(gardening) Recycling Yard Trimmings - Home Composting.pdf - Ogrodnictwo - ang - bibiariel

Information Leaflet 48 Rev. May 1996

R ECYCLING Y ARD T RIMMINGS :

H OME C OMPOSTING

W HAT I S C OMPOSTING ?

Composting is controlling the natural decay of organic matter in a moist,

aerobic (oxygen-demanding) environment. Tiny organisms (mainly

bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) break down garden and landscape trim-

mings to create a valuable product called compost—a dark, crumbly,

earthy-smelling form of decomposed organic matter.

By composting, you control the natural decomposition process by provid-

ing the right conditions for composting critters to convert yard trimmings

into a product that can be returned to your landscape and garden.

W HY S HOULD I M AKE C OMPOST ?

Composting is a practical and convenient way to handle yard trimmings.

It is easier and cheaper than bagging or removing them from your prop-

erty. The compost created from trimmings enriches your soil and plants.

If you have a garden, a lawn, trees, shrubs, or even houseplants, you have

a use for compost.

Compost improves your soil. When added to soil, compost breaks up

heavy clay soils, helps sandy soils retain water and nutrients, and releases

essential nutrients. Compost also contains beneficial microscopic organ-

isms that build up the soil and make nutrients available to plants. Improv-

ing your soil is the first step towards growing healthy plants.

W HAT C AN I C OMPOST ?

Organic trimmings from your garden and landscape such as fallen leaves,

grass clippings, flowers, and the remains of garden plants make excellent

compost. Kitchen scraps, such as fruit and vegetable peels and trimmings,

crushed eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters can also be

composted. Woody yard trimmings can be run through a shredder for

composting, mulching, or for creating paths and walkways.

Organic materials that should not be added to your compost pile include

meat, bones, and fatty foods (such as cheese, salad dressing, and leftover

cooking oil), and pet litter. Most pests, such as weeds, diseased or insect-

infested plants, are destroyed in "fast" composts where the temperature in the

center reaches 120

to 140

F and the organic wastes are efficiently mixed

into the center of the pile.

H OW C AN I U SE C OMPOST ?

Mix compost with soil to enrich the flower and vegetable garden, use it to

improve the soil around trees and shrubs, or use it as a mulch. Screen

compost by separating the larger particles and any uncomposted materials

from the finer ones and add it to the potting mix for houseplants (no more

than one-quarter to one-third by volume of the potting mix should be

compost) or use as a topdressing for lawns. For potting mixes, compost

should make up no more than one-fourth to one-third of the volume of the

mix. Compost “tea” can be made by soaking compost in a burlap or

cheesecloth sack steeped in water. The weak nutrient solution can be given

to young plants.

B UILDING A C OMPOST P ILE

There are no set rules when building a compost pile. It is important that you

site your compost pile on a level surface. This will reduce the chances for

nutrients to runroff. Pay attention to the “Essentials” (see panel 4) and use

good judgment and common sense. The following two recipes should help

you create a “fast” or “slow” compost pile.

Three-bin wooden turning unit.

"Fast" Compost Recipe

A fast compost is labor intensive and requires a lot of turning. This method

can produce compost in a couple of months or less. Consider using a

"turning" unit that offers easy access to the organic materials. Units may be

constructed of wood, wood and wire, or concrete blocks.

Ingredients

Greens and Browns (shredded)

Water

Garden soil (optional)

Pitchfork

Tarp or cover (optional)

Hotbed thermometer

Start your pile with a layer of browns. Next, add a layer of greens. If the

greens are not very fresh, sprinkle in some blood meal or cottonseed meal,

poultry manure, or other nitrogen source. Sprinkle the materials with water

if they are dry. Mix the two layers together so the microorganisms can feed

on them together. Since microorganisms are present on all compost pile

ingredients, it may not be necessary to add garden soil. However, adding a

layer of garden soil, old compost or manure to each brown-green layer will

introduce more critters to speed up the process.

Continue adding and mixing layers of greens and browns until you fill the

bin or run out of materials. Make the top of the pile slanted to the center to

catch rainfall. At times you may want to cover your pile with a plastic

covering or tarp to regulate the amount of moisture entering your pile. The

cover should not rest on the pile because it may cut off oxygen.

Periodically check the moisture content of your pile. The compost should

feel damp, and you should be able to squeeze out a drop or two of liquid.

Checking the temperature and using a calendar are two methods of monitor-

ing your compost pile to help you judge when it should be turned.

1. Temperature . Using a hotbed (or long-stemmed) thermometer, check the

interior temperature of your pile at least 12 inches from the surface. It

should peak between 90

-140

F. When the temperature begins to fall, or

when it reaches 140

F, turn the pile. Take materials from the outer edges

and top of the pile and place them at the base and middle of the new pile;

those from the middle should be on the outside edges and top of the new

pile. (If you use a two- or three-bin unit, the yard wastes should be moved to

the second bin.)

Continue monitoring the temperature in the pile. The temperature will rise

again as long as there is still undecomposed material that needs to be broken

down. Once your turning causes no rise in temperature, your compost is

probably ready. Compost will be dark, crumbly, and will no longer look like

the original materials. (For three-bin units, move the compost to the third

bin.)

continued on panel 6

T HE E SSENTIALS OF C OMPOSTING

Biology

The compost pile is a hodgepodge of microscopic critters.

Bacteria, the most numerous and effective decomposers,

are the first to break down plant tissues. Fungi and protozoa soon

join the bacteria. Somewhat later in the cycle, centipedes, milli-

pedes, beetles, and earthworms do their parts to continue the

decomposition process.

Materials

Many items in your refrigerator or growing in your yard are

potential food for tiny decomposers. Organic materials

contain carbon and nitrogen—nutrients that provide energy and

growth to the microorganisms.

All organic materials have a ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) in their

tissues (see Table 1). Leaves, straw, and sawdust are high in carbon,

while grass clippings, manures, and vegetable scraps are higher in

nitrogen. It helps to think of these materials as “greens” and

“browns.” Greens such as grass clippings, are high in nitrogen.

Browns such as leaves or sawdust, contain high amounts of carbon.

These C:N ratios are significant because the tiny decomposers need

about 1 part of nitrogen for every 30 parts of carbon in the organic

material. If the ratio is greater than 30:1, nitrogen will be lacking

and materials will decompose more slowly.

Be aware that anything organic will decay (as long as it’s organic, the

critters will eat it); however, it may take a long time to make compost

when the C:N ratio is too high. For example, a pile made solely of

sawdust, will take years to decay. Adding more greens, such as grass

clippings or vegetable scraps, will speed up decay and produce

compost in less time. Experiment to find the right combination of

materials for your compost pile.

Table. 1 Average Carbon to Nitrogen Ratios for Organic Materials

Greens

Surface Area

The more surface area the microorganisms have to work on,

the faster the materials will decompose. You can increase

the surface area of your yard trimmings by chopping them up with a

a shovel or running them through a shredding machine or

lawnmower.

Volume

A large compost pile will insulate itself and hold in the heat

created by the tiny organisms. Piles smaller than 3' x 3' x

3' (27 cubic feet) have trouble holding this heat, while piles larger

than 5' x 5' x 5' (125 cubic feet) prevent enough air from reaching

the center of the pile to reach the microbes. In addition, turning a

large pile is a chore. If your pile is large, you’ll have to turn it more

often. If the pile is small, you will get a good batch of compost

during warm months.

Moisture & Aeration

The microbes in your compost pile need a certain amount

of water and air to survive. Microbes function best when

the materials are about as moist as a wrung-out sponge and are

provided with plenty of air. Too much moisture will force out the air

and suffocate the microorganisms. Too little moisture will slow

down decay. Whenever you add water, be sure to mix the material

to distribute the moisture evenly.

Turning or aerating the materials in your pile supplies oxygen to the

composting critters. A lack of oxygen in a compost pile can lead to

odor problems. Ammonia and methane gases are produced when

organic materials are allowed to undergo anaerobic (without oxy-

gen) decay. Anaerobic decomposition also leads to the production

of chemical compounds that are toxic to plants. Organic matter

allowed to decompose anaerobically (for example, "composting" in

closed garbage bags) should be exposed to air for several days to

complete the composting process and to destroy any plant toxic

compounds.

Temperature & Time

As a result of the decomposition process, a compost pile

may heat up to 140

Browns

Pig manure

5-7:1

Leaves

30-80:1

Poultry manure (fresh)

10:1

Cornstalks

60:1

Alfalfa or sweet clover hay

12:1

Straw

40-100:1

Vegetable scraps

12-20:1

Bark

100-130:1

Poultry manure w/litter

13-18:1

Paper

150-200:1

F or higher. The intensity depends on

the amount of nitrogen in the materials. The time required to

produce compost depends on the kind and coarseness of the materi-

als, volume of the pile, and availability of moisture and air. It can

take a month, a year, or longer.

Coffee grounds

20:1

Sawdust

400:1

Grass clippings

12-25:1

Wood chips

800:1

Cow manure

20:1

Horse manure

25:1

Horse manure with litter

30-60:1

2. Calendar . Turn your compost pile every three to five days. While

turning can speed up the composting process, it also releases heat into the

air. Turn a pile less often during cold weather. Use the “look and touch”

technique to see if your compost is ready: if the material is dark, crumbly

and unrecognizable from the original materials you added to the pile, you

have compost.

If your pile does not heat up, you may need to add water or more nitrogen.

Refer to Table 2 to help you learn how to improve the efficiency of the

composting process.

Table 2. Troubleshooting guide for efficient composting

Symptoms

Problems

Solution

Rotten odor

Not enough air;

Turn pile; add coarse, dry

pile too wet

materials (straw, corn

stalks, etc.)

Ammonia odor

Too many greens

Add browns (straw,

(excessive nitrogen/

paper, or sawdust).

lack of carbon)

Low pile

Too small; not

Make pile larger; add water

temperature

enough air or

while turning pile; mix in

moisture; few greens;

nitrogen sources (grass

or cold weather

clippings, manure, or a

synthetic fertilizer, such as

10-10-10); or insulate pile

with a layer of straw or

plastic.

High pile

Too large; not enough

Reduce pile size; turn

temperature

air

pile.

Pests-rats,

Meat or fatty food

Remove meat and fatty foods

raccoons, insects

scraps in pile

from pile; cover with a

layer of soil or sawdust;

build an animal-proof

compost bin.

"S LOW " C OMPOST R ECIPE

Slow composting is the least labor- and time-consuming way to compost; it

is ideal for people who do not have a large amount of yard trimmings to

compost all at once. This method can take from six months to two years or

longer to produce compost, so be patient. The bins or containers can be

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