Thanks -- I can't wait for everything to fill in, I think it will look a lot better with groundcover over the area. I think the gardenia will pull through, it seems like a main branch died but not the whole shrub. Not sure what's going on, but i'm okay to just patiently wait and see.

Gardeningwithlcgrace, it depends. :) A layer of wood chips on top of a lasagna bed might help absorb nitrogen compounds outgassing from nitrogen sources below it. A top layer could also catch nitrogen in rainwater, and in wind-borne soil particles. Plus any bird or animal pee or manure which falls on it. (The last might not seem significant, but there are birds and squirrels in my garden every time I step out there in daylight hours; I assume they leave a few nitrogen-rich byproducts behind.) At the bottom of a lasagna heap, a layer of wood chips might help catch and trap any nitrogen leaching down from above. Where the soil touches the wood chips, they will absorb nitrogen from the soil and gradually decompose, creating a beneficial habitat for the microherd and eventually building humus. I guess it comes down to what you mean by "beneficial." If you are trying to quickly provide nutrients to your soil, low-carbon and high-nitrogen lasagna heaps will generally break down faster and release more nutrients. If you are trying to add more medium-term and long-term humus to your soil, high-carbon and lower-nitrogen lasagna heaps will generally decompose more gradually; nutrient release will generally happen over a longer time. Decomposition of organic materials isn't a real simple process. However, there is the comfort of knowing that eventually "It All Leads Back To Compost." (1) All the best, -Patrick (1) Prof. Dirt

In a forest the litter accumulates on the floor year after year and no one clears it away, although it seldom accumulates to a depth of a foot. I would spread out what you have more evenly, and clear areas around the trees trunks some. Those wood chips might, depending on how dry they get, be a source of fuel if a fire were to move in, but if they are moist it would take more for them to burn. Leaves and pine needles would be of more concern. Wood chips piled up against a tree trunk can hold moisture and allow some insect pests a place to live and work on the tree under the mulch which can then cause the tree to die, eventually. However, I have seen the same thing happen when soil accumulates against a tree trunk.

Oldryder...my opinion is generally the same as everyone else's. Don't decrease recommended nitrogen applications. Wood chips contribute little to soil in the way of N and this is particularly true on a sandy soil like you describe. IMO fireduck makes the best point here. Moisture retention may be the big issue. If you dump a bucket of water at the tree's base in normal summer weather conditions does the water quickly drain away with the top 2" drying quickly ? Is the soil moist under the tree when inserting your finger underneath the chips? One part of me wants to say "slam it with nitrate of soda" but if moisture retention is an issue it will just make matters even worse. BTW...I'm joking about the nitrate of soda....well...sorta. If you are not seeing any vigorous growth whatsoever in non-producing trees after 5 seasons there might be an issue. What is your state and zone oldryder? I'm trying to learn also and getting a read on the climate is paramount in doing so. What type of fruit trees are we talking about...what is the rootstock and what is the trunk caliper of these 6 year old trees? 6 year old fruit trees of most types should have a substantial trunk size at 6 years and peaches and pommes should have fruited before now on most rootstocks. A photo even if dormant would be spectacular oldryder.