A compost question
 

Infrequent poster here.

The city in which I live had a one-day composter sale/fundraiser today, and I
decided to go pick one up ($20C, reportedly $80 value). No one with a car being
available, I took the train up to the mall parking lot, intending to haul it
back with my luggage rack. My route back to my house took me through a
quasi-upper income bracket neighborhood, and along one street which had several
trailers pulled up. Plainly a movie or tv shoot. It was at this point that my
bungee cord decided to come loose, sending all the parts of my composter onto
the street. Just as I had everything under control again, this Brit pops out of
one of the parked cars with his walkie talkie and asks if I needed any help. I
told him everything was OK, whereupon he proceeded to tell me that composting
doesn't work. You have to add too much bone meal for it to be cost effective,
he said.

I don't know why complete strangers feel compelled to lecture me about such
things.

Now I didn't think much about this at the time, being more concerned about
getting my composter down the hill on the luggage rack, and I figured he didn't
need any compost anyway, since he probably just had to go talk to his flowers
to provide them with a reliable source of bull manure. On reflection I realized
that it was probably added to keep the compost from becoming too acidic, even
though he talked about the bone meal as if it were a starter. This isn't a
problem where I live in Calgary, because the soil tends to be too alkaline.
Elsewhere, it might be common practise. Is it?

Dora

A compost question
 

[snipped lengthy message that bascially asked: Should I add
bonemeal when composting?]

The best thing to add when composting is old compost. It has all
the necessary micro-organisms for turning leaves and clippings into
greate soil.

To speed things up, I add nitrogen. I use urea, a synthetic
organic. The micro-organisms proliferate with nitrogen. This is
especially good if your raw material is mostly dry leaves.

The only things really needed are air and water. I use a spading
fork to turn my compost pile, which brings air into the center of
the pile. Then I wet it down (something I should do more often).

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 19 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

A compost question
 

David Ross

[snipped lengthy message that bascially asked: Should I add
bonemeal when composting?]
Sorry. I was feeling chatty. Too much wine, I guess. I'll rephrase. Do people
add bonemeal to compost when they have a soil that is acidic? I'm just curious
and trying to understand what other people do if they have acidic soil (which,
as I said, I do not have).


The best thing to add when composting is old compost. It has all
the necessary micro-organisms for turning leaves and clippings into
greate soil.

To speed things up, I add nitrogen. I use urea, a synthetic
organic. The micro-organisms proliferate with nitrogen. This is
especially good if your raw material is mostly dry leaves.

I have trouble getting enough brown, frankly. I've seen paper recommended as a
brown, but mostly paper towels, filters, etc., which I don't use. Does office
paper work? Or does it take too long to decompose?

The only things really needed are air and water. I use a spading
fork to turn my compost pile, which brings air into the center of
the pile. Then I wet it down (something I should do more often).
Me too. Thanks for the advice.
Dora

A compost question
 

On 20 Jun 2004 13:38:56 GMT, ospam (Bungadora)
wrote:


I have trouble getting enough brown, frankly. I've seen paper recommended as a
brown, but mostly paper towels, filters, etc., which I don't use. Does office
paper work? Or does it take too long to decompose?

Shred it first, in a shredder. It decomposes pretty well if you have
a nitrogen source to add to it.

Stuff rots. :-)

A compost question
 

On 20 Jun 2004 13:38:56 GMT, ospam (Bungadora)
wrote:

David Ross

[snipped lengthy message that bascially asked: Should I add
bonemeal when composting?]
Sorry. I was feeling chatty. Too much wine, I guess. I'll rephrase. Do people
add bonemeal to compost when they have a soil that is acidic? I'm just curious
and trying to understand what other people do if they have acidic soil (which,
as I said, I do not have).


No. I do not add bonemeal to my compost. I add lime to acidic soil
to lower the pH. Our soil is acidic so I try to keep plants that
prefer acidic or neutral soil. My sage and lavender are surrounded by
concrete which helps neutralize the naturally acidic conditions.

A compost question
 

Paul Below

Shred it first, in a shredder. It decomposes pretty well if you have
a nitrogen source to add to it.

Stuff rots. :-)
Good thing too. I've been using a garbage bin for the last few years. It was
much too small, and had poor aeration, but I when I transferred the contents to
the composter yesterday, I was surprised how far along it was. I know it
wasn't properly cooking in the bin though. I have cantaloupes coming up in my
lawn.

Thanks.
Dora

A compost question
 

Phisherman

No. I do not add bonemeal to my compost. I add lime to acidic soil
to lower the pH. Our soil is acidic so I try to keep plants that
prefer acidic or neutral soil. My sage and lavender are surrounded by
concrete which helps neutralize the naturally acidic conditions.


So there are alternative ways of dealing with acidity and I wasn't missing
something. Thank you.
Dora

A compost question
 

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
No. I do not add bonemeal to my compost. I add lime to acidic soil
to lower the pH. Our soil is acidic so I try to keep plants that
prefer acidic or neutral soil...

Adding lime to soil raises the pH (makes it less acidic).

Wood ash also will raise the pH.

-al sung
Hopkinton, MA
(Zone 6a)

A compost question
 

On 6/19/04 8:58 PM, in article ,
"Bungadora" wrote:
snip
he proceeded to tell me that composting
doesn't work. You have to add too much bone meal for it to be cost effective,
he said.
He said "composting doesn't work"??? Of course it does...g!
It works because everything breaks down...except for Toyotas....:) but I
digress. In time all vegetation will break down. We can help it along by
doing certain things. The 'thing' we need to do varies depending on this
that and the other thingie!
Get his email address or tell him about this newsgroup and get him to
communicate here. We can't have people saying composting doesn't work when
we know it does and can help by providing corrective information. And more
importantly, if people believe composting does not work then they will send
all the good stuff to land fills...ouch!

Gary
Fort Langley, BC

To reply please remove...yoursocks...

A compost question
 

lol... I got one of those too! (Gift for fathers day) reading through the book
that came with it - dryer lint and hair is considered "brown"...

I have never heard of anyone putting bone meal in their compost, but when I was
a kid - everything not including leftovers went into the compost pile - (we had
a big yard).

take care
Liz



On 20 Jun 2004 03:58:55 GMT, ospam (Bungadora) wrote:


told him everything was OK, whereupon he proceeded to tell me that composting
doesn't work. You have to add too much bone meal for it to be cost effective,
he said.

A compost question
 

gary davis

He said "composting doesn't work"??? Of course it does...g!
It works because everything breaks down...except for Toyotas....:)
but I
digress. In time all vegetation will break down. We can help it along by
doing certain things. The 'thing' we need to do varies depending on this
that and the other thingie!
Get his email address or tell him about this newsgroup and get him to
communicate here. We can't have people saying composting doesn't work when
we know it does and can help by providing corrective information. And more
importantly, if people believe composting does not work then they will send
all the good stuff to land fills...ouch!

Not worth the effort trying to find him again, although he had the personal
characteristics necessary for a lively career and wide readership on
newsgroups: opinionated, prone to misinterpretation and exaggeration, and
easily insulted by contradiction.

I believe the composter sale was sponsored by the City as part of a program to
reduce landfill, although Calgary has adequate landfill space to meet its needs
for some time in the future.

As for me, my soil has so much clay the earthworms are cyanotic, so I almost
have to compost if I want to garden.

Dora

A compost question
 

: MisNomer

lol... I got one of those too! (Gift for fathers day) reading through the
book
that came with it - dryer lint and hair is considered "brown"...

I have never heard of anyone putting bone meal in their compost, but when I
was
a kid - everything not including leftovers went into the compost pile - (we
had
a big yard).
Hi Liz, I've talked to you a couple of times on the local group, I think.

He said bone meal was necessary for the process to start, and I knew that
wasn't true, but I thought there must be a reason why he would come up with
such a bizarre statement, and soil acidity was the only reason I could think of
for mixing in bone meal.

He also said there are no nice flowers here, which I thought was a bit
presumptuous. There are no bad flowers. Mind you, after a few flings with
exotics, I began to see the benefits of petunias and geraniums. Tough as snot.
Dora

A compost question
 

On 6/21/04 3:56 PM, in article ,
"Bungadora" wrote:

gary davis

He said "composting doesn't work"??? Of course it does...g!
It works because everything breaks down...except for Toyotas....:)
but I
digress. In time all vegetation will break down. We can help it along by
doing certain things. The 'thing' we need to do varies depending on this
that and the other thingie!
Get his email address or tell him about this newsgroup and get him to
communicate here. We can't have people saying composting doesn't work when
we know it does and can help by providing corrective information. And more
importantly, if people believe composting does not work then they will send
all the good stuff to land fills...ouch!

Not worth the effort trying to find him again, although he had the personal
characteristics necessary for a lively career and wide readership on
newsgroups: opinionated, prone to misinterpretation and exaggeration, and
easily insulted by contradiction.

I believe the composter sale was sponsored by the City as part of a program to
reduce landfill, although Calgary has adequate landfill space to meet its
needs
for some time in the future.

Yes, but then what? And then when all the landfills are filled...just
where do we put the 'stuff'?
Oh, send it here, there and the other place...and then what!? Just what
do we do with it? When all the landfills are full?



As for me, my soil has so much clay the earthworms are cyanotic, so I almost
have to compost if I want to garden.

'Cyanotic'? What does this mean?

Gary
Fort Langley, BC
Canada

PS: Clay can be good because it holds much of the nutrients that plants
need....:)

A compost question
 

"gary davis" wrote in message
...
On 6/21/04 3:56 PM, in article
,
"Bungadora" wrote:

gary davis

He said "composting doesn't work"??? Of course it does...g!
It works because everything breaks down...except for Toyotas....:)
but I
digress. In time all vegetation will break down. We can help it along by
doing certain things. The 'thing' we need to do varies depending on this
that and the other thingie!
Get his email address or tell him about this newsgroup and get him to
communicate here. We can't have people saying composting doesn't work
when
we know it does and can help by providing corrective information. And
more
importantly, if people believe composting does not work then they will
send
all the good stuff to land fills...ouch!

Not worth the effort trying to find him again, although he had the
personal
characteristics necessary for a lively career and wide readership on
newsgroups: opinionated, prone to misinterpretation and exaggeration, and
easily insulted by contradiction.

I believe the composter sale was sponsored by the City as part of a
program to
reduce landfill, although Calgary has adequate landfill space to meet its
needs
for some time in the future.

Yes, but then what? And then when all the landfills are filled...just
where do we put the 'stuff'?
Oh, send it here, there and the other place...and then what!? Just what
do we do with it? When all the landfills are full?



As for me, my soil has so much clay the earthworms are cyanotic, so I
almost
have to compost if I want to garden.

'Cyanotic'? What does this mean?

A blue tone or cast about them. :)

A compost question
 

"gary davis" wrote in message
...
On 6/21/04 3:56 PM, in article
,
"Bungadora" wrote:

gary davis

He said "composting doesn't work"??? Of course it does...g!
It works because everything breaks down...except for Toyotas....:)
but I
digress. In time all vegetation will break down. We can help it along
by
doing certain things. The 'thing' we need to do varies depending on
this
that and the other thingie!
Get his email address or tell him about this newsgroup and get him
to
communicate here. We can't have people saying composting doesn't work
when
we know it does and can help by providing corrective information. And
more
importantly, if people believe composting does not work then they will
send
all the good stuff to land fills...ouch!

Not worth the effort trying to find him again, although he had the
personal
characteristics necessary for a lively career and wide readership on
newsgroups: opinionated, prone to misinterpretation and exaggeration,
and
easily insulted by contradiction.

I believe the composter sale was sponsored by the City as part of a
program to
reduce landfill, although Calgary has adequate landfill space to meet
its
needs
for some time in the future.

Yes, but then what? And then when all the landfills are filled...just
where do we put the 'stuff'?
Oh, send it here, there and the other place...and then what!? Just
what
do we do with it? When all the landfills are full?

Turn it into parkland as was done at Centennial Park in Toronto. A massive
pile of garbage was collected, covered, sodded, vented and has now been for
several decades a ski/toboggan hill which is the centrepiece of a 435 park.

Jim