Valuable Composting Tips
Full of much-needed nutrients and beneficial
microorganisms, fresh compost retains moisture and air exceptionally
well to improve soil structure and fertility. Compost can even
have an antibiotic effect on some plants, protecting them from
harmful bacteria,
To fully understand how composting works, it's
also important to consider who - or what - is doing all the hard
work. First, insects, slugs, worms and other creatures aerate
the pile by crawling through it. They feed on organic scraps
and excrete material which aerobic bacteria then break down again on
a chemical level. As bacteria feed, their numbers grown
exponentially, thus speeding the decomposition process.
it is important to distinguish between these
beneficial, aerobic bacteria, which work efficiently with emitting
odors and their counterparts - the undesirable, anaerobic bacteria.
Anaerobic bacteria work slowly and produce malodorous, harmful
chemicals. You can suppress the growth of anaerobic bacterial
by turning the compost pile about once a week. Finally, fungi
work on the materials that bacterial leave behind such a wood and
paper. When they've exhausted their food sources, both fungi
and bacterial form spores and will lie dormant until you bring them
more to eat.
The best standard compost recipe
calls for:
• Three parts carbon-rich brown material
(dry leaves, chipped brush, twigs, dry grass, and sawdust).
• Two parts high-nitrogen greens (including fresh grass
clipping, garden trimmings, shrubbery trimmings, weeks, and
kitchen scraps).
• Add a dash of healthy soil or a starter product (which
contains live microbes to ensure thorough decomposition of
organic materials).
• Adequate moisture is also critical; your pile should be
about as damp as a wrung-out sponge, and to speed the rate
of decomposition, chop or shred material to increase its
surface area. |
As microbes begin to break down raw
ingredients, the temperature at the center of a compost pile will
range from 130 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If you notice the
pile is hot heating up properly, odds are good it may be deficient
in nitrogen. It's also possible that your compost pile is too
small: a 5'x 5' x 5' pile is recommended for optimal heating without
excessive compaction. when the center temperature has started
to drip, it's time to move the center of the pile to the outside
edge and bring the outside edges into the center.
Fresh compost can be used almost anywhere - with
one exception. Because compost may contain remnants of disease
or harmful bacteria, don't use it for seedlings; instead, use
sterile soil or a soil-less growing medium.
Organic Materials you CAN use:
From the Garden:
leaves (chopped to speed breakdown), grass (not wet), plants
and weeds (without ripe seeds), old potting soil, soft plant
stems. From the kitchen:
Fruit scraps, vegetable trimmings, egg shells (crushed), tea
bags, coffee grounds with filters, shredded paper.
Material you CANNOT use:
Meat, fish and bones, plastics, metals, fats and oils, dairy
products, pet waste |
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