|
|
|
|
Home / Home / Gardening
Garden Composting Tips- The Art of Composting
By:Carlo Morelli
Even a composting neophyte can create top-notch compost with the right recipe. Akin to cooking, composting is half art, and half science. Awareness of these basic factors will help you getting started. Just like a chef demands high quality ingredients, successful composting needs the best ingredients too. Good materials for composting include these: grass clippings, leaves, plant stalks, hedge trimmings, old potting soil, twigs, vegetable scraps, coffee filters, and tea bags.
Bad composting materials include: diseased plants, weeds with seed heads, invasive weeds, pet feces, dead animals, bread and grains, meat or fish parts, dairy products, grease, cooking oil, or oily foods.
To prepare compost, you need organic materials, microorganisms, air, water, and a small quantity of nitrogen. Organic material is what you are trying to decompose (see above for Do’s and Don’ts). Microorganisms are tiny forms of plant and animal life, which break down organic material. A small amount of garden soil or manure supplies adequate microorganisms. The air, nitrogen, and water offer an encouraging environment for the microorganisms to produce your compost. You can add enough nitrogen to the compost with small amount of nitrogen fertilizer., which can be purchased at hardware stores or nurseries. Air is the one ingredient which you can’t have too much of. Too much nitrogen can kill microbes; too much water causes insufficient air in the pile.
If microorganisms have more surface area to feed off of, the materials will decompose faster. Chopping your organic materials with a machete, or using a shredder or lawnmower to shred materials will help them break down faster.
The compost pile is your oven. Compost piles catch heat created by the activity of millions of microorganisms. The minimum size for hot, fast composting is a 3-foot by 3-foot by 3-foot. But piles wider or taller than 5 feet don't permit enough air to reach the microorganisms at the center.
Your compost pile’s microorganisms work their hardest when the materials have about the moistness of a wrung-out sponge and as many air passages. The air in the pile is usually consumed faster than the moisture, so the pile should be turned or mixed up now and then to add more air; this maintains high temperatures and controls odor. Use a pitchfork, rake, or other garden tool can to turn materials with.
Article Source: http://www.dailynewarticles.com
Carlo Morelli is a writer at OnlineTips.org, where you can read about the best soil composition for roses and wrought iron balusters.
More Articles from Gardening Category:
An Overview Of The Worlds Most Beautiful Flowers - Australian Orchids
Some Basic Facts about Lawn Mower Parts
Handy Tips On Buying Lawn Mower Parts
House Plants and their Bugs, Pests and Insects
How To Make Sure Your Wildflowers Survive In Your Home Garden
Perennial Gardens That Stay Healthy All Year Round
The Ideal Greenhouse Heaters To Choose From
Gardening: Blue Lobelia and Its Gorgeous Twin Sister
Save Time And Labor With A Garden Hose Reel
Organic Fertilizers Are Becoming More Popular In The Garden
If You Want To Drink Fresh Healthy Juice You Need A Quality Juicer
The Beauty Of Iron Arbors
Organic Indoor Gardening
Lawnmower Battery Buying Guide
Why The Beauty Of Roses Is Hard To Resist
|
|
