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Compost and Mulch

Composting and using mulch are not new ideas. Compost is the natural breakdown of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. Making your own compost is not only beneficial for your garden, but ecologically sound as leaves, yard waste, and some household waste and organic materials can be used. Mulch is a layer of material placed over soil to modify the effects of the local climate. It is used to hold in moisture, insulate from cold, and as an assist in controlling weeds. To learn more and share knowledge about compost and mulch, ask and answer questions about them here.

500 Questions

Can you put potato peelings in a compost bin?

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Yes. Compost bins accept kitchen scraps other than dairy, greasey and oily, and meat products; and yard wastes such as grass clippings. Compostable materials may be grouped into the brown carbon-rich and the green nitrogen-rich categories. The peelings and other compostable materials break down into dark brown, fresh-smelling, organic matter-rich soil in anywhere from just under a month to just under a year. The amount of time that composting takes depends upon the type of material that's put into the compost bin or pile; and upon the meeting of certain standards. For the bin or pile must be kept adequately aired, heated, moistened and turned.

Do you need ericaceous compost for Magnolia Stellata?

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Yes, Magnolia Stellata needs ericaceous compost, but at the same time, no, it does not. The flowering plant in question prefers a slightly acidic to neutral pH level even though proper drainage and lighting let it survive in a variety of soils, including heavy clay. It therefore will have need of the acidic-loving, lime-hating compost in less desirable environments (where an ericaceous compost fertilizer helps), such as slightly alkaline (sweet) soils.

Do grass clippings belong in the compost pile?

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Yes, grass clippings belong in the compost pile. They break down readily within a year, cooperate with composting procedures, exhibit maneuverable size, and number among the eligible carbon- and nitrogen-rich recyclable materials from which dark-colored, fresh-smelling, nutrient-rich organic matter forms in the compost pile.

Why do plants need compost?

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Vegetation that appreciate aeration, drainage, and fertility and that interact with soil food web members is the kind of plant that needs compost. Dark-colored, fresh-smelling, nutrient-rich organic material promote proper moisture infiltration and percolation and nutrient levels. The above-mentioned plants respond favorably to the way in which compost improves soil structure and texture.

What are the materials in making compost pit?

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paper napkins, pet hair ,wood chips , hay , leaves ,old species , pine needles, paper or wood

Can you put ginger in compost bin?

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Use Caution When Adding These

  • Breads - can attract red mites
  • Potato skins, onions, garlic, ginger - get consumed slowly and can cause odors
  • Coffee grounds - too many will make the bin acidic

If you're "Cold composting" (not vermicompost) then stick ginger right in there and wait patiently. If you're a "hot composter" or doing vermicompost keep it out. Put it in with your browns (sticks, bark, leaves).

When can you use the compost you make when do you know its ready?

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The compost will have an earthy smell and will not smell bad. It will have a very dark, almost black color, and it will look like good potting soil similar to what comes out of the bags you buy at the store. It should not have large pieces of debris left in it. It so, it must be turned over in the bin and given more time. See the related link below.

Is it usual to have maggots in a compost bin?

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I love it when I get maggots in my compost bin because they speed the decomposition of the organic materials. Its important however to move the bin far enough away from the house that there are no objectionable odors. If you use a compost accelerant it will speed up the decomposition without attracting flies which lay their eggs and hatch as maggots. you can get compost alive for green matter from gardensalive.com which will do this.

What things are supposed to go in a compost heap?

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the things that go in a compost heap are a variety of things, don't put food in, or moist things, use brown items such as soil, manure and green items such as vegetable waste.

also put in lime, because the alkali from the lime will counter the acid which is made from decomposing the items of the compost heap. make sure to put extra soil in aswell because that is where the organisms are that make the compost heap work. :)

Why is compost used in a garden?

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Economy, efficiency, recyclability, resourcefulness, sanitation and sustainability are reasons why compost is used in a garden.

Specifically, compost gives the gardener dark, fresh, nutrient-rich organic matter that functions as amendment, fertilizer and mulch. It is formed by the natural breakdown of carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials. It therefore saves the cost, time, and wear-and-tear of buying amendments, fertilizers and mulches. It serves to discourage pathogens and pests through the removal of non-diseased, non-toxic, recyclable garden debris and ground litter. It uses local resources to promote plant, soil and soil food web well-being.

What makes a compost pile decompose faster?

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Keeping air available for decomposition and respiration and micro-organisms and recyclables respectively alive and nutritious are reasons why mixing and watering speeds the decay of plant materials in compost piles. Air means that carbon- and nitrogen-rich recyclables will decompose through the introduction of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide and through the support for respiratory needs of macro- and micro-organisms. Moisture, as long as it gives the compost pile the consistency of a wrung-out sponge, prevents composted and composting materials from drying out or overheating.

When was compost invented?

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Thousands and millions of years is the length of time that compost piles have been around. Thousands of years represent the time-span of accidental and deliberate human participation, as cave dwellers and as early agriculturalists, in composting. Millions of years stands for the composting incidental to animals excreting or regurgitating organic animal and plant matter into species-specific latrines and vomitoria.

Why are woodlice found in compost heaps?

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because the hep is wet and dry and they contain grass (mostly) and woodlice eat grass so they love the heap

Why is spreading compost better for growth in plants?

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That it provides a healthy environment conducive to optimal growth is the way in which compost is related to plant growth.

Specifically, compost can be considered the end product of a decomposition process which yields dark, fresh, nutrient-rich matter for the soil environment in which plants grow. Nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen count among the necessary ingredients for healthy soils, soil food web members, and plants. Compost provides the nutrients in such a way that they can be taken in by plants. It also represents the source of both improved air and moisture passage through and retention by soil since it contributes to how soil holds together.

How do you get my mulch binweevels?

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well.. the 1st way means you have to be a bin tycoon, so go somewhere were its really busy and invite everyone to your nest when everyone is in your nest say follow me and go to your plaza and when everyone has gone from your plaza go to Riggs palladium and go to that thing near the weevil post and collect the money if there isn't allot keep trying to get more and more!!!!!

Why does compost smell?

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avoid adding meat or milk products turn the pile over at least once a week make sure you add enough dry stuff like straw, sawdust, grass clippings If it smells bad youre not doing it right. It is too cold and wet. Is it in plastic bags?

Can you use eggshell in compost?

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Yes. But you should crunch them up first.

Why does a compost heap have holes in the side and at the bottom?

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A compost heap has no lid. But compost containers such as bins indeed have lids. The cover makes it possible for compostable materials to contain smells, discourage unwanted micro-organisms, hide from foraging wildlife, keep low profiles in clean neighborhoods, maintain proper environmental conditions (of light, moisture, temperature), and resist dispersal by winds. It permits composting to take place in shorter composting times since layer-turning takes place in more confined spaces.

Why won't my peony bloom?

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It could be a number of reasons. It could be not enough sun, too much nitrogen fertilizer, too soon after a move, or a late frost.

Can you put weeds in a compost bin?

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No, diseased, live and treated weeds should not go in a compost bin even though yes, dead weeds can. Weeds that suffer from disease or treatment with herbicides or that still support living parts do not belong in the bin since infections may spread, synthetic materials may pollute compostable materials and viable plants may self-propagate. Dead weeds contrastingly will be compostable if previously "fried" atop exposed metal or within dark, sealed plastic bags.

What are compost tumblers used for?

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A compost tumbler is a drum mounted on rollers that has an attached crank thus making the turning of the compost easier. This turning mixes air with the composting material and speeds up the composting process. You can make your own or you can buy one from Compos Tumbler or other gardening companies.

Can you compost oranges?

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Of course! You can also add Coffee grounds, used tea bags, melon rinds, peelings, corn cobs, egg shells, fruits and vegetables.

What do you put in compost bins?

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everything that came from a plant. avoid adding meat and milk products cos they stink and atract street cats and stray dogs. also avoid dog feces as they may contain diseases. cow and other grass eating animals manure is fine.