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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.
878 Questions
How do you create an odorless compost?
After every layer of food, waste, or what have you, add a nice, equal layer of fresh sawdust. Fine wood chips will also work, but sawdust is best. The decomposition of the waste mixed in with the cut wood neutralizes the smell quite well. this technique is also used in many permanent outhouses.
That they are an organic mulch that affects soil pH and soil structure is the reason that dried papaya leaves are an effective choice in terms of tomato plants.
Specifically, foods and soils may have a pH that is acidic, alkaline or neutral. Papaya is an alkalinizing food. Its dried leaf mulch somewhat raises a soil pH. The result is a soil pH that is heading more towards the neutral range around 6.0 - 6.5 or 7.0. It actually is in that neutral range that many plants prefer the soil pH to be
Additionally, organic mulch contributes to soil structure. That means that the soil becomes better drained, healthier and more fertile through the breakdown of natural materials. Good drainage, fertility and health make for happier, healthier plants in general and tomatoes in particular in this instance.
What is a derivative of humus?
The word 'humus' derives from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. An example of a linguistic derivative is the Latin word humilis, which means 'on the ground or of the earth'; or the English word humble, which refers to lowly or non-noble in origin, or to lacking in pride and self-aggrandizement. An example of an organic derivative is one of the various organic acids that are formed from humus. For example, humic acid is a derivative of humus through which water has been passed slowly. The word 'humus' also derives from the Turkish word of the same spelling and meaning. But the word now tends to be spelled 'hummus', to avoid confusion with the above meaning of organic matter-rich content of soil. Nevertheless, an example of a culinary derivative is any one of the subsequent regional variations on, and modern updates to, the classic dish of chickpeas cooked or mashed with ground sesame seeds and then served with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. And so examples are the modern updates of Sabra humus/hummus with the chipotle or caramelized onion versions.
Can used cooking grease be used for composting?
it will compost eventually but will stink like hell as it does. not recommended
What is the way in which humus and organic matter are related?
That they represent the breaking down of animal and plant remains is the way in which humus and organic matter are related.
Specifically, the term humus designates the final breakdown of animal and plant remains and of soil food web cells, products and tissues. It is used in terms of the end result of proper composting and of the process in topsoil. In contrat, the term organic matter refers to the content (compounds from once-living organisms and their excretions) at any point in the decomposition stage, from beginning to end.
How do you compost food leftovers?
Separate out dairy, greasey and oily, and meat products. These aren't proper, compostable materials. Specifically, they attract hungry, foraging wildlife. The remaining kitchen scraps and meal leftovers may be placed inside the compost bin, or on the compost pile.
A good mixture of greens (nitrogen) and browns (carbon) is the key. Grass clippings and kitchen vegetable scraps (greens) need to be mixed with dried leaves and twigs (browns). The whole pile needs to be kept damp. I mix in about one part green, one part brown and one part soil; water well; and turn about every other week. In a couple of months, you have good rich compost.
In more detail:
Remember the A.D.A.M. principle for keeping the compost in balance.
- A. Aliveness. Lots of micro-organisms, decomposers, so there is a mini ecosystem to break down the compost material. There should be plenty of visible life, such as worms, slaters and springtails. If not, adjust your Carbon:Nitrogen ratio to attract a diversity of critters.
- D. Diversity. A variety of materials will attract a variety of life to break down the material (decomposers).
- A. Air. More air = Less smell. Put twigs and sticks to allow air spaces in the pile, and turn once a week at least. Balanced: should smell like the earth. If it's smelly and acidic, turn more often; and add some garden lime, wood ash or dolomite. If it's too wet, add more dry material. If it decomposes without air (anaerobically), it produces methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas.
- M. Moisture. Balanced compost should be moist, like a well wrung out sponge. To balance the mixture either add water, or add more dry material.
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You don't need a bin to make compost-a pile of leaves, grass clippings and other yard wastes will do-but a bin keeps the compost contained and looks neater. You can corral compost in a simple wire column made from a 4-foot wide by 8-foot long piece of stiff wire mesh.
You should have finished compost in about two months. You'll know your compost is finished when it no longer heats up and you can't identify any of the original materials. The compost should be dark brown, moist and earthy smelling. Dig finished compost into your garden's soil. You can use partially composted material as mulch.
How does the banana peel decompose?
You can, but the two ends don't always grind up very well. And stringey things like banana peels and celery will tend to cause it to seize up. I would recommend using them in your garden for compost. They are supposed to be really good for tomato and rose plants. It has been not recommended, but I myself have cut 'em up and experimented with it, and it seems to work just find. I do know that egg shells and ice, either by themselves or together, sharpen the blades of a garbage disposal quite well, and it helps to do it daily depending on how much you use the garbage disposal.
Can you compost saltine crackers?
Yes, saltine crackers can be composted as long as they have not been exposed to contaminants, pollutants or toxins. But they will break down best -- and with the least of attracting foraging domesticated and wild animals -- when sprinkled as ground-up powder in the bin or pile.
What leftovers from the kitchen can be put in the compost heap?
Those that are un-diseased and un-treated by additives are vegetables that can be composted.
Specifically, the food group in question attracts foraging wildlife. It can be less likely that wildlife will raid compostable materials when inputs do not include dairy products, greases, and oils. Heavily salted vegetables may contribute to drying conditions which alter moisture levels necessary for the breakdown of compostable materials. Vegetables that are recycled or unused because of bacterial, fungal or viral diseases must not be included.
Vegetables can be composted with all other compostable materials, deposited underground, or isolated in tightly sealed food waste containers.
What are the steps for how to make a compost pit?
Use four palletts tied together to form a box. Fill with vegetable material as it becomes available. After a couple of months take away the palletts reset them next to the heap. Turn the heap into the box again and leave until ready. Use.
What foods decompose quickest in a compost heap?
Vegetables are the food items that compost the quickest. Leaves, plants and trimmings can decompose within six months at most. This contrasts with avocado and peach stones and with cabbage and sprout stems that will take more than three years.
Where can you buy garden compost?
Compost buckets are ways to dispose of various foods and wastes that makes better soil full of nutrients to grow plants in. Compost buckets can be purchased at Lowes for prices ranging from about $22 to about $400 not including tax.
How long does it take to make compost?
It depends on what your composting. Animal waste will take about 90 days then 30 days to cure.
Compost is a mixture of both green and dead plant material. Good compost needs both air and moisture to work well. Mix clippings plant clippings and cut grass, dead leaves and flowers. Contain the compost in an area that gets plenty of sunlight. When adding to the compost add the occasional shovel of earth to introduce worms and bugs to help break down the material. Water this pile occasionally and turn with shovel to mix it up about once per month Kitchen scraps are also good but do not add fats, meat or bone as this does not break down well and will attract animals.
How do you make a compost heap at home?
In a nutshell, compost is made through the decomposition of organic matter. Once something is completely decomposed, some of the original object will have turned into gas (carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, hydrogen), some into liquid runoff, and there will also be left over a completely stabilized black crumbly substance called humus (pronounced hyo͞o'məs) which is what determines how dark soil is, and is what contains the nutrients which plants feed off of. So compost has always been constantly produced by nature, but when someone makes compost in a compost bin they're trying to control the process of decomposition in order to make the most valuable end product. The way one does this is by balancing the mixture of "green" material with "brown" material so that the Carbon:Nitrogen ratio (how many parts carbon there are to one part nitrogen) stays ideally around 30:1, making sure the compost is always damp, and making sure there's always a supply of oxygen. This ensures that the smallest amount of gas and liquid is produced as possible and that by the end there will be a far higher percentage of the nutrient-rich humus then if you just put a pile of rotting fruit on the ground. It is gold for the garden, an excellent way to recycle organic matter, and really quite easy. Anything you need to know about compost is readily available at gardening sites, wikipedia, or the library, and if you're interested, then believe me you can do it.
How many cubic yards in a ton of compost?
I have not a firm answer. Compost weight is variable and as such the answer may be misleading.
Consider this, a cubic foot of water weighs 64 pounds. A tonne is 1,000 kg.
The number of cubic feet in a cubic yare is 27. so a cubic yard of water weighs 1,728 lb. A tonne is then 3,806.167 lb. of water. Now compost is lighter than water. there are 454gm in a pound so find the weight of compost in a cubic foot and do the math
To break down carbon- and nitrogen-rich compostables and to store finished compost are ways in which compost bins are used. Compost bins may be made of metal, plastic or wood, with holes or mesh for proper aeration. They need to be located conveniently for layering and moisturizing in the process of composting and for retrieving once the end-product becomes available for amending, fertilizing, or mulching soil.
Do composted sanitary pads decompose quickly?
The pads that you buy at the store usually have plastics in them, so they don't break down very well. But, if you make your own pads, with cotton, then yes, those will. You can also buy (or make) washable, reusable pads.
Where does compost eventually end up?
Soil is the place where compost tends to end up eventually. The dark-colored, fresh-smelling, nutrient-rich organic material in question results from the human-guided or Mother Nature-directed natural breakdown of carbon- and nitrogen-rich recyclable materials. It tends to be used as soil amendments, fertilizers, mulches, and rejuvenators.
Are animal droppings turned into compost?
Animal droppings can be turned into compost fertilizer. For example, currently, the most common and valuable processing method is to turn cow dung/manureinto sellable organic fertilizer. Cow dung is a derived product from wastes produced by cattle, providing high levels of organic materials and rich in nutrients, including about nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium as well as many other essential nutrients. According to the data, daily cow dung contain 12.9% DM and excreting a total of 0.15kg N, 0.04kg P and 0.08kg K. Moreover, cow manure also contains high levels of ammonia that can almost kill the growth of the pathogens. Once raw cow dung composted by professional compost turner, it can provide lots of benefits to the garden and organic farm, which makes cow manure very popular and useful raw material of organic fertilizer production.
Why people should compost their vegetables?
Committing to sustainability, contributing to garden sanitation, decreasing environmental pollution and greenhouse gases, honoring pioneer lifestyles in technology-driven societies, improving soils and soil food webs, recycling nutrient-rich materials, and reducing landfill inputs are reasons why people should compost their vegetables. Vegetables fulfill green, nitrogen-rich categories to be alternated with brown, carbon-rich contributions to compost bins, heaps, and pits. They help produce dark-colored, fresh-smelling, nutrient-rich organic matter known as humus within a year and therefore reduce household expenses for amendments, fertilizers, mulches, and soils as well as worldwide assault by the greenhouse gases from landfills and the pollution from the proliferation of non-organic contaminants, pollutants or toxins.
Resourcefulness, sanitation, self-reliance, and sustainability is the importance of a compost pit. The form of composting in question relies upon a hole, dug in the ground and filled with carbon- and nitrogen-rich yard debris. It will keep litter away from edibles and ornamentals and produce dark-colored, fresh-smelling, nutrient-rich organic material to be used as local, on-site soil amendments, fertilizers, and mulches.
