I had the same machine for 5-6 years to grind up leaves to compost. It got clogged a lot. The strings wear down fast and are time consuming to replace. I had plans to replace the string with braided stainless cable, but never did. I sold mine on Craigslist. My preferred method now is to run over it with a bagging lawn mower. It would work really well for straw too.
Scaling up: theres machine called a bale Chopper that landscapers use to cover grass seed. Not cheap but it swallows full bale and chops and shoots out a hose. Good content!
Great minds do think alike! I purchased a Sun Joe leaf mulcher 5 years ago and it was still in the box(not many trees here). I bought some garden mulch from epic gardening, great stuff, clean and spreads like butter. But pricey. Before that I did buy some straw, and like you said it doesn't spread, too long. So I saw my unopened box and an idea came to my head. So I tried it. My mulch is good enough for my garden. I filled two totes and used it all through my garden. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Thanks Diego. If I was suburban gardener, this might do the trick. I use a 5 hp chipper shredder that does small branches 2 inches thick. I collect my neighbors leaves and shred them AND the leaf bag. I find fresh plant material just clogs it, so I let that dry on the ground a bit before shredding. I like the hammers it has, more durable than a string trimmer. Yes, a dust mask is wise.
If I don’t shred my straw first, the first wind storm blows 90% of it away. Finding straw at a reasonable price that hasn’t been treated with herbicide is my next challenge. Pretty sure that’s what wiped out my edamame last spring.
I am glad you did this even though it does not apply to the conditions that are being utilized by me. One can see the benefits of such a scheme. Good for you Diego. Thanks.
That is beautiful timing! I have been trying to wrap my brain around mulching my straw faster than tearing by hand or chopping with a hedge trimmer. I have a metal blade on a weed wacker (brush cutter from ryobi) I will give it a go, try not to lose any fingers, and follow up! Kevin at epic gardening also buys bundles of mulched straw but who has that TH-cam money??😆😆
Great video and I’m big fan of your channel. I use a 32 gallon trash can and a weed trimmer to break down the mulch ( it’s what I have and works for me). In my opinion the smaller mulch size is better since your increasing the surface area (carbohydrates surface area- more polysaccharides available) for the soil microbes and biology to feed on. I would also recommend mulching with a variety of mulches to diversify the food for the soil biology. In hay, it’s largely made up of cellulose and xylans driving only certain soil microbes. But if you mix in different grasses, leaves, hays, etc. you’ll have a much better mulch for your soil ( in return better plants and food).
Definitely works for mulching leaves, could be worth a try. Using either the worx or a trimmer I’d recommend trying a really heavy duty trimming twine or even the wires that some models use for heavier duty cutting. Might void the warranty on the worx though, FYI.
I've seen the Sunjoe on leaves it cuts some of the leaves pretty well but sometimes they go through whole and intact. However they are still reduced pretty well after a second pass. The Sunjoe cuts 16:1 (better then your 13:1), but it has the same amperage motor as yours 13 amps. Best of all is about $75 cheaper(atm).
I mulched heavily early last year and all the pillbugs and crickets under the mulch ate a bunch of my seedlings . I waited until the plants were pretty good size to mulch and I had way better survival rate . Have you ever had that problem?
Great ideas -! straw mulch is definitely a pain when too large. We have an old horse with poor teeth and regularly mow and catch his hay which is much easier for him to eat (lucerne - “alfalfa” in the US ? 🤔) - and more than once I have stolen some for vegetable garden mulching for the very reasons you covered in your vid 👍😂
I'd definitely like to see a review on that Worx shredder especially a look inside and also any mods you decide to make to it. Can't seem to get them in Australia right now so considering making one up from an old electric line trimmer maybe. Should be ok for straw and chopping up leaves. I have one of those blower vacs and they are slow and sometimes clog as you say. Nice video 👍
just an FYI epic gardener actually does sell bag of cut straw. Having a way to do it at home is much more affordable I am sure but there is some out there for retail.
I use a hammer mill and shreder with it dry gras but also leaves or other dry and thin materials. It works very well but it makes a loud sound 😅 The result is very fine and good to use for several jobs.
A little late to the game, but was wondering. If you used the blower a second time on the straw would it come out finer. Seems to reason it would, or would it be too fine?
I've seen this done with a string trimmer in a garbage can.... and luckily I have a string trimmer and a garbage can, but living in the corn and soybean belt, I probably won't be able to find herbicide free straw.
@@DiegoFooter I put the weed eater in an empty 32 gal trash can, fill up a third of the way, turn it on and sort of stir it around, then another third, work my way up again, and then repeat for the final 3rd, it’s more work than the Worx mulcher though but a decent option if you want to save some cash.
LOL I was JUST saying this ystrdy...how can I make my straw smaller!!! When I HAD a weed eater, I used to put leaves into empty garbage can & whip it up...that works nice...yes wear eye gear & bandana over nose/mouth.. it DOES WORK...why not straw too...try it...make video ok...and it's fforable too👍
A CHAIN? OR A BLADE?....you, my friend, are a mulch monster. Wondering thought would that fine dust add any nutrients back to the soil...kinda like when people put alfalfa pellets?
@@DiegoFooter BS. It's sold at Lowe's, Ace, TSC and home depot. Anywhere from $12.89 to $15 and that's right now online current price. Large units? It's 1 small bale size package that covers 500 square feet. EZ mulch seed starting mulch. 99% weed free. And 3x the price? What are you talking about?
Spread it out on the ground in the grass mulch it with the push mower w/bagger you get straw and grass mixed, works for me! Love your content!
I had the same machine for 5-6 years to grind up leaves to compost. It got clogged a lot. The strings wear down fast and are time consuming to replace. I had plans to replace the string with braided stainless cable, but never did. I sold mine on Craigslist. My preferred method now is to run over it with a bagging lawn mower. It would work really well for straw too.
Scaling up: theres machine called a bale Chopper that landscapers use to cover grass seed. Not cheap but it swallows full bale and chops and shoots out a hose. Good content!
That batch from the works, so fluffy, such mulch.
Been running my pine needle straw through a leaf shredder for years for the same reasons. Lays down much better around my tighter placed plants.
Great minds do think alike! I purchased a Sun Joe leaf mulcher 5 years ago and it was still in the box(not many trees here). I bought some garden mulch from epic gardening, great stuff, clean and spreads like butter. But pricey. Before that I did buy some straw, and like you said it doesn't spread, too long. So I saw my unopened box and an idea came to my head. So I tried it. My mulch is good enough for my garden. I filled two totes and used it all through my garden. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Thanks Diego. If I was suburban gardener, this might do the trick. I use a 5 hp chipper shredder that does small branches 2 inches thick. I collect my neighbors leaves and shred them AND the leaf bag. I find fresh plant material just clogs it, so I let that dry on the ground a bit before shredding. I like the hammers it has, more durable than a string trimmer. Yes, a dust mask is wise.
If I don’t shred my straw first, the first wind storm blows 90% of it away. Finding straw at a reasonable price that hasn’t been treated with herbicide is my next challenge. Pretty sure that’s what wiped out my edamame last spring.
Mushroom growers use a trashcan, string trimmer and custom cut lid to keep down dust to make substrate to grow on.
I am glad you did this even though it does not apply to the conditions that are being utilized by me.
One can see the benefits of such a scheme. Good for you Diego. Thanks.
That is beautiful timing! I have been trying to wrap my brain around mulching my straw faster than tearing by hand or chopping with a hedge trimmer. I have a metal blade on a weed wacker (brush cutter from ryobi)
I will give it a go, try not to lose any fingers, and follow up! Kevin at epic gardening also buys bundles of mulched straw but who has that TH-cam money??😆😆
Great video and I’m big fan of your channel. I use a 32 gallon trash can and a weed trimmer to break down the mulch ( it’s what I have and works for me). In my opinion the smaller mulch size is better since your increasing the surface area (carbohydrates surface area- more polysaccharides available) for the soil microbes and biology to feed on. I would also recommend mulching with a variety of mulches to diversify the food for the soil biology. In hay, it’s largely made up of cellulose and xylans driving only certain soil microbes. But if you mix in different grasses, leaves, hays, etc. you’ll have a much better mulch for your soil ( in return better plants and food).
Have you tried putting the straw in a barrel/ trashcan, and using a weed trimmer to chop the straw to smaller pieces?
No. Would that actually work?
Definitely works for mulching leaves, could be worth a try. Using either the worx or a trimmer I’d recommend trying a really heavy duty trimming twine or even the wires that some models use for heavier duty cutting. Might void the warranty on the worx though, FYI.
@@DiegoFooter Yes. th-cam.com/video/oc7LutyKW9Y/w-d-xo.html
@@williambelding7574 the thick guitar string should do well.
I would love to know how well it chops up dried leaves? I can often get them for no charge around the neighborhood, when people clean up their yards.
I've seen the Sunjoe on leaves it cuts some of the leaves pretty well but sometimes they go through whole and intact. However they are still reduced pretty well after a second pass. The Sunjoe cuts 16:1 (better then your 13:1), but it has the same amperage motor as yours 13 amps. Best of all is about $75 cheaper(atm).
I mulched heavily early last year and all the pillbugs and crickets under the mulch ate a bunch of my seedlings . I waited until the plants were pretty good size to mulch and I had way better survival rate . Have you ever had that problem?
The only issue I have with mulch is bugs eating strawberries. That being said I don’t mulch around every crop. So things like tomatoes are fine.
Pill bugs will f up seedlings...mulch or not.
Full review of the worx please. I'm looking for something for exactly this purpose. Bonuses if it can handle small limbs or cattails.
Will do. It won't be able to do anything woody, and I have my doubts that it can handle anything fibrous.
Do you get many strong winds in your area?
It would be interesting to see how that tiny, fluffy straw survives compared to larger straw.
Great ideas -! straw mulch is definitely a pain when too large. We have an old horse with poor teeth and regularly mow and catch his hay which is much easier for him to eat (lucerne - “alfalfa” in the US ? 🤔) - and more than once I have stolen some for vegetable garden mulching for the very reasons you covered in your vid 👍😂
The worx would be great for shredding leaves to go into a worm bin
I'd definitely like to see a review on that Worx shredder especially a look inside and also any mods you decide to make to it.
Can't seem to get them in Australia right now so considering making one up from an old electric line trimmer maybe.
Should be ok for straw and chopping up leaves. I have one of those blower vacs and they are slow and sometimes clog as you say.
Nice video 👍
The #1 barrier to compost availability is the availability of materials, not people's lack of dedication or studying it. Tell the world.
just an FYI epic gardener actually does sell bag of cut straw. Having a way to do it at home is much more affordable I am sure but there is some out there for retail.
I use a hammer mill and shreder with it dry gras but also leaves or other dry and thin materials. It works very well but it makes a loud sound 😅 The result is very fine and good to use for several jobs.
The fine cut straw definitely looks very usable. I would rather see some kind of metal blade in place of the string trimmer for the Worx shedder.
A little late to the game, but was wondering. If you used the blower a second time on the straw would it come out finer. Seems to reason it would, or would it be too fine?
I've seen this done with a string trimmer in a garbage can.... and luckily I have a string trimmer and a garbage can, but living in the corn and soybean belt, I probably won't be able to find herbicide free straw.
I have something like the worx. But would it blow away in the wind?
I have never had that problem. Maybe we don't get THAT windy?
I just fill a trash can, and use an old string weed eater to chop everything up, I mostly use it for leaves but I’m sure it would work for straw too.
Do you fill it a little ways, chop, then add more, or fill the whole thing and chop through it all?
@@DiegoFooter I put the weed eater in an empty 32 gal trash can, fill up a third of the way, turn it on and sort of stir it around, then another third, work my way up again, and then repeat for the final 3rd, it’s more work than the Worx mulcher though but a decent option if you want to save some cash.
LOL I was JUST saying this ystrdy...how can I make my straw smaller!!! When I HAD a weed eater, I used to put leaves into empty garbage can & whip it up...that works nice...yes wear eye gear & bandana over nose/mouth.. it DOES WORK...why not straw too...try it...make video ok...and it's fforable too👍
A CHAIN? OR A BLADE?....you, my friend, are a mulch monster. Wondering thought would that fine dust add any nutrients back to the soil...kinda like when people put alfalfa pellets?
If we are getting that serious, then maybe it's time to look at hammer mills
Straw vs leaves?
How do you do to ensure the straw doesn't have aminopyralids?
Straw is the byproduct of food production, so by default they can't use those chemicals.
@@DiegoFooter What about animal feed production? Straw can be a byproduct of that too.
@@DiegoFooter guys around here grow it for fall decorations. Spray it just before harvest.
Dear Abby 🤗 Please send me some Eagle 🦅 Feathers!!
Why go through all this when you can buy a big bulk block of it already chopped up at TSC for $12. It's called EZ straw seeding mulch. Works great.
They don’t sell that near me in large units, and it is about 3x the price.
@@DiegoFooter BS. It's sold at Lowe's, Ace, TSC and home depot. Anywhere from $12.89 to $15 and that's right now online current price. Large units? It's 1 small bale size package that covers 500 square feet. EZ mulch seed starting mulch. 99% weed free. And 3x the price? What are you talking about?
But, the straw is too long, dear Lisa, dear Lisa........
Get a knife, oh Henry, oh Henry...
@@DiegoFooter
;>)) Keep up the good work my friend
Its sucks, and it cuts. The Suck Cut.