pre compost vs rotting food
iLoveLawn
10 years ago
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Shaul
10 years agosbryce_gw
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Type of compost (Biosolids vs Organic)
Comments (12)Thanks for the responses guys. Couple of answers - why till ? Well, the short answer is that I've got to get the OM into the soil somehow and tilling is much more efficient than laying it on top. I'm aware of the evenness issue - and the person doing the tilling and grading is as well. They are planning on tilling to loosen the soil, lay a couple inches of whatever compost we decide to use and then tilling it in, light compaction (tractor running over it) and grading. Then a couple inches of top soil and sod. The reason for the 'topsoil' is that it will take the organic matter several months to become effective and the sod will probably be laid in the fall once the weather cools down. I don't believe laying sod on newly amended clay would be a good way to keep that new sod alive. Ideally, we should give it 6 months for the spring before planning sod, but I'm not sure I have that kind of time before the sod is going to go down. There is currently no 'topsoil' in place. They've had to move quite a bit of dirt around this heavily sloped lot, so all the dirt brought in is fill dirt (60% clay/40% silt) from the area. The sod will need something to work with for the first few months as it establishes. I've never done corn meal, so have to look into that. Is that just to create aeration (and some organic matter) in the tight clay soil ? Ph is a bit low (around 6), which with some compost should hopefully neutralize a little closer to 6.5 or so. Yes, there is not much organic matter right now and the clay is very clumpy and rock hard to dig into. We're trying to get OM into the clay and possibly put a few pounds of worms in as well to accelerate the process. The reason for why this whole discussion started is that last year quite a few homes suffered some serious damage (even some semi-established yards) when we get rains. The rain in this area tends to come down hard and fast. I wish we could just get a days worth of rain and be done with it, but it tends to come down like 3" in 3 hours and then stops. So, sodded yards on thin layers of topsoil with a hard clay stratification layer underneath get erosion and drainage issues where there are falloffs (ravine/edges of yards). Trying to create a 'thicker' slightly more aerated/absorbant layer of soil right underneath my sod/topsoil. Figured amending 6" (granted that not all of that OM will be beneficial at lower layers in the future) below my sod/topsoil layer has got to help some there. In terms of bio-solid vs traditional compost. Will the bio-solid compost stinks and has some odor to it which goes away soon after. The traditional compost smells like traditional compost. My concern is that the biosolid compost seems to work more like a fertilizer than perhaps a soil amendment. Maybe mixing in gypsum might be a solution as well....See Moretilling vs. 'lasagna' beds; composting help; new to area - HELP!
Comments (18)You're right, Nan, surfactants are found in lots of products. Soap and detergents are all surfactants - it's actually the surfactant molecules that surround and float dirt/grease molecules away. Guess it also floats the frog's protective slime coat away. Not surprising really. One way the issue around amphibians surfaced was when commercial herbicide was used to kill invasive exotic plants in ponds. The amphibians died - but not because of the active herbicide ingredient, but from the 1ppm surfactant in the herbicide formulation. For this reason, many people would like to see unadulterated herbicides (without other ingredients like surfactants) available to regular folks like us. At this time, for big bucks, professionals can buy the active ingredient in bulk, but smaller, affordable quantities are not marketed. No worry that toothpaste, shampoo, or any surfactants will be banned or limited - we don't ban the fossil fuels that are destroying the ozone layer, so what's a few frogs? In general, we ban things long, long after catastrophic results are obvious, and then we ban specific chemicals only when we have a method to detect that chemical - which is not trivial. Drinking water can legally contain like 2mg/L Total Organic Carbon, but virtually all the EPA monitors is volatile contaminants, which are testable in a GC (found in most labs), and make up typically around 0.2mg/L. So what are we drinking in the other 0.8mg/L? Mmmmmmm. And this attitude, my friends, is born not of a nuts-and-fruits birkinstok-wearing flower-child. It was born of too many years in a chem lab plus working with chemists at EPA labs 20 years ago, and finally standing in my own garden today, looking around and wondering what in the world we have done. I know there's harmful bacteria and fungi in the soil I play in, I eat fast food on occasion, and I know that loving strawberries means I injest a lot of pesticide, so i don't get carried away with all the dangers - if one thing doesn't kill us, another will, that's for sure. i just wish I weren't leaving such a mess for the kids to clean up. Want to get scared of your shampoo, look at the ingredients and then read http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/depts/env_saf/msdspdf/sodium_dodecyl_sulfate_BP166100_Fisher.pdf#search='sodium%20lauryl%20sulfate%20msds' Here is a link that might be useful: one article from many...See MoreWorm Factory vs a tumbling composter
Comments (15)I guess I suggested the tumbler, on a worm board, because there are way less things to go wrong, and if they do there is not water dripping, flies flying, or worms crawling indoors to where they do not belong. A round or square plastic worm bin, or cloth flow through, or other flow through, or tumbler with ileagle worms would all work. The tumbler would have the least chance of bad things happening indoors. Thus, I think your specific needs would be best served by the tumbler because there is no way something bad in the house could happen. A lone, wayward, lost mouse that found a tiny opening into your celar and enjoyed your bin, will not jump upon your leg and make you scream, as happened to me. This is way less tramatic outdoors. Plus, apparently, worms clandestinely live in them all the time. "no recycling whatsoever." reminds me of my recent visit to Montreal, Canada. I was at an international event and they took all the trash from the garbage, vegetation waste, glass and plastic and dumped the cans into the single dumpster. Other places it feels like a sin to put items that should be recycled into the garbage. Maybe skip the worms and run for public office to get recycling in your area. IN the future we will all only shop at Amazon. "a way to use the excess of paper and cardboard we end up with that won't mess up the planet. Do you think adding it to an outdoor worm bin would be harmful? I'd be more interested in handling the cardboard than in the resulting compost." The best way I know of is to use it below a garden in either a sheet mulch or hugelculture method. No need to even shred in either method. Ordering by Amazon might actually save more natural resources than somebody getting in a car to shop at the mall. The deliver truck goes right by your house anyways, thus minimal energy used. I would not only add cardboard to an outdoor compost system I would also ummmm pee on it. Because that is what it needs to balance into breakdown is nitrogen. But even skipping that step in a few years it should of broken down into beautiful material all on its own. Well actually zillions of friendly wee beasties helped it along. Also phone books and similar can be used to grow mushrooms....See MoreSo this Pre-Composting
Comments (6)I use a Folgers aroma-seal coffee can. Much easier to work with than a ziplock bag and effectively keeps out bugs and keeps in smells. It stands up on its own, has a wide mouth and a very easy to grab built-in handle. I call it my "oop" bucket... don't ask me how we came up with that name as kids. Anyway, either the worms get it or it goes into the garden or compost pile. I've switched to tea, but I get them from work where the coffee drinkers go through 3 or 4 a week. They last forever. When mine get too icky, I recycle them and get a new one. The only downside is that I happen to keep it in the cabinet with the real coffee and tea... Mom went to make coffee at my house one day and got a real surprise. :)...See Moreequinoxequinox
10 years agoiLoveLawn
10 years agosbryce_gw
10 years agopatrick1969
10 years agoKing_Kale
10 years agoattia salah
4 years ago
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