I think your last sentence says it all.

Not that I think being blonde has anything to do with it.

Curious, what do you intend to do with chips...hopefully, not throw it into a compost. It will sit there until the cows come home.

Can you not just break them with hand-power or maybe use a loper tool and deposit into a bag for disposal.

You could always rent a chipper--for the size of branches you mention, a low power chipper would probably rent for a day inexpensively.

I've been breaking them into short lengths. Like I said, I had SIX YARDS! hauled away two weeks ago, and I have 6-10 yards left to go. I almost bought a used chipper, but I'm not strong enough to start it.

I'll be glad when I get all this thorny stuff out of here, so I can get started with the fun stuff.

Blackberry canes and holly branches won't compost down? I thought any kind of plant would compost. No?

Rain2Fall

I would not use an ordinary lawnmower for that purpose. If I had one of those 'rough cut' ones then maybe.

But that's just me.

Lloyd

I've had blackberry canes and rose bushes compost just fine. Just make sure you cut them into small enough pieces (1 inch or smaller) and they'll compost just fine.

When due care is used that will work. Keep both your hands and feet and any other body parts away from the mowers deck and be sure where you are working is not slippery and you won't slip, but I have used my trim mmower (20 inch) to mulch leaves when I just did not want to get the chipper/shredder out, and if care is used there will be no problem.

Since I started using a reel mower, all I use my gas mower for is as a mulcher/chipper for yard waste. Wear safety glasses, make sure there is a flap on the back of your mower, stay away from structures that debris can bounce back off of and hit you, and keep people plenty far away. Also, there is a good chance you will ruin the blade for grass cutting. Mower blades are pretty soft. I have to sharpen mine every few times I use it for this. If you can break the material, it's better to do so than to chip it up in the mower. I only do this with green material. Really solid material is just as easy to break up as you cut it down as it is to pull out the mower.

Woodier stuff just takes longer. I sift compost and throw the woody stuff that still has a ways to go back in the bin. I also have a pile specifically for the stuff that I know will take a really long time like tree branches that aren't big enough to mess with for firewood. I also use woodier material for the bottom of a compost pile. I figure that if it can't be used for firewood, it will compost just fine. If it can be used for firewood, there is always someone in need of it.

(1) Why did Jeannie7 in Ontario say "Curious, what do you intend to do with chips...hopefully, not throw it into a compost. It will sit there until the cows come home?" Other posters have indicated that blackberries and roses will compost down. Q: Will the holly also compost down?

(2) Q: Is a dull mower blade the only potential damage to the mower? Q: How do you sharpen a mower blade?

(3) Q: Would it work to use the leaf bag and mower-chop a little bit at a time? That would be safer.

Thanks for the inputs!

Rain2Fall

Q1A) Not sure about some of the stuff posted by my fellow Canadian.

Q1B) Never composted it that I know of. Eventually, most everything breaks down.

Q2A) No. Bent shaft, sheared keyway. I'm sure there's more.

Q2B) Angle grinder.

Q3) Not sure.

If it t'were I, a rented shipper would be in my future (if I didn't already have one).

Lloyd

If this is kind of a one-time deal where you're clearing an area, I'd rent a chipper. Don't you have friends - guy friends or some of those grrl friends :-] Provide lunch.

This kind of woody stuff, I'd use for mulch around trees/shrubs/perennials rather than try to compost it. I chop my small volumes of holly and blackberry canes with a machete and compost them, but I don't have 6 yards worth!

How dry is it? Have you considered "wienie roast"?

Sad to say, I only have two friends, and they are both women in their 50's in another city. I don't have a chipper. I tried to buy one advertised on Craigslist, but the guy said he wouldn't sell to a woman, because they he'd keep getting calls about how to use the thing. (Sexist?) How can I rent a chipper when I cannot tow it home? How can I rent or buy anything when I've been out of work for a few years.

But here's an important issue: If it's okay to use the mower to chop up leaves, at what point does it become not okay? OK to chop oak leaves? OK to chop holly leaves? What about green 1/4" holly/rose branches?

I don't want to hurt the mower, but I'd like to use it if possible, to keep the size of the twig pile to a minimum. 6-10 yards of lawn debris is just too much for a city lot.

Rain2Fall
In Need of Friends

Got a pick of the stuff you're going to cut up? That would clear a lot up on this. I mean, I am picturing stuff a half inch in diameter and less.

Keep in mind that my use of my gas mower is the only use for it now so I am not nearly as concerned as you might be about damage. If it gets damaged I will be using it the same amount I would be if I weren't using it for chopping compost material. That being said, I have been using it for small brush and garden refuse for awhile.

It's also worth keeping in mind that the quality of your mower and the strength of the motor will matter. Guess I didn't think about that before.

I sharpen with a file. I have also had to grind it twice due to big dents, but that was actually because I hit rocks. Still didn't hurt the shaft. Maybe I got lucky. Again, mine's not for cutting grass anymore so I don't need it razor sharp for a clean grass cut. You can strip a keyway and bend a shaft from cutting too thick of grass too fast if it bunches between the deck wall and the blade. Or it will seize beyond practical repair. So, yeah, there is always more potential damage no matter what you are cutting. I don't see there being more with what you want to do, though, as long as you don't overload the mower with huge piles. I would just use small piles and go slow.

I assumed you would use a leaf bag. The flap I mention is under that. Just keeps stuff from coming from under the mower at your feet.

If you have frequent use for a chipper, Harbor Freight sells a couple of small ones for a reasonable price.

This one is 169.99 and is electric.

This one is $399.99 and gas (twice the HP of the other).

Both can handle branches up to 1.25 inches in diameter.

The link to the Harbor Freight chippers was good. The little electric one is like the one I had 10 years ago.

The stuff I have is up to 1/2 inch. I've gotten grass stuck between the blade and the mower any number of times. The lawn is such a disaster! I'm getting ahead of it now, and starting to kill off patches.

I think I'll sort the trimmings according to size, and go ahead and use the mower on the green stuff under 1/4 inch.

Thanks everybody for the responses!

Rain2Fall

PS: Why did toxcrusader ask if I didn't have any friends? If I had friends to help, I wouldn't be posting here asking for advice. Why is it only men who ask that question? It kind of hurt my feelings.

I got labeled as an axe murderer when I said...

"I have no more friends left since I took up composting. (by the way it took about three months in a hot pile)."

...so I won't make that mistake twice!

:)

Lloyd

If I'm out just pruning here and there, I'll throw the branches out on the lawn and later, pass over them with my lawn mower, either with a catcher or a chute going out the side. When you run over roses, even with a catcher, some thorns remain in the lawn, which is an issue with bare foot kids.

I dunno, up to about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch, say 1.5 cm, this works ok. With anything larger in diameter, then there are some serious missiles flying around. And while I've yet to have one go through the grass bag, when I'm using the side chute, they can get going pretty fast.

You'd have to re-sharpen your blade after 6 yards. Is there anywhere you can just heap it up and leave it for a few years? Thats what I do in the spring when there are lots of rose bush pruning. It will go away.

You know, I would report the dude who wouldn't sell to a woman to Craig's List.

As for the friend comment, I would let that one go. I know few people who I could ask to help me chop up brambles.

Lisa, I am so happy for you that you have friends to help you chop up brambles. But please do not presume that whatever you have, others must also have.

As for the man who refused to sell me the chipper because I was a woman, his reasoning was way off. He presumed that I would not be an honorable buyer of used goods. Isn't there a rule that when you buy something used from an individual, that you don't turn around and pester that person for help with it?

I might report him. The thing is, he was a nice enough fellow. He was honest when he told me he didn't know if a woman would be strong enough to pull-start it. My lawnmower is about the limit for me. But when he found out I didn't have a man around ... that's when he didn't want to sell it.

Rain2Fall

Um, I said I *didn't* have friends who would help me chop brambles.

Rain2Fall, my apologies, I am so sorry you misunderstood what I meant. I have no idea how many friends you have and I was not trying to imply anything. I was just using my own experience as a guide. You said you couldn't pull a starter and I was just trying to encourage you. If I have a big project I can't get done myself, I call some people. A few years back we took down a 60 ft. poplar tree in my yard. I got 6 people over and a borrowed chipper. We dropped it, cut the trunk and branches into firewood, and two guys ran the chipper the whole time and chipped the entire top into mulch. I could not have done that in a week by myself.

Your Craigslist seller might be sexist, but for better or worse he can sell to whoever he wants. It doesn't fall under any kind of regulations. If you were renting an apartment and he wouldn't rent to you based on something listed in the fair housing rules, that would be a problem, or if he had a restaurant and tried to keep certain people out. Selling your own stuff in your own house, well, it's just not regulated. Besides, you don't need to buy from a knucklehead anyway. :-]

Hi ToxCrusader,
Thank you for responding. Indeed I did misunderstand. It sounds like fun to get a group together to tackle a big project like that.

As for the craigslist guy that wouldn't sell the chipper to a woman, his ad is gone now. It was a good price, so I assume it sold quick. I didn't think he was violating any law either, but as Lisa suggested, he may have violated some kind of a craigslist user agreement. I don't know.

Have a great day!

Rain2Fall

I didn't notice that you aren't strong enough to start the used chipper. The new one might or might not be easier to start, but if that's an issue, the electric might be a better choice even though it's smaller.

I have a chipper that is very similar to that one and it has done fine for small branches. It doesn't do all that great when there are a lot of leaves, but I've found that if I send a bare branch through periodically, it clears it up.

If you don't have a Harbor Freight nearby, they have flat rate shipping and I think it's only $11 or something like that.

I picked up on the "can't start the %$@@## things ! I HATE gas motors because of this. Please, won't someone invent a "starting station" for gas mowers, weed eaters, chippers, etc? Lloyd, you seem like an inventor???

I use my honda mower for leaf chopping ----does a great job---don't think i would use it for anything heavier than 1/4"----love all my gas powered toys ---

you just gotta keep up a little maintenence and they start every pull---and i am no mechanic like Sir Lloyd ( my hero )promise not to stalk you Lloyd if you keep posting your bits of wisdom here ---and great pics ---

rain2fall---you sound like a grerat person ---most composters are right and i hope things turn the way you want them ------JB

Hey everybody,

Such nice people!

I'm with Dotty -- gas engines are a pain. They're heavy.

I have an electric weed eater so I can lift the thing and use it without having a stroke. The downside is that the cord does not want to stay plugged in. It has a clip near the prong, but the plug works loose. Like every minute. Yes! Once a minute I have to stop and plug it in again! It should have a strap or clip of some kind to hold the plug firm. Still, it's lightweight and little by little I can take down a lot of tall grass and weeds!

I have an electric power washer. A Goodwill special. It's a baby power washer, but again, little by little, it gets the job done. I use it to "drill" holes in the soil, loosen hard clay around rocks I need to move, uncover roots of ivy and rose suckers, etc.

I would really like one of those little electric chippers. As soon as I get back to work ....

Rain2Fall

Rain2 fall. Try tying your cords in an overhand knot before plugging in . Cord of trimmer looped around power cord. I do this with mine, works great
curt