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

This is what I was taught:

Carbon is woody material.
Nitrogen is contained in green leafy material.

The bacteria that break down the carbon use nitrogen during the process, if
there is not enough nitrogen they cannot do their job.

A carbon : nitrogen ratio of (25-30) : 1 is required.
That is 25-30 times as much woody stuff to green stuff.

Urine contains nitrogen, so if you think you are short of nitrogen, you have
a free supply on tap (so to speak).

Bacteria also need oxygen, so you have to keep the heap well aerated by
turning it from time to time.

Peter


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