compost mg notes for class 2011 jan 26 part 2

Compost 101Linn Benton Master Gardeners

January 26, 2011

Lecture notes part 2

Vermicomposting

Composting

non-meat and

non-dairy

food waste

using worms

Types of bedding

Soak the bedding

Worms like

75% moisture

Let excess drain away before adding to bin

Bury food waste in bedding

Vicki’s worm bins are filled with horse manure mixed with stable bedding.

The bins are made from plywood bottom and top on 1”x12” wooden frames.

Castings Harvest MethodsDivide and Dump

put part of the castings in the garden

Add new bedding

move finished castings to one side of bin

add new bedding

add food waste to new area – worms will move there

Screen and start new bin

screen castings – transfer to garden

overs return to new bin

Get an electronic copy of these instructions

Emailtmatteson@bentonswcd.org

Soil incorporation

Raised beds built with layered organic matter and amendments

Compost uses

MulchSoil AmendmentPotting SoilSeed Starting MixCompost Tea

Mulch = Side Dressing

Use compost as a soil amendment each year.

Initially, spade 3 inches of compost into the top 8 inches of soil.

Each year after the first, work in 1 – 3 inches of compost.

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/potmix.html

Compost Tea

Make tea bag

Steep in water

Foliar application

Or drench wet soil

Don’t drink!

These compost bins provide greenhouse heat

and provide warm air that is piped to the germination beds on right

Way cool!

Seed starting mix and teaBasic Mix with Compost2 parts Compost 2-4 parts Sphagnum Peat Moss 1 part Perlite 1 part Vermiculite

Basic Mix with the Addition of NutrientsAdd ½ cup each per every 8 gallons of mix: ½ cup Bone Meal(Phosphorous) ½ cup Dolomitic Limestone (Raises soil pH and provides calcium and magnesium) ½ cup Blood Meal or Soybean Meal or Dried Kelp Powder (Nitrogen)

Found on About.com

The four components of soil:

Organic matter• Small constituent by weight, but huge

influence on soil properties

• Made up of partially decomposed plant & animal residues + organic compounds synthesized by soil microbes

• A TRANSITORY component of soils

O ni

What is Soil Organic Matter?

SOIL ORGANICMATTER

The Living: BIOMASS

<5%

The Dead:DECOMPOSING MATERIAL

45%

The Really Dead: HUMUS

50%

organic = carbon-based

Decomposition = transformations of SOM (remember, matter is neither created nor destroyed)

Symbol for control: often by temperature, moisture...

Detritus (fresh)

Humus (way dead)

Microbes (biomass)

Plants (biomass)

CO2, energy

Functions of Organic Matter

1. Stabilizes soil structure, making soil easily managed does not change soil texture.

2. Increases the amount of water a soil can hold (and availability of the water)

3. Major source of plant nutrients

4. Main food/energy for soil organisms

Aggregates held together by:

– Fungal hyphae– Bacterial “glues”– Organic matter

sand

silt

hyphaeclay

bacteria

organic matter

Effect of OM on aggregate stability

Effect of OM on aggregate stability

Available Water

Capacity

Inherent depends

on texture

Measure of water available to plants

Impact of soil organic matter content on soil water content

Cover Crops

=

Green

Manures

=

OM

For best growth

sow fall covercrop

before cold weather

Sept 15

Oct 15

Oct 1

Healthy soils maintain a diverse and active community of soil organisms that:

• Suppress plant disease, & insect and weed pests

• Form beneficial symbiotic associations with plant roots

• Recycle essential plant nutrients

• Improve soil structure for better water and nutrient retention

Ultimately, increase growing capacity and protect the environment!

A cup of soil contains...

Bacteria

Fungi

Protozoa

Nematodes

Arthropods

Earthworms

200 billion

100,000 meters

20 million

100,000

50,000

<1

The immobile ones all primarily found in the rhizosphere, the zone of soil closest to plant roots

From NRCS Soil Biology Primer

Photo by Suzanne Paisley

• shred plant material

• feed on bacteria and fungi associated with organic matter

Macrofauna

General roles of microbes

• Aggregate stability

• Disease suppression

• Cause diseases

• Nutrient cycling

• N capture and fixation

• Decomposition of organic matter

C:N = 5

C:N = 305:15:16 X

Root uptake of nutrients

• Mass flow

• Diffusion

• Interception

N capture and N fixation

fungi

bacteria

Management Impacts SQ

Soil Organisms

Soil Structure

Organic Matter

Water Infiltration

Vegetation

Healthy Soil

Soil structure under landscape fabric

Teresa MattesonBenton SWCD541-753-7208

tmatteson@bentonswcd.org