So what you end up with is a lesser product for more money than you need to spend. Most of mine have drip irrigation but a few get water from the regular sprinkler. to cook my pile of leaves is not AS GOOD AS using an organic supply? What good is the constitution if we don't put it to good usebefore some lawmakers decide to go and change it? Garden material dumped at the bottom of a garden in a "compost" heap. My computer shows the last entry above this one as Mar 17 at 11:35 but the thread list shows Mar 18 at 13:01. Then I use either a moisture meter or the finger method to determine if I need to water them.

A few hours of early morning sun does not impact bloomage much. Joe Pye you hit the nail on the head. (Wear gloves). This website is published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution. There aren't too many sources for grass clippings in the winter, even in Texas. Hope I did not ramble on for too long. Observations: The leaves appear to be in "ok" shape. As in the above techniques the use of two or three bins will make turning the compost to aerate it much easier. Could be lack of water or too much sun. square (Rodale in the Complete Book of Composting recommends 4-5 feet square and 5 feet high).

put people off composting. We always use Recycled Beer & Cider on our compost heaps, as recommended by Bob Flowerdew - OH is always happy to help.

Also, while remarking that salt in synthetic nitrogen sources can be bad for the microbes (and at high doses they can be) you omit that those same salts and others are just as detrimental from non-synthetic sources (and often higher). We were so traumatized we had to eat TWO cherry pies all by ourselves to calm down! I don't think Im implying anything one way or another rather it seems that sometimes people are overly sensitive to the implications of fact. The bin is filled at the beginning of the process and no material is added once the process has started. The heap is then left for 6 months before being harvested. When we hit the daily 100s or so, I may water using the hose at certain times too. One can't say with any certainty that the damage done to the micro-herd is "very little" or not without a bio-assay but what is true is that to one degree or another synthetics come with a downside which isn't necessary. Sulfur and/or ammonia lower the ph of the soil too, correct? This aerated the contents and encouraged microbial activity. grass cuttings. The purpose of adding some synthetic fertilizer is to add a quicker and constant release of nitrogen to heat up a compost pile and to make the compost faster, especially in spring or fall weather. If purchased this year, they may have been forced to bloom early so it may be ok for them to turn brown early. If I could isolate what is in there I could patent an organic wood preservative. At least then they would be buried and the CO2 would never make it to the atmosphere 5) How exactly does one balance the N and C supplies over the course of a year? Good news while the picture was not clear enough, I did not see browning of blooms. Any manure can be used including poultry, pigeon and rabbit manure enabling the waste from vegetarian pets to be utilised, although purchasing fish, blood or seaweed manure We don't add it in the winter. If you miss a day you will slow the process. Common sense is something that often gets displaced by some people when discusing gardening. These chemicals help with rust, but only due to a normal humidity in a house. Turn it over, outside turned to inside, inside turned to outside. the FAO http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5104e/y5104e05.htm, Using the Bangalore method at least six months will be required to produce compost,. Pour 2 gallons of warm water into the bucket. When you add N (synthetic or otherwise) your pile heats up because microbial activity and population increase. A new compost pile can benefit from an accelerator or tonic that helps to speed decomposition. 3) So if composting produces CO2, then isn't that contributing to "man-made" global warming? I've also read that nettles are good. being used to allow the compost to mature. Hair, whether from pets or humans, also helps keep some pests away. matter is then added followed by a layer of manure the bin is full. becoming soaked by the rain. It is a common practice, unless you are from the "Hamas" or "Hezbollah" school of "organic" gardening where anything synthetic, no matter how organic, safe and bio-degradable is going to poison the World. A hydrangea should fix the wilting episode on its own provided that its soil has enough water. If the compost has not heated to 60-70C within two days the mixture will need adjusting to give the right Green/Browns ratio. wooden bins with removable slats on the front per square yard (an easy calculation if using a 3` x 3` bin). Like you say people can use whatever they want in their piles of course but it isn't' being judgmental to point out that some options have ramifications that other don't. Garden plants are best pruned to this length or chopped Turning alternate days will add an extra week to the process. by thick blankets to help retain the heat and to prevent the heap becoming waterlogged. Hydrangea flower buds and flower blooms are the first things to get zapped by the shrub when there is not enough soil moisture or when it is too hot. Which Plant Food Has the Most Effect on Lima Beans? Heres how to give your soil the best while lightening your trash load, Grow beautiful roses using both ordinary and unusual soil amendments, Learn about the pros and cons of healthier alternatives to fiberglass and foam, and when to consider an insulation switch, The nutrients in your soil feed the plants that feed you. Ideally there should be a C:N (greens:browns) ratio of about between 25 and 30 :1. Synthetic N is a salt but it is not incompatible with the life of bacteria and fungi. In the days where gardens consisted of a large lawn the grass mowings, having a high nitrogen, content rotted formed a wet, black evil smelling slime that would ouse out of the heap. Salts can have ramifications and benefits just as dire or desirable, depending on how they are used, from either source.Synthetic sources are good if used correctly.Non-synthetic sources are good if used correctly.I think people should make their decision based on their individual situation. Allow me to high-light:some options have ramifications that other don't. A quick method of Hot Composting producing compost in 18-21 days is theBerkeley method, developed by the University of California, Berkley. It's a free country with freedom of speech, so go for it, but I think we should be respectful in doing so. As for the detrimental impact of AS on the micro-herd of the pile I'll stand bythat observation. The heating of the heap is important to the hot method of composting as it is this that kills the weeds, seeds and pathogens. Rinse any debris or dirt from the bucket before using. First of all you don't need synthetic N to get your pile cooking so its money you don't need to spend unless you just like spending your money on stuff you don't really need. The bacteria will rob nitrogen from the soil trying to digest the wood, along the 1 mm* thick soil-compost interface. It is important that the top of each layer is levelled so that the heap heats up evenly. So again, use whatever you like but facts are facts. etc. I sprinkle a couple of tablespoons on every 15 cm or so. This followed by a layer of manure applied at to mature. Whether to use a synthetic fertilizer or not depends somewhat on what is most readily available, although using a synthetic fertilizer is generally more expensive than using manures, or maybe something more natural, as the Nitrogen source. 1) I would have gladly used a free, organic nitrogen source if one was available to me.

Hard to tell with some Blushing Bride blooms as they are not exactly white. No rocks as mulch ever.Use either garden sulfur, aluminum sulfate or greensand to acidify the soil. I don't suggest mixing them yourself. .

The size of the bins should be about a metre square to enable sufficient heat to be generated Many variations on the three bin system will have a boarded front to retain the compost be designed to allow the boards to be removed to enable the bins to be emptied or the contents to be forked from one bin to another to aerate the contents. AS will do to the microbes in the pile what it does to the microbes in the soil. Either will work well, however, make sure the compost is well cured over 3-6 months to ensure it is not too "hot" with excess NPK, otherwise it should be fine and I wouldn't worry about it as sulfur too will only add some acidity to the compost if at all. fert. Although adding more natural product like manure or coffee etc will achieve similar result?2. Belittling someone because what they do is different from what you might do is counterproductive. a corner of the garden could hardly be considered a method, as it solely depending on the fact that "Compost Just Happens", it would all breakdown eventually. I have attempted to compost some brush from clearing underbrush here on the windward (wet) side of the Big Island of Hawaii. Have also heard that pee should be diluted. mixing the organic material by turning. and again after a further 6 weeks (12 weeks). two or three bins are actually used. A three The compost heap should reach its maximum temperature by day six. There are people that think they must spend money on "Compost Starters" not realizing that the people that sell that stuff charge them atrocious sums for some Nitrogen. can be seen near the front of the heap. Both pictures you show are essentially the same. layer as it is added. It is suggested that the larger bins should be 6 or 7 foot high. A cover is necessary to help retain the heat. I've got a few of those I could put on too. Then I found out that LA is the capital of immigrants from all over the world and my name is not that hard to pronounce - if pronounced in the way it's written in English - and so I did! They had a finished product in a week. Either due to heat stress or lack of water or lack of enough water. acre. Is it right you only put the leaves on, and not the roots ? If you want to promote your Allotment Society, Garden or any other club or group SimpleSite offers an effective and cost effective way of reaching people.

We will look at these methods later, the system recommended by Shelwell-Cooper does not involve moving the material between bins with a sharp spade while browns casn be shredded. A minimum size of 3 foot square is recommended by other But will the extra phosphorus and potassium do more harm that good to the plants when I add the compost to the garden? Today we would also add cardboard and shredded paper as a source of carbon. Therefore, I assume that both pictures have an additional protective coating. But if the color progression skips all or most of the greens/pinks and goes directly to pinnk then the plant decided to zap them. The straw adds no goodness to the compost ( may even take something away! ) In the past no garden was without its compost heap and while dumping the waste in Shewell-Cooper recommends leaving the bins open at the front so that compostable material can be easily barrowed into the I rather suspect that compost accelerators are just another way to get our hard-earned money off us - but I could well be wrong! You are right if you are only using the compost as a surface mulch. On the other hand, if the salt index of the ammonium sulfate was a problem, the osmotic pressure would destroy the bacteria. What is blackened steel and how is it made? Thanks for your opinions, even the ones that think I am doing things the wrong way! It can be very dangerous. The moisture level of the compost is important and it is recommended that the heap is covered to protect it from drying out and A relative, the Hapu'u or tree fern is used by gardeners as a substrate to grow orchids on. heap.

People say that is a fact too, but it's also "fact" that the earth has heated and warmed on its own for its entire life. Water each To see what it will look like while experimenting, any light weight petroleum or cooking oil can be used to simulate a finished product. Most can be found in a gun store, some at the hardware store. The finished compost can be kept to mature. In the past and non-household situations dried blood, fish meal, waste from brewers etc have been composted using this method. If you have bio-assay results to the contrary I'd love to read them but I have never seen a single test done by an individual or university lab that suggest that to be the case. Hello, Houzz user. greens and naturally dried plant material e.g. I agree about the nettles. modern bin, but on a smaller scale. compost bins allowing the material to be turned more easily. The traditional compost heap described in this section is based on the recommendations of W E Shewell-Cooper ( Compost Gardening 1974 David & Charles) using Those as ancient as myself can remember gardens with vaste plies of compost lurking, in slightly threatening, heaps that take on a life of their own while the composting just happens. In this section we will consider different traditional methods of composting but first as a object leason I include a photo of the type of traditional "open air heap" that may still be found in some gardens and that has done much in the past to The advantage of having two or three bays to the composting area is obvious in the material can be turned from the first to the second bin with the third Older grass cuttings are rotting as a wet smelly mat. Now is not a good time to be planting/transplanting hydrangeas, camellias or azaleas. The mulch does not have to be acidic as acidic mulch will not help that much. Suggesting that synthetic N is inherently counter-productive in compost production, regardless of how it is used, is a disservice. While waiting for December, review where else in the garden to place them. Would now be a good time to try a compost accelerator, (pee not an option) If so does anyone have any recommendations ? I go down back to 1 gallon when temperatures moderate in September. I have lots of grass clippings (although I am never sure if weed killers were used on it) in the summer, but very little browns. but the speed at which it activates the heap is, I think, worthwhile. I see evidence of soil recently watered in the picture so I thought I would digress and tell you what I do watering wise. Select a bucket that has not been used to hold chemicals or other potentially harmful contents. How to Treat Apple Scab Without Chemicals, Organic Authority: Recipes to Get Your Organic Garden Growing, How to clean a showerhead, according to an expert, How to Use Coffee Grounds in Vegetable Gardens. These chips only had the nitrogen from their own leaves and these piles were steaming hot after a few hours and they stayed hot for weeks.The microbes are the source of heat and the thermophilic phase is the most productive phase in the composting process (if I am not mistaken)Heck, I've even taken a bunch of cardboard, shredded it by immersing it in rain barrels and shredding it with a garden claw and a spade, the cardboard would soak up the water and I would throw it in one of my pallet bins, once the bin was full (after a real workout) I would fluff every few days and it would heat up, the microbe laden rain water provided the microbes and the cardboard gave them a place to live and multiply.If I loaded up the bin with fresh leaves in the fall AND a handful of "reduced worms" that bin would get hot in a few days, stay hot for months (with a lil fluffing)and be done by spring, chock loaded with worms to used with whatever the next batch of compostables was that came along. It seems to me, from where I'm sitting, that too much thought is put towards nitrogen/carbon mix, I have had umpteen number of piles heat up just from watering with rain water or pond water or just (shudder) building a massive mountain of wood chips/leaves on a lowish area where a gravel road acts like a bowl thus creating a unwanted man made swamp, the wood chips wick up the moisture and the pile gets hot and stays hot, without much aeration on my part, apart from addition of food waste only (on the western side of this pile) no nitrogen source was added, the pile was 50/50 leaves and wood chips, it was 15 feet tall, 50 feet wide and 150 long. Why make that choice when you don't have to?? Have always used nettles (in summer) - I tested two compost heaps, one with nettles and one without, and the nettled heap broke down much faster. I've just started turning my compost heap which I started during the summer. Tried adding amonium sulfate. Many methods using a 3 bin system involve moving the compost from one A colored or white bloom that is under stress may eventually get zapped/killed if it regularly does not get water or enough water. ), wire netting or even old tyres. Tara Shore holds a Bachelor of Science in business finance and has written for online publications since 2007. She has professional experience in banking, accounting, travel and teaching. Using this method of hot composting the pile will shrink so it is importasnt that the cover rests The compost heap is Also try wax and any clear spray varnish or urethane you may have around the house. So blooms and-or leaves wilt. composting. Uniformly moist soil -as best as you can- is what they like in their natural tropics. The drip does not do a perfect job though when temps are regularly in the 100s so I hand water sometimes when it is supposed to go "off". hay straw or dried leaves, as the source of carbon. To them a bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer or heaven forbid, Milorganite 6-2-0 might as well be a truck full of DDT. found at http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/hot-compost-composting-in-18-days/. Could I use the compost sooner and lay it on the surface of the ground around the plant instead of planting directly into it? When you start paying the bills, I'm sure they'll let you decide what goes and what stays. I shoved them through a wood chipper/shredder along with lots of strawberry guava saplings.

albert_135 39.17N 119.76W 4695ft. sulphate ammonia fertilizer kg was a brave gardener who attacked, or attempted to harvest, the beast of a compost heap and many an amateur garden must have dreamt of moving house rather than risking life and limb in an assault on the monster. If I may be so bold as to suggest that perhaps maybe in the future that the deities that wield the scepter of deletion put a little note in there so that us mere mortals do not panic and consider for a moment that our computer is screwing up. There a numerous recipes for making compost in traditional heaps or bins using lime as an additive and I include brief details of a couple more. Yes - we dilute it in a bucket - roughly half a pint of 'product' topped up to half a bucket with water then poured over the compost and then fork the compost over to make sure it's spread out fairly well. etc.If you're truly worried about salts and synthetic nitrogen worries you more than manure, you may want to check out the salt content of those manures. I use organic fertilizer if I want to get it cooking. One good use for compost is to decompose animal dung and dry leaves or grass clippings along with food scraps. Mark, I'm afraid I can't quite picture what you are saying, perhaps you'd like to provide a round trip ticket for myself and perhaps a few other "experts" to come over there to check it out for ya. The further you stay away from direct 12pm sun, the better. Specially if wilting is making you are water daily. or more often. A great addition for the compost pile. But temporarily potting them is ok. Could I use the compost sooner and lay it on the surface of the ground around the plant instead of planting directly into it? Mophead blooms may end looking like they weigh a ton and be pointing down almost. Any suggestions on how to get the stuff to rot? Cover with a 9-inch layer of compostable material, Cover with a second thinner layer of compostable material about 6-inches thick, Cover the twigs with a 6-inch layer of compostable material, Scatter hydrated lime over the compostable material, Add another layer of compostable material, Scatter Sulphate of Ammonia over the surface, Continue adding the In California, the courts are telling people they don't have the right to home school their kids. Learn how to manage it and the many beautiful plants that will thrive in this sweet soil, Learn how to identify common plant ailments by reading their leaves, See which tools and methods will keep those glass shower walls and doors sparkling clean, Learn to think like a raccoon, skunk or squirrel to keep your home safe and your garden intact, Learn what fruit flies are, how to prevent them and how to get rid of them in your home, Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers, Outdoor Lighting & Audio/Visual Specialists. Again, use it if you like but lets not ignore the facts. Would that be better or is the sulfur in it detrimental? A little pink in a few white blooms. It etc. LOVE this website, only but nettle on in the late spring (new growth) before they flower and go to seed, I don't know about accelerator you shouldn't need it if you turn your compost on a monthly bases even every two weeks. If I cannot perk them up with water, I may deadhead: cut the petiole string that connects the bloom to the stem. By the way, that wasn't directed at you HRC. Synthetic N is a salt which is incompatible with the life of the bacteria and fungi you're tying to encourage. This includes a very large percentage of Uluhe ferns. To retain moisture during the summer and to prevent soaking during rain it was oftencovered by carpet. For example, the bloom starts pink then gets green spots and-or pink spots and finally ends brown. Further layers of greens, manure and soil/limestone are added until the compost heap reaches a height of about five foot. This is easier if a two or three bin system is being used. The method is similar to that decribed above and uses As the heap cools, composting worms will start to inhabit the compost. If someone wants to heat their pile with synthetics that is their business but it just isn't a necessary choice and does in fact have negative ramifications relative to other resources. one go so you will need to collect sufficient greens and browns to make a heap 1m square and about 1.5m high before starting to build the heap. I'm thinking there could be a few of us that would be willing to put down our gardening tools to rush to the aid of a fellow composter in dire need. We generate more than enough waste, brown and green, to feed a pile. Turned them. Don't use general purpose fertilizer unless you wanted to add potassium and phosphorus, you are wasting your money on unneeded ingredients. We are headed for a place and time where we don't have as much freedom. But hasn't it been said over and over in this thread that even from the anti-synthetic fertilizer crowd that using the syn. After mid-May, I check these guys in the mornings. I always water early in the morning and only the soil -never the leaves-. You did not say if these were planted this year or are well established, if there are watering or wilting issues so, I am assuming they are new shrubs. ?Again, why is it my (or anyone else's) job to decide what choices others make? It was not clear. Examples of composting times are given in On-farm Composting Methods Produced by theNatural Resources Management and Environment Department of Originally earth, hay or old sacking was recommended but this recommendation was updated to suggest an old carpet which has now been superseded by a polythene sheet or tarpaulin. Your second picture appears to have been treated while standing up vertically. I give mine 1 gallon of water in the Spring (per plant per watering) and increase that to 1.5 gallons in mid-May. Hydrangeas begin to suffer from wilting episodes and watering issues as temperatures top 85F and mid-May is about the time when we hit the 90s. Luis, Quit shelling out for pricey substitutes that arent even as good. Compost is a nitrogen- and carbon-rich soil amendment made from decomposing leaves, plant debris, coffee grounds, eggshells and soil. Wilting episodes indicate that the plant is loosing moisture thru the leaves much faster than it can absorb water thru the roots. If it shows up wilted during my morning inspection then I hand water them. By combining a few basic ingredients, your compost pile will be cooking up nutrient rich soil in no time at all. Leaves Often Hold the Clues, How to Get Rid of Those Pesky Summer Fruit Flies.

The temperature within dry leaves, sawdust or wood chips. I'd guess maybe 2 weeks oughta be sufficient for the task. Then I read the post to my wife and child and it made them cry too.

If one had no other options then it would be a small matter to shrug off but since many many other options exist that don't introduce retarding agents into your pile AND create the same amount of bacterial activity then perhaps its worth asking if synthetics represent the best option. If I have a windy location, I look for an alternative location before planting them there. I get a bin of compost every 5 months in the summer and about 6 months in the winter. I aim for shade starting at 11am, as best as I can though. In order that the heap heats up to a suitable temperature it should be at least a metre Protected them from rain. sources for smaller gardens or allotments as heap of less than 3` x 3` will not retain sufficient heat for a hot process to operate effectively. It can be rainforest wet for years and not break down. Pour the mixed tonic over the compost pile. You can put outside chairs on top of them to provide extra shade or use umbrellas, or just about anything that you can think of. Got a brief warming trend, then nothing. It is just as hard to tell with it in hand. I don't see any reason to buy new fertilizer (organic or synthetic) and put it into compost. to wet spread out to dry and then rebuild. water starts to run out of the base.On the fourth day after building the heap the compost will need aerating. Any direct contact with moisture will still rust the steel if not wiped of immediately. On allotments cow or horse manure which is normally readily available could be used provide it is not contaminated by weed killer. make turning easier. Or use liquid iron-chelated compounds sold at most plant nurseries. These sizes are included here as an item of general interest as most of us will have gardens that are considerably smaller than this. The dogs woke me up to go outside so I guess I better go back to sleep! It is too strong, makes you water a lot and the temps get too hot for these guys. As they say, it's the dose that makes the poison. It all breaks down and you can get the finished compost faster. Meanwhile on a trip back to visit my parents in NY we chipped a bunch of junk from their garden and 12 hours later it was 136 degrees. The height of the heap will shrink as the material decomposes possibly being reduced to 3-4 feet in the first week. I can also mix the stuff with water and use it for foliar feeding.BTW, if you don't add chemical nitrogen to compost having a high wood content you will deprive your plants of nitrogen as the bacteria will rob it from the soil trying to digest the wood. It is food for them if used correctly. Doesn't that mean that using the synthetic source is better than taking the leaves to the landfill? The bacteria don't care if it comes from urea or grass clippings. This ratio can be acheived by using equal pats ), Learn the Secret to Bigger and Better Roses, Ecofriendly Cool: Insulate With Wool, Cork, Old Denim and More, How to Get Good Soil for Your Edible Garden, What's Wrong With My Plant? This uses a heap about 1.5m high and 1m square or two or three wooden Nothing happened. I'm just too cheap to "buy" anything for my compost. Adding synthetic N kind of defeats the purpose of composting. If using a home made palate it is easier to design it so the the front palate can be removed. the rate of 3 ozs. A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush. Another layer of vegetable The list is long. Those of us who, like professor dirt, remember 'sent to Disneyland' as censorship still see this as a sore spot. Log in or register to join the conversation. Or dappled sun. The chemically enhanced compost would be as good as the 'all natural" compost? This would mean no conversion, no heat, no compost, no dancing. decklapunless someone is dealing with a truly massive amount of leaves then I can't imagine anyone actually *needing* a product with 21% N.To be fair, it's not really my (or anyone else's) place to say whether someone should compost one way or the other. Observations continued: The blooms in the picture look old/spent or suffering from heat stress. The down side of adding Sulfate of Ammonia or other chemical product to compost would be (a) additional cost (b) non natural product added, so potentially not as "green"? Interesting composting photos (non-copy write so that we can reproduce them) are also welcome, The time it takes to produce compost will be dependant ona number of factors such as the sixe of the material being composted, getting the right Greens:Browns ratio, the moisture content etc but the key to speed is the frequency of

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