"Carl 1 Lucky Texan" wrote in message
y.com...
TQ wrote:

"Carl 1 Lucky Texan" wrote in message
.com...

Is there any known problem with composting Bald Cypress

'leaves'(needles?).

Eggshells?

I've heard a rumor that pine needles are undesirable.
If it is just a matter of pH I think doses of ashes from my BBQ pit will
help balance that issue.


Evergreen needles are acidic, which could pose a problem if you don/t add
lime or wood ash to counteract its pH-lowering fx.

Eggshells make for good compost material, altho they are slow to
breakdown,
but good gardeners are not usually in a big hurry. Eggshells, like
seashells are made of calcium, which acts to raise pH.

BBQ ashes are OK, as long as they/re not coming from Kingsford-type
charcoal
brickettes. There/s coal them there brickettes, which t'aint' no good
for
your dirt. If you burn real wood in your smoker, then you/re good to go.
Wood ash is a good source of K and has the added benefit of sweetin' sour
soil.



Thanx TQ, I think I may try SOME cypress this fall - I get tons of it, and
I suppose I could just test teh pH. I just didn't know if there were other
components that might be toxic or undesirable.
Yes, I use lump charcoal and no petroleum distillates for lighting either.

thanx again

Carl


--
to reply, change ( .not) to ( .net)

You don't have to worry much about the pH of herbaceous waste that you
compost. Compost ends up with a close-to-neutral pH no matter how it
starts. However, I'd also consider using the cypress leaves as mulch. As
you know, a cypress is not an evergreen, if that's relevant. I'd also
consider using the leaves for mulch. I work as a garden volunteer at a
place that has a number of bald cypresses and dawn redwoods. The gardeners
fight over the leaves. They break down very quickly. As to ashes, I would
not put them in an active (i.e., hot) compost pile. It will cause a lot of
nitrogen to leave as ammonia. I put ashes around plants that like a higher
pH and if I have any left over, I add it to compost piles that are nearly
finished.
_________________
John Henry Wheeler
Washington, DC
USDA Zone 7