Driftwood- Blueberry wood. Hard wood?

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Wycco

Eat more pine trees
Apr 19, 2009
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Does anyone know if Blueberry wood is considered hard or soft? I can't find the information anywhere.

I've been going through my woods looking for some of the wood and root structures of some of the trees I cut down when thinning out the woods looking for possible DIY drift wood pieces.

By far the most interesting shapes seem to come from the wild blueberry bushes- I picked out one about a foot long with all sorts of twists and turns- I'm currently soaking it in salt water hoping someone will come back and tell me it's fine! ;)

My only other options are scrub oak and pine (not much else grows wild in my sandy soil besides persimmons and I left my few persimmon trees standing).

I know I can't use pine- but I do have a few pieces of oak I haven't disposed of.

The blueberry wood doesn't scratch when I stick my thumbnail into it (where the bark has been cleaned off already... started doing this before thinking... perhaps I should ask first)- is that a good enough test? Or is there a better way to test?

Google doesn't seem to be my friend this time around! :(
 

carolinyens

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Apr 20, 2009
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Dunno you might have to be the guinea pig on this one. The only thing I can find is dont use softwood. I'll keep searching
 

Wycco

Eat more pine trees
Apr 19, 2009
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It is?... darn it!

The roots make some really neat structures and the wood "feels" hard to the finger nail (compared to pine... and even the scrub-oak here).

Oh well- back to the drawing board... thank you!
 

carolinyens

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Apr 20, 2009
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I know it sucks. Sorry. What I have been thinking is finding a site that sells either manzanita trees (small like under a foot) or seeds and just grow and harvest my own so that Im not affecting the environment more so than we already are. Good luck finding some pieces. Just google softwoods or something along those lines to find out the ones that arent a good choice.
 

Wycco

Eat more pine trees
Apr 19, 2009
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Well- I routinely thin out my wooded area every once in a while to help the larger trees- I usually dispose of the roots and stumps- but there are some bits left over I failed to get rid of- nicely bleached by the sun too!

Unfortunately the only woods I have in my back yard are: pine, no good. Scrub oak, which is a lot softer than most oaks- and wild blueberries bushes.

Not much diversity in trees here because of the sand soil.



Guess I'll have to buy some driftwood after all (hardwood trees grow slowly- so that would be a very long-term solution). I could raid my parents place for hardwood next time I'm in the upstate.
 

OldMan47

I love my endlers
Jan 1, 2008
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Fruit woods may be a bit softer than some others but they are correctly called hardwoods and they do make a nice ornament in an aquarium. I have been making things for my tanks out of well seasoned apple and have had no trouble with it at all. It has been holding up well in my tank. I don't use tender new growth because I am not nuts about the sap that would leach out of it.
 

Wycco

Eat more pine trees
Apr 19, 2009
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Kim Jong Il
So the roots and part of the trunk of a large blueberry that had been left out since august/september time could work? Perhaps not as ideal as some harder woods but will hold up?

I've still got it soaking in salt water- I never got around to dumping it out.
 
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