Everything you know about composting is wrong
- Thread starter JDMase
- Start date
WeedFreak78
Well-Known Member
I decided to mow and mulch my leaves into my lawn the last 2 years, rather than raking them up for my compost piles. The plants I used this no leaf compost on were noticeably lacking compared to the years before. I don't even like having a lawn 
just more crap I need to take care of.... won't do that again.
I throw food scraps in my compost, I don't really produce enough to do a worm bin. I'm also working with at least 4, 8x8x8, piles of mixed compost, plus 2 areas I dump only grass clippings in one and only leaves in the other, which are 15x15 each. I pull from these to amend my active compost. I think my ratio of food:yard waste keeps it all in check, I have almost an acre plus I mow and about an acre of trees I do clean up on. I could see someone with less available yard material not wanting to add food.
just more crap I need to take care of.... won't do that again.I throw food scraps in my compost, I don't really produce enough to do a worm bin. I'm also working with at least 4, 8x8x8, piles of mixed compost, plus 2 areas I dump only grass clippings in one and only leaves in the other, which are 15x15 each. I pull from these to amend my active compost. I think my ratio of food:yard waste keeps it all in check, I have almost an acre plus I mow and about an acre of trees I do clean up on. I could see someone with less available yard material not wanting to add food.
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Rasta Roy
Well-Known Member
I'm a little confused by your wording friend! So not using leaf mold compost created lacking results for you?I decided to mow and mulch my leaves into my lawn the last 2 years, rather than raking them up for my compost piles. The plants I used this no leaf compost on were noticeably lacking compared to the years before. I don't even like having a lawn
WeedFreak78
Well-Known Member
Correct, I didn't put leaves into my compost for 2 seasons, I just mowed them into my lawn. My compost wasn't nearly as good as it had been in the past. My lawn started looking really nice, though.
Rasta Roy
Well-Known Member
That's what I figured you meant just wanted to clarify!
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
Dang! I recently moved to a house that only has evergreens around the perimeter.
At the old house, leaves were plentiful, but I just mulched them into the yard. (My grass always looked great!)
At the old house, leaves were plentiful, but I just mulched them into the yard. (My grass always looked great!)
Bakersfield
Well-Known Member
I didn't watch the vid but I know how to compost, it's not that hard.
I go for thermophilic composting, because I include manure, it will sterilize the pathogens. I try and keep the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen and a pile of about 1m3 minimum.
After the thermophilic comes to an end the mesophilic bacteria take over and further reduce the pile.
I then leave the pile to moulder for another year.
Takes me about 2 years to fully compost a batch.
I go for thermophilic composting, because I include manure, it will sterilize the pathogens. I try and keep the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen and a pile of about 1m3 minimum.
After the thermophilic comes to an end the mesophilic bacteria take over and further reduce the pile.
I then leave the pile to moulder for another year.
Takes me about 2 years to fully compost a batch.
calliandra
Well-Known Member
Aw it was really funny, of course at the cost of precision, but halfways accurate, until minute 14 or so, when he said there's nooo nitrogen in food scraps lol
had to stop there.
Otherwise, leaves?! Yeah great stuff, all day 24/7!
I have 8 different leaf composting experiments going at the moment haha
Rasta Roy
Well-Known Member
Do you keep rain off it that whole time?
Bakersfield
Well-Known Member
No, but we don't get a significant amount of rain where I'm at, IMO.
Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
How does manure sterilize pathogens?
Bakersfield
Well-Known Member
Sterilized was the wrong word, my bad.
The heat from the composting process will pasteurize most living things including pathogens.
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
Dude is right good speech thanks for sharing...worm bins are the source: change yer life; swear to god
Kind Sir
Well-Known Member
Hey man, havent been on in awhile. Hope all is well your way!
May I ask how your work bin works?
1. How are your bins set up?
2. What all is in there, including what you feed?
3. How do you harvest them?
Truly appreciate your time man. Priceless.
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
I use a worm factory 360. It has trays with mesh in the bottom so the worms can move up to the next level when the tray has been consumed of food leaving behind just the finished castings. To harvest I open the top and pull off the stack of trays along with the bottom most tray and clean the base underneath it. There's usually a few lost worms, castings and liquid worm leacheate in there so it all gets scraped into a bin. Then I take the bottom most tray and put it on the top and nest the whole stack into the base. I have a HO fluorescent shop light that I turn on which they hate & the worms burrow deep to escape it. They leave behind the fresh EWC that I scrape up along with a few stubborn worms into the same collection bin. I add most of it to my recycling soil and save a bit for making teas.
Each time I start a new tray I add some spent recycled soil with a little extra perlite for aeration and some oyster flour for grit. I feed them mostly all kitchen scraps like banana peels, rotten apples, strawberry tops, carrot shavings, lettuce, and tomato tops/bottoms, etc.. I get a lot of worm food when I make salads; they love any fruit and/or veggie scraps. I also give them lots of cannabis leaves & small stems from harvesting plants & any dead leaves or fans I remove. They don't eat stickers so I gotta remove them or I'll find them later in the bin lol. I have a bag in the freezer I put all the worm food in which helps break it down fast once thawed. I add coffee grounds and eggshells too but I cook the eggshells in the microwave for 2 mins to sterilize them which makes them brittle and ez to shred to bits with a squeeze. When I feed I have a small container that I put the frozen worm scraps in and I sometimes add corn meal to it just because i have some on hand to get rid of and they also seem to like alfalfa meal if I add it to their food. I let it thaw overnight and feed in the morning when by that time most of the shit has turned mushy; perfect for them.
Each time I start a new tray I add some spent recycled soil with a little extra perlite for aeration and some oyster flour for grit. I feed them mostly all kitchen scraps like banana peels, rotten apples, strawberry tops, carrot shavings, lettuce, and tomato tops/bottoms, etc.. I get a lot of worm food when I make salads; they love any fruit and/or veggie scraps. I also give them lots of cannabis leaves & small stems from harvesting plants & any dead leaves or fans I remove. They don't eat stickers so I gotta remove them or I'll find them later in the bin lol. I have a bag in the freezer I put all the worm food in which helps break it down fast once thawed. I add coffee grounds and eggshells too but I cook the eggshells in the microwave for 2 mins to sterilize them which makes them brittle and ez to shred to bits with a squeeze. When I feed I have a small container that I put the frozen worm scraps in and I sometimes add corn meal to it just because i have some on hand to get rid of and they also seem to like alfalfa meal if I add it to their food. I let it thaw overnight and feed in the morning when by that time most of the shit has turned mushy; perfect for them.
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Kind Sir
Well-Known Member
Wow good info, thanks for being thorough man. Here's my situation..
I have my worms in a bigger storage tote with no holes... Castings look finished, been a longgg time.
Should I dump it all out onto a tarp? Or should I put holes in the bottom (while the worms/castings are still in it) and get the worms to move to the other bin, then harvest?
I have my worms in a bigger storage tote with no holes... Castings look finished, been a longgg time.
Should I dump it all out onto a tarp? Or should I put holes in the bottom (while the worms/castings are still in it) and get the worms to move to the other bin, then harvest?
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
I would just get a nice big tarp or some kind of thick plastic & dump it all out on that. Put a bright light like a single light bulb over it & wait awhile. The worms will not like this and should begin finding each other & forming a ball. It helps if it's a bit cold but not freezing so they try to ball up for warmth. Gently brush the castings away from the worms as they gather into one mass. Eventually you'll have 2 piles: one that's mostly worms the other mostly castings. Wearing rubber gloves or at least washing your hands real good afterwards is probably a good idea. Then put the worms back into their new home along with some recycled soil & extra perlite. Feed them the next day..
Eagle-ize
Member
The man is absolutely right about the coffee grounds. I had tubs of old organic soil mixed with hay that was taking a while to break down. Called the local St@rbucks when they opened and had 5lbs of freshly made used coffee grounds ready by noon. Mixed it in generously and within a day or two, the soil was hot!
These were planted only two weeks after adding coffee to used soil. This soil was one of my healthiest runs in a long while.
Cheers!
These were planted only two weeks after adding coffee to used soil. This soil was one of my healthiest runs in a long while.
Cheers!