Hi, I am somewhat dissapointed today,,,,, I got my compost delivered and generally the quality seems fine. Inside of the 10 tons pile its really warm. When I showel it into my wheelbarrow it´s steaming. It smells as well "good". BUT,,,,,,, I have a problem with bringig it to my lawn,,,,,, there is pieces of roots, wood, bark in the compost which are apparentely still worked by bacteria and fungi. Those pieces are warm as well and feel soft. But if I bring this on my lawn , the wood-pieces will stay on top of the turf and only smallest pieces sink onto the soil. Even if I brush it in different directions, back and forward..... What can I do? Leave the compost on a pile until the wood decomposes further ? Or "filter" the bigger pieces from the smaller ones (lots of work probably). My father in law opts for anyhow throwing the compost to the lawn,,,,,,,,, but its not him that is going to ruin his new lawn-mower cutting bark, wood and roots with the next lawnmowing.... Any info welcome,,,, Thanks & a nice weekend,,,,,

I would not try it in the tea unless you had some way of determining its affect on the microbes. If it a diet soda then it has chemical sweeteners in it. I would not put that in my tea - period. I don't know what effect, if an, the CO2 would have on the tea. I don't think it would have any appreciable impact on the compost - as long as the pile is not drenched in it. The tea on the other hand is more fragile and suseptible to minor changes in its environment. In a decent sized compost pile the volume of coke to the rest of the pile is really small. However, in a 5 gal bucket I think the volume ratio could be more of a factor. In the end I think the old addage for a compost pile or tea holds true: if it did not come from the earth it should not go into the compost pile (or tea). Just my way of thinking about it. tom

The optimal level of soil organic matter ranges from 5 to 8 percent, so at 7.4 you have a good level and not one I would start thinking I needed to stop adding OM yet. Compost teas can help if the soil is not good and healthy and the plants need a boost, but if the soil is good and healthy and the plants are growing strong and healthy spending your time and energy making compost tea is unnecessary.

The amount of organic matter that you're shooting for will vary depending on the situation, the plant type, and who you ask but a pretty good rule of thumb is 5 to 6% by dry weight. If you put out steamed bone meal at a relatively aggressive rate of 15 lbs. per 1000 sq. feet, that would only boost the organic content by about 0.003%, or three one thousandths of one percent. That is, of course, before it even breaks down and some is lost to leaching, volitalization, plant uptake, etc. So the answer is yes but not much. Like Kimmsr, I too would top dress with compost.