buy?
For owners of small gardens,electric shredders for branchesThe power of such devices ranges from 1200 to 2500 W. They are able to shred branches up to a diameter of up to 4 cm. If you have a large garden or an orchard that provides many branches every year after cutting trees and shrubs, it is worth considering buying
combustion wood chipperModels powered by 4-8 HP four-stroke gasoline engines are loud, but they can handle branches with a diameter of 6-7 cm.If that was not enough for someone, professional gardening machines have already appeared in the companies offering for sale
high-power shredders for branches , thanks to which it will be possible to deal with branches up to 20 cm in diameter. Almost every company dealing with the maintenance of urban greenery has such devices.When working with this type of equipment, you should always remember to use all safety measures, from protective glasses, through gloves, to properly fitted sleeves on a shirt or blouse.If we are going to cut short branches, it is best to obtain an additional
rod to push the material to be cutIf we are not experienced in using this type of equipment, it is worth considering buying a shredder with
quiet, rack-and-pinion shredding mechanism , which ensures safe operation thanks to recoil-free cutting of waste. This device is also equipped with a mechanism for automatically drawing in the cut branches. We must remember to insert the branches slowly and wait a while until they are completely shredded. If the mowing mechanism is blocked by accident, disconnect the device from the mains as soon as possible and then repair the fault.Newer models of shredders have a reverse gear, which makes it easier to clean the inside in case the blades are clogged with an excessive amount of material to be shredded. Few models also have an overload switch that prevents the machine from breaking down when cutting too thick or hard branches.
By
the chipperhas worked reliably for many years, we must remember to clean it after each use in the garden and to maintain the cutting device by introducing grease inside the machine through the so-called lubrication points .Properly used and periodically maintained shredder will become an excellent ally in the fight against mountains of branches, haulm and other debris that appear in our garden every year.
Emil Gwizdała
