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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Dried versus fresh grass

17 years ago

I remember this being discussed on the forum but I can't find the thread. I want to load up some new batches in the large tumblers but have no fresh grass clippings yet. I have many bags of dried grass. My thinking is that if the dried grass has less N, can I just double the amount I normally use in a batch. In a normal batch I use 4 or 5 bags fresh grass and little water. Using dry grass can I use 8 or 9 bags and increase the moisture?

Thoughts?

Lloyd

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Comments (2)

dchall_san_antonio
17 years ago
Does dry grass have less N? The N in grass is stored in protein. Dried wheat (common household flour) has all its protein. Dried alfalfa has protein. The only thing dried grass is missing is moisture to help it decompose.
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
17 years ago
My thinking had been rather like dchall_san_antonio but here, on GW's soil forum we are told
Quote:I believe that 2 mechanisms are mineralization and denitrification- although they are normally described in soils or water.

In the first- N forms (simple anions, or from proteins) are transformed into NH4+, and NH3 is lost because it is volatile. Normal thermal/ light induced degradation and bacterial action can cause this to happen (going on memory here).

In denitrification NO3- is directly converted to N2 as part of the nitrogen cycle. You may remember basic fishtank chemistry where NH4+ --> NO2- --> NO3- . I guess this is the opposite of that.

Going on memory there. However- green leaves turning brown, fresh cut green grass drying out and turning brown- both are accompanied by loss of N as a volatile. I'm sure that autocatalytic breakdown of the proteins in the greens would cause loss of a variety of N bearing compounds. Manures and urine often contain urea, which has a very simple pathway to NH3 conversion.

Everything in the quotes is consistant with what I recall about from college chemistry.
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