compost pile too acidic?
 

Hello,

I have a compost that is composed of approximately 75% oak leaves, which I
know to be acidic. I've read that an overly-acidic compost will "cool-down"
and break down more slowly. My question is, give that the above is true,
what can I do to bring up the pH?

Thanks

JE

compost pile too acidic?
 

Compost naturally, during the process of decomposition will strike a balance.
Unless you have very acidic soil, this is absolutely not necessary to be
concerned about. I don't know what type oak leaves you refer to, but I use at
least 75 bags of leaves in my compost pile at any given time, since the
neighbors are so wonderfully anal about a leaf on their property and I just pick
them up and pour them onto my property!

I don't see a problem, continue to add nitrogen to carbon in a compost pile and
it will neutralize itself.

Victoria

On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 23:40:50 GMT, "sputnik" wrote:

Hello,

I have a compost that is composed of approximately 75% oak leaves, which I
know to be acidic. I've read that an overly-acidic compost will "cool-down"
and break down more slowly. My question is, give that the above is true,
what can I do to bring up the pH?

Thanks

JE

compost pile too acidic?
 

On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 23:40:50 GMT, "sputnik" wrote:

Hello,

I have a compost that is composed of approximately 75% oak leaves, which I
know to be acidic. I've read that an overly-acidic compost will "cool-down"
and break down more slowly. My question is, give that the above is true,
what can I do to bring up the pH?

Thanks

JE


Assuming that you live in or near Travis Co., TX. you will adding your
acidic compost to vast amounts of soil whose pH is (charitably) 8-8.5,
then watering with water of a similar pH (worse in summer). Unless
your compost etches glass, it is not going to harm anything in this
environment. In fact, you will be hard pressed to generate it as fast
as it dissapates in the warm, alkaline soils hereabouts.