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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
Hi Everybody,
I have read a number of times that it is good to add a bit of blood-and-bone-meal to compost, to get it working faster. This includes various Web sites, NG posts, and packaging for said substance. I have started adding a bit to my compost-in-progress. However, I am wondering... What exactly is the chemical/biological mechanism here? The b-b meal is a dry powder, so I am doubtful of micro-organsms living in there. Is it just based upon giving the compost a blast of nutrients??? Thanks in advance... -- Guide To DIY Living http://www.self-reliance.co.nz (Work in progress) |
#2
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
Down Under On The Bucket Farm said:
I have read a number of times that it is good to add a bit of blood-and-bone-meal to compost, to get it working faster. This includes various Web sites, NG posts, and packaging for said substance. However, I am wondering... What exactly is the chemical/biological mechanism here? Blood meal is used to ensure enough nitrogen to get the compost cooking, especially when the bulk of your material is high in carbon, like fall leaves, straw, or paper. I suppose you can consider it as 'activating' the microorganisms that are already there. (It's also good practice to add some old compost to any freshly mixed pile to innoculate it.) Bone meal is better used directly in the garden for plants that need a boost of calcium and phosphorous. Depending on how it was processed, it may or may not contain much nitrogen, which would be more in demand in the composting process. -- Pat in Plymouth MI Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced. (attributed to Don Marti) |
#3
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 23:20:58 -0700, Down Under On The Bucket
Farm wrote: Hi Everybody, I have read a number of times that it is good to add a bit of blood-and-bone-meal to compost, to get it working faster. This includes various Web sites, NG posts, and packaging for said substance. I have started adding a bit to my compost-in-progress. However, I am wondering... What exactly is the chemical/biological mechanism here? The b-b meal is a dry powder, so I am doubtful of micro-organsms living in there. Is it just based upon giving the compost a blast of nutrients??? I'm a worrier. My concern would be BSE - mad cow disease. I wouldn't use it, but would find some other non-animal substance to add to my compost. There are plenty of other substances that can be used for this purpose (manure, even small quantities of commercial fertilizer, greenstone - a natural mineral - various ground rocks, etc.) Pat -- To email me, remove the spam trap and type my first name in its place. CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/ International: http://www.thehungersite.com/ |
#4
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
Pat Kiewicz wrote:
Down Under On The Bucket Farm said: I have read a number of times that it is good to add a bit of blood-and-bone-meal to compost, to get it working faster. This includes various Web sites, NG posts, and packaging for said substance. However, I am wondering... What exactly is the chemical/biological mechanism here? Blood meal is used to ensure enough nitrogen to get the compost cooking, especially when the bulk of your material is high in carbon, like fall leaves, straw, or paper. I suppose you can consider it as 'activating' the microorganisms that are already there. (It's also good practice to add some old compost to any freshly mixed pile to innoculate it.) Bone meal is better used directly in the garden for plants that need a boost of calcium and phosphorous. Depending on how it was processed, it may or may not contain much nitrogen, which would be more in demand in the composting process. Killed the crosspost. Urine is also a very good activator.. Not to everyones preference though. Nitrogen (the N in NPK) is needed to promote biological/bacterial activity and cause your heapt to 'compost' It provides a 'kickstart' for the heap. Dried blood on its own works well, but may not be available in your location. / Jim |
#5
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
wrote in message ... On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 23:20:58 -0700, Down Under On The Bucket Farm wrote: Hi Everybody, I have read a number of times that it is good to add a bit of blood-and-bone-meal to compost, to get it working faster. This includes various Web sites, NG posts, and packaging for said substance. I have started adding a bit to my compost-in-progress. However, I am wondering... What exactly is the chemical/biological mechanism here? The b-b meal is a dry powder, so I am doubtful of micro-organsms living in there. Is it just based upon giving the compost a blast of nutrients??? I'm a worrier. My concern would be BSE - mad cow disease. I wouldn't use it, but would find some other non-animal substance to add to my compost. There are plenty of other substances that can be used for this purpose (manure, even small quantities of commercial fertilizer, greenstone - a natural mineral - various ground rocks, etc.) Unless you are importing your bone meal from Europe, it is highly unlikely this should pose any problems. One, there has never been a substantiated case of BSE in the United States and second, the American method of processing bone meal differs from the European in that it involves both heat and solvent treatments, effectively destroying any potential pathogens. Once again, we can thank the media for blowing things up out of proportion. If this remains a concern, fish meal, feather meal, alfalfa meal or fresh manure will work as well. Apply any sparingly - you don't need much to get things cooking if pile is constructed carefully and aerated properly. pam - gardengal |
#6
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 15:27:01 GMT, "Pam - gardengal"
wrote: Unless you are importing your bone meal from Europe, it is highly unlikely this should pose any problems. One, there has never been a substantiated case of BSE in the United States and second, the American method of processing bone meal differs from the European in that it involves both heat and solvent treatments, effectively destroying any potential pathogens. There has been in Canada, though. I have read quite a bit about BSE in the UK, and I do not believe that the consensus of opinion among authorities on the matter is that either heat or solvents kill the prions thought to be responsible for it. [This got to be kind of an awkward sentence...] In other words, it is believed that neither heat nor solvents kill prions, AFAIK. If the authorities thought heat kills prions, believe me, the British government would have acted on it before now, and I suspect that the same is true of solvents - at least any solvents suitable for meat intended for human consumption. I don't think there is any way known to kill prions. Once again, we can thank the media for blowing things up out of proportion. I don't think so. The media has nothing to do with it. I have never, ever seen any article on a connection between bone meal in compost and BSE: it was my own conclusion that there might be this possibility, based on the fact that meat-on-the-bone has been implicated in BSE in the UK. Therefore, I think it's a reasonable conclusion that one might not want to spread bonemeal around one's garden or use it in compost - a conclusion that any reasonable person might make (or might not make). If this remains a concern, fish meal, feather meal, alfalfa meal or fresh manure will work as well. Apply any sparingly - you don't need much to get things cooking if pile is constructed carefully and aerated properly. Yes, that was my point, perhaps not made as well as it could have been. There are plenty of alternative substances that will work. Pat -- To email me, remove the spam trap and type my first name in its place. CLICK DAILY TO FEED THE HUNGRY United States: http://www.stopthehunger.com/ International: http://www.thehungersite.com/ |
#7
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:9rSlb.3260$mZ5.18981@attbi_s54... Unless you are importing your bone meal from Europe, it is highly unlikely this should pose any problems. One, there has never been a substantiated case of BSE in the United States and second, the American method of processing bone meal differs from the European in that it involves both heat and solvent treatments, effectively destroying any potential pathogens. (...) pam - gardengal According to a farm newspaper I read each week, most small fertilizer plants still accept animal bones from meat packers but will no longer accept dead animals from farmers and individuals. Seems new government requirements probably due to concerns about BSE make it too costly. steaming and processing bonemeal - I had not been aware that all US produced bonemeal was steam-processed but it is probably a good thing despite the loss of about 10 per cent of the nutrients. Olin |
#8
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
(snip) the American method of processing bone meal differs from the European in that it involves both heat and solvent treatments, effectively destroying any potential pathogens. The protection against BSE in your example is the fact that there is not yet any example of BSE having been found in the US. How the Blood and Bone is made in the US is irrelevant as there is no current treatment known to destroy the prions that cause BSE |
#9
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
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#12
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
This form of the disease is called 'kuru' and it used to be endemic (among women and children) in New Guinea, in tribes in which the women and children ate the brains of dead enemies. I forget why the women and children did this more than the men. Pat -- Geeze - I can't remember either - wish I had kept that Med Anth. Text. You always think you'll remember the things you learnt in school. Use it or lose it I guess. I sure am rethinking my use of blood and bonemeal now. Have only very occasionally used it anyhow.. |
#13
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
When last we left our heros, on Sun, 26 Oct 2003 19:23:57 GMT,
"Tina Gibson" scribbled: This form of the disease is called 'kuru' and it used to be endemic (among women and children) in New Guinea, in tribes in which the women and children ate the brains of dead enemies. I forget why the women and children did this more than the men. Dead relatives, not dead enemies. It was part of the funeral ritual. Geeze - I can't remember either - wish I had kept that Med Anth. Text. You always think you'll remember the things you learnt in school. Use it or lose it I guess. I sure am rethinking my use of blood and bonemeal now. Have only very occasionally used it anyhow.. Well, if you're using products made from US cows, you shouldn't be any more at risk than if you eat beef from US cows. So far we've kept it out of this country, but since they've found it in Canada, I wonder if the US can be far behind. Pam -- "Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart." "ElissaAnn" |
#14
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
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#15
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Compost - Blood And Bone Meal To "Activate"?
Pam Rudd writes:
I sure am rethinking my use of blood and bonemeal now. Have only very occasionally used it anyhow.. Well, if you're using products made from US cows, you shouldn't be any more at risk than if you eat beef from US cows. So far A few years back a national tv gardening program commissioned a lab analysis of different brands of "Blood & Bone" garden fertiliser here in Australia. They found that a few brands contained no blood and no bone. Really! These were a just mixture of chemical fertilisers, in amounts and proportions that gave a similar N P K etc. analysis to what would be expected in real organic B & B. I'm not sure whether this was allowable under retail regulations. Anyway, I'm wondering whether such a substitution might exist in the US? IIRC, real B & B here carries the warning that the product may contain traces of arsenic (a former tick spray, I think, long abandoned but very persistent in the environment). -- John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup) |
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