Can I put unfinished compost in dead, very poor smelly soil?
HU-484845831
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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HU-484845831
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Can organic (compost & compost tea) really change my soil?
Comments (18)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,,,,,...See Moreable to put unfinished compost under soil and usable for spring?
Comments (12)kimmsr wrote: Buying soil is probably not the best thing gardeners do except for those that sell that soil. How do you expect me to do this new bed? One of the composters you see in my picture is full to the top with much of the contents close to fully composted. I also have several bags of mulched leaves and grass. All of this aforementioned material will be dumped and spread on the lawn in the indicated area of the new garden. If I can easily get some cardboard in the next few days I will have that as the first layer. But given I want to have the planting part ready in time for next April/May I am starting now and I have no choice but to supplement the compost, grass and leaves with purchased earth. Although the indicated area is not large (I havent decided on the exact edge but it will like encompass about 130 sq. feet). The drop off to the back coupled with the more or less raised nature of the bed will require probably 2 cubic yards of soil or so which I will need to buy....See MoreTrees For Very Poor Soil
Comments (23)Viper, you are indeed wise to be looking into soil microorganisms. This is the key really. Although we don't talk about it much here, the fact is, trees long ago "realized" that it made more sense to let mutualistic fungi do most of the rummaging around in the soil for nutrients, and to then give these fungi photosynthates (carbohydrates) to live on in return. Where such organisms are lacking, tree establishment can be very slow. Ed said such science is on shaky ground and he is right, except for this exact situation. In mining tailings piles and other sterile soil situations, mycorrhizal fungal associates have worked and worked well. In fact, this is the one area where real progress has been made. I have been a long-time fan of the work of Paul Stamets, he of Fungi Perfecti. I don't know that anyone has done more research into the use of fungi in soil remediation and so on. Maybe look up some of his work as well as his company. Good guy. +oM...See Moreadding compost to poor soil
Comments (1)Yes, mulching the bed should improve results. What general type of plants are you planting? If these are flowering annuals you should dig in organic matter throughout the bed before planting. And give them some mulching. If these are instead flowering perennials it would be better to plant in existing, loosened soil only and then mulch well afterward, at least once inch deep. In neither case is replacing the existing soil with different soil in individual planting holes a good idea (this procedure often has adverse effects on how water enters and exits the planting hole). And in both cases mulch should be kept well away from the stems of the plants. If existing soil seems completely unsuitable for kinds of plants being attempted then it may have to be excavated and replacing entirely over the whole bed-sized area with a different soil. Or a different soil can be placed on top of the existing soil, as a berm, mound or raised bed, and planted in. Without blending the two soil layers together (which would defeat the purpose of the new soil layer)....See MoreHU-484845831
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