GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

29-12-2002, 04:50 AM

(Beecrofter) wrote in message . com...

Er, no. I don't know where all the pseudo-science about "greens",
"browns", "carbon", "nitrogen" and all that came from, but it really
doesn't describe what is going on. Your description of how to use it
is fine - it is the explanation that isn't.

Grass is not a high-nitrogen material, and the reason that grass
clippings make a slimy, smelly mess is because they compact into
a wet, ANAEROBIC lump. Longer, more mature grass does not do that
on a small scale. Sawdust is less compressible, less decomposable
and prevents the smell by maintaining aeration.

Bullshit
Fresh grass clippings here run a carbon to nitrogen ratio of from
about 9:1 up to 20:1
probably because most folks with lawns just pile on fertilizers
without ever doing a soil test.
An efficient fast and hot compost is blended to have a carbon to
nitrogen ratio of 30:1
Sawdust and clippings will still compost hot at twice this (60:1)
because they are finely divided and have much surface area.

This ain't rocket science, I defy anyone to pile damp organic
materials outdoors and have it not rot. What differs is how hot you
want the pile to get and how fast.

OK, explain it to a novice (me). I'm talking sawdust, grass clippings,
and non-animal scraps in a compost pile. You're talking carbon to
nitrogen ratios. Am I to assume that everything going into the pile
is carbon and I need something (?) containing nitrogen to add to it?
This is a problem I have had for years now - I can't get the compost
pile to produce enough heat for fast breakdown. (It does stay moist).
Out of frustration I even tried adding ammonium nitrate with very
little change. How do you measure carbon/nitrogen going into a compost
pile to get a ratio?
-Tiger