Composting

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Purple Grapes

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I don't see much talk of composting on this thread.

I have 2 good composts going now.

I found someone 5 minutes away giving out free horse manure. I picked up 7 bags of horse manure to jump start one of my piles. I also urine on my pile. It saves water because its wasteful to flush just for urine and it adds nitrogen to pile.


I also have 1000+ worms in some worm cafe I got at a local nursery. The horse manure is filled with the same worms I ordered online, so I take them from the pile and add them to my worm farm.


I'm curious what you guys do?
 
MEGA956

MEGA956

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//Doesn't worm castings have high levels of N? I don't
Think you have to urine in your pile.

//Adding pieces of newspapers raise the K, you can also add
Crushed egg shells for calcium.
 
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Purple Grapes

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MEGA956 said:
//Doesn't worm castings have high levels of N? I don't
Think you have to urine in your pile.

//Adding pieces of newspapers raise the K, you can also add
Crushed egg shells for calcium.
Click to expand...

I've added some newspapers.

I also have a huge oak tree on my property. I gathered a ton of leaves (in various stages of decomposing) crushd them all up with a shovel and added them to the compost pile. My soil and water is about .1-.2 higher than I would like it to be, and I've read that oak leaves tend to be more acidic.


I haven't added any egg shells. I'm going to have to have eggs for breakfast soon to get some shells in there. Do you think the worms will want egg shells as well? I've mostly been feeding them organic food scraps like banana peals, apple cores, pear cores, persimmon cores, etc.


Would there be any point to composting things like bat guano, blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal, etc? or would that be a waste?
 
T

TreFarmer

Guest
My first compost. We have a compost crock in the kitchen for peels, rines, shells etc.
I leave my leaves in piles for a week or two where it will not burn the lawn. Miccorizae(sp?) Will grow on the bottom most leaves as they begin decomposing, the piles keep moisture in and cold out. Then add them to my pile. I add regular dirt to add layers, this will cover and protect the bennies for the winter. Or so goes my thinking. At first thaw I will add in worms, it is too cold right now.
Good thread!!
 
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Purple Grapes

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MEGA956 said:
//are you planning to make compost tea?
Click to expand...

Yes a tea and also as a topsoil.


I'm trying to figure out how to grow my plants using resources from where I live. There are tons of horse riders where I am as well as oak trees, hence why they are both in my pile. I look around my property for deer poo and add that too. I envision the world of legal weed in California being a game of who can get their costs down the most while still producing quality bud. I also care about trying to be sustainable.


For those who make composts, do you only feed your plants the compost (topsoil and teas) or do you add other amendments like guanos etc.

I've had success with guanos and organic bottle nutes, but I just feel that those practices aren't sustainable.


TreFarmer said:
My first compost. We have a compost crock in the kitchen for peels, rines, shells etc.
I leave my leaves in piles for a week or two where it will not burn the lawn. Miccorizae(sp?) Will grow on the bottom most leaves as they begin decomposing, the piles keep moisture in and cold out. Then add them to my pile. I add regular dirt to add layers, this will cover and protect the bennies for the winter. Or so goes my thinking. At first thaw I will add in worms, it is too cold right now.
Good thread!!
Click to expand...

I'm under the impression that if the pile is steaming, then cold shouldn't be an issue. I'm not 100% sure though. Here in the bay, it doesn't get too cold. The last couple weeks have been pretty cold, but it rarely drops below 32 at night. Whats the weather like where you are?


I also noticed that the horse manure I picked up had tons of worms in sections of the pile. They were in the older more decomposed part of the pile not the fresher. I made sure to grab all the manure with the worms. The cold nor the heat from my pile has killed them, at least so far.


I've also read the add dirt thing on a grow forum, forget which one. A poster said to add dirt because it acts as a catalyst. For a while my compost pile had too much dirt, but after adding 5x as much horse manure and large amounts of kitchen scraps the pile is hot now.





Anyone ever compost their Christmas tree? I read online that you can compost your Christmas trees. I figure I'll go to Whole Foods and get an organic tree so I can compost the branches. I've also been composting flowers and toilet paper/ paper towel rolls.


http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm
 
T

TreFarmer

Guest
Hey purple G, I will be using mine outdoor, and amending as usual, but next year the worms should have had what they need to produce NP&K , etc this should add most everything needed. Minus carbs... Alfapha, and molasses;)
New to this so some more winter reading is in store.

Weather here?
with or without windchill?? Lol 18°F last night, 22 right now, midnight.
 
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Purple Grapes

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TreFarmer said:
Hey purple G, I will be using mine outdoor, and amending as usual, but next year the worms should have had what they need to produce NP&K , etc this should add most everything needed. Minus carbs... Alfapha, and molasses;)
New to this so some more winter reading is in store.
Click to expand...

How hard is it to test the NP&K of the soil?
 
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Purple Grapes

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TreFarmer said:
I would say accurite for starters, to make sure you aren't 1200 ppm just N P or K

Ratio depends on cycle and genetics... just like the ratio on the boxes of guano etc.
This is "dialing it in" I guess:)
Click to expand...

Going to run to the store and pick up the tester. I'll report my findings.
 
TortureKill

TortureKill

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I run a large compost pile off to the side of my yard. It consists of larger piles of leaves, sticks and twigs, trimmings from the shrubs, grass clippings, other yard waste and all of the larger things. Next to my garden I have another smaller pile.
I collect the decaying leaves and twigs and add them to my smaller compost pile as needed.. also mulch. I will collect worms periodically and throw them in.
This smaller pile also consists of kitchen scraps (mainly banana peels, egg shells, vegetable and fruit peels and waste, hair from my electric razor and wifes hair brush ;), dryer lint, coffee grounds, toilet paper and towel rolls, newspaper, finger nail clippings..). I also add droppings from the pet rabbit, and some of his alfalfa pellets (the rabbit poop isnt necessary to compost, and can be used as a top dressing or mixed right in with your soil). I throw in rootballs and stems from old potted plants (i make sure to bury those deep in the pile :) )

During the outdoor season, I like to mix in a couple handfuls of the alfalfa pellets in the bottom of my holes. They take a minimal amount of time to break down and the plants benefit from the N. I usually mix my compost in with the native soil (a couple shovels/hole) and top dress, and water with teas (biobizz) throughout the season.
Other than the Rabbit turds, I dont use any other manures.
 
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Purple Grapes

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TortureKill said:
I run a large compost pile off to the side of my yard. It consists of larger piles of leaves, sticks and twigs, trimmings from the shrubs, grass clippings, other yard waste and all of the larger things. Next to my garden I have another smaller pile.
I collect the decaying leaves and twigs and add them to my smaller compost pile as needed.. also mulch. I will collect worms periodically and throw them in.
This smaller pile also consists of kitchen scraps (mainly banana peels, egg shells, vegetable and fruit peels and waste, hair from my electric razor and wifes hair brush ;), dryer lint, coffee grounds, toilet paper and towel rolls, newspaper, finger nail clippings..). I also add droppings from the pet rabbit, and some of his alfalfa pellets (the rabbit poop isnt necessary to compost, and can be used as a top dressing or mixed right in with your soil). I throw in rootballs and stems from old potted plants (i make sure to bury those deep in the pile :) )

During the outdoor season, I like to mix in a couple handfuls of the alfalfa pellets in the bottom of my holes. They take a minimal amount of time to break down and the plants benefit from the N. I usually mix my compost in with the native soil (a couple shovels/hole) and top dress, and water with teas (biobizz) throughout the season.
Other than the Rabbit turds, I dont use any other manures.
Click to expand...


Sounds like you have composting down. I ran biozbizz last summer in my greenhouse, but I was thinking of bagging for just simple compost teas. Which of their nutes do you use? The whole line or just the bloom and grow? I like their fish emulsion, but I've found a fish hydrosolate that I like better.




Anyone every get ants in their compost pile? I've read its not bad as long as they aren't moving into the pile.
 
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Purple Grapes

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MEGA956 said:
//Hey PG, what will be your base nutrients?
Click to expand...

I was going to run some experiments.

I'm in a greenhouse....

During the spring I'm going to do compost teas only. I was going to mess around with different brands and see how they react. When my pile is done, I'll use it in a tea and on my regular garden. My summer light dep I was going to do the same. My plants that will go the whole season I'm going to use subcool's super soil so I just have to water them.
 
MEGA956

MEGA956

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//Yeah you just water with the super soil but that's just for veg.
You still need a base nutrient for the flower stage. Compost will be used as a additives
 
P

Purple Grapes

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MEGA956 said:
//Yeah you just water with the super soil but that's just for veg.
You still need a base nutrient for the flower stage. Compost will be used as a additives
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice.... I'll ad in the biobizz bloom nute. I still have a half a bottle left of it.

What do you guys think of budswell?
 
MEGA956

MEGA956

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//What does budswell consist of?? In other words, what's in it?
 
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