Chip Drop: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Tree service companies like to chip branches to conserve space. Chipping can be very labor intensive, but the alternative is loading and unloading cut branches from a truck or trailer. If you've ever loaded and unloaded branches, you know how fast they take up space, and unloading the tangled branches can take longer than your entire pruning job, not to mention the drive time and dump fees.

Arborists can finish several jobs in a day without having to make a run to the dump by simply processing all of their refuse through a chipper shredder. When space is used up, billable hours pause so they run to the dump. It is in their best interest to minimize the down time and get back to work, so the less they travel the better. That's where Chip Drop comes in.

Chip Drop, is an app that connects tree service companies with homeowners that are looking for an inexpensive mulch that can be used in their garden. This allows companies to do a quick search to see if they can save time by dumping a load in the neighborhood where they are working. One man's trash is another man's treasure!

Let's talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to using this service.

The Good

Shredded trees consist of locally grown organic matter that is extremely valuable in the garden. What makes it especially valuable is that, in the spring and summer, it contains a well balanced mix of leaves (nitrogen) and wood (carbon). If the trees are alive when they are cut and chipped, then the mulch has a good amount of moisture. This mix of nitrogen, carbon, and water will almost immediately begin to decompose. Depending on the size of the pile you can have finished compost in less than one growing season.

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This mulch can also be used as a top dressing around trees, shrubs, and perennials. This mulch will help suppress weeds, retain water and slowly decompose into a nutrient dense fertilizer.

Tree mulch is especially good for compost and top dressing because it is almost 100% weed free and lacks the high salts that animal manures contain.

Chip drop is a free service for home owners, but tree service companies pay up to $20 per drop in some areas. This $20 fee is still cheaper for companies than time lost and dump fees. If you are serious about receiving this mulch, you can increase your chances of getting a load by offering the delivery company a tip. It's not necessary, but if there are two homes in the same neighborhood looking for a chip drop and one is offering a tip, then who do you think will get the first delivery?

The Bad

Something to consider when receiving a load of mulch is that you don't exactly know what you're going to get. If the tree service company that is delivering your load is removing a black walnut tree, for example, it may contain natural chemicals that walnut trees use to suppress the growth of competing plants. Even the mulch from a black walnut tree can kill off sensitive plants. The good news is, if you are using it as a weed suppressor where ornamental plants are not present, then black walnut mulch might be the best thing to use.

Since we are talking chemicals, load of mulch from chip drop would not be "certified organic." You do not know what the shredded trees are treated with. If you are extremely careful about the use of synthetic chemicals in your yard or garden, then you may want to pass on chip drop and purchase certified organic mulch and compost instead.

Sometimes, a chip drop delivery will include a few logs that don't fit in the chipper. If you have a fire pit or fire place, then maybe this isn't a bad thing.

The Ugly

Ok, this is where we need to set some realistic expectations. 

First, most tree service companies are hired to do jobs that are too big for the average homeowner. One load of mulch could be as large as 20 cubic yards. To put this into perspective, a normal pickup truck filled to overflowing is about 3 cubic yards. When you sign up for a chip drop you could receive the equivalent of 7 pickup loads all at once. I hope you're ready.

Now that you can visualize the volume of mulch you are dealing with, where are you going to put it? At 4 inches thick 20 cubic yards will cover more than 1,600 sf. So let's say that your garden and shrub beds are at least that big, then the next question is, where are you going to put it until then? Is your driveway big enough? Do you have a side gate that they can back through without running over the neighbor's fence?

I can't tell you how many horror stories that I have heard from gardeners coming home from work to find a pile of steaming tree mulch blocking their garage door. Or worse blocking their kid's car so they can't go to work or school.

Another bad scenario is a citation from the HOA or City because you're not allowed to have piles of landscape materials in your front yard. I'm sure the last thing you want is a surprise all-nighter hauling 20 cubic yards of mulch to the back yard with a wheel barrow... in the dark.

You will need to be very clear about where you want your load. If you just ask for mulch and supply an address, don't get mad if it's more than you wanted or it's dumped in the wrong place. Remember, you are getting up to 20 CY of mulch for free. If you can't handle these scenarios, you can purchase mulch from a nursery in smaller quantities, or hire a landscape company to deliver and spread mulch for you.

I hope this article will help you see the benefits, the risks and the potential nightmares that can come from using chip drop to acquire organic matter for your yard or garden.

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