making and using compost in your backyard
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Making and using compost in your backyard
University of Wisconsin-Extension Master Composter Program
Spring,2015
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What is composting?
Controlling the natural process of decay totransform organicwastes into a valuable soil amendmentcalled compost.
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Why compost?
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Waste management• Yard waste banned from landfills
• Encourages responsibility for your waste
• Reduces need for municipal collection
Finished Compost• Valuable soil amendment
• Healthy soil leads to healthy plants
• Save $
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Benefits of adding compost to soil
• Supplies organic matter
• “Lightens” heavy soils
• Improves moistureretention in sandy soils
• Contains humus –“soil glue”
• Improves soil structure
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Benefits of adding compost to soil
• Encourages vigorous root growth
• Allows plants to more efficiently utilize nutrients
• Enables soils to retain nutrients
• Buffers soil pH
• Supplies beneficial microorganisms
• Feeds soil life
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How is compost made?Natural process:Biological decomposition of organic matter in the presence of oxygen
Human influenced:We can speed up or slow down the process
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Microbes do the work- Bacteria (including actinomycetes) and fungi- Chemical decomposers – enzymes- Found in:
• Soil
• Leaves
• Food scraps
• Manure
• Finished compost
Are compost startersneeded?
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One teaspoon of good garden soil to which compost has been addedmay contain:
- 100 million bacteria
- 800 feetof fungalthreads
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Macroorganisms
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Needs for the compostingprocess
COMPOST
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Acceptable materials –“food for decomposers”
• Leaves, grass clippings and yard debris
• Kitchen scraps: vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds and egg shells
• Used potting soil
• Paper and cardboard
• Manure from herbivores
• Most weeds and garden debris
• Sawdust, hay and straw
• Hair, fur and other natural fibers
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Compost pile “food” to avoid
• Persistent weeds: crabgrass and quackgrass, invasive species and weeds gone to seed
• Meat, dairy and oils
• Cat or dog waste
• Diseased plants
• Lime and ashes
• Treated lumber or sawdust
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Plant materials treated with pesticides
• Some pesticides can be persistent
• Some survive thecomposting process
• Can damage other plants
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Materials with special needsThese require additional consideration or limited volume added
• Pine needles
• Walnut leaves
• Sod
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Organisms need a balanced diet– Carbon (C) and Nitrogen (N) –
Composting will be most rapid if the decomposers are fed a diet ofcarbon-rich and nitrogen-rich materials
• Carbon-rich materials are known as “browns”
• Nitrogen-rich materials are known as “greens”
Rule-of-thumb is 2-3 browns for every green by volume
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Effects of Carbon:Nitrogen ratios on composting
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BROWNS GREENS
Leaves
Straw
Paper
Sawdust
Animal bedding mixed withmanure
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Grass clippings
Vegetable scraps
Coffee grounds
Manure
• Cow
• Horse
• Poultry
• Rabbit
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BROWNS GREENS
• Decay very slowly
• Coarse brownskeep pile aerated
• Tend to accumulate in fall
• May need tostockpile until can be mixed withgreens
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• Decay rapidly
• Aerate poorly – may have foul odors ifcomposted alone
• Tend to accumulate in spring andsummer
• Supply nitrogen
• Best composting when mixed with browns
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Diet, continuedMaterials high in carbon break down slowly• High C:N – 30:1 and higher amounts of C
Materials that aretoo rich in nitrogencan lead to anaerobic conditions in thecompost pile• Low C:N – less than 25:1
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A final thought on C:N ratio
Mix twoor threevolumes
BROWN
to one of
GREEN
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OxygenA pile starved for air will become anoxic or even anerobic
• Oxygen acids and amines(stinky compounds)
• Aerobic activity stops
Compost pile is out-of-balance
• Food or water out-of-balance(low C:N ratio or pile is too wet)
• Too many greens
Three types of venting
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Smaller particles have a greater surface area
Some larger particles are needed to maintain air flow
Particles createpore space within the pile
A compacted pilelacks the neededpore space
Particle size
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WaterVital to support compost pile organisms
“Damp as well as wrung-out sponge”
40% to 60% moisture
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90˚– 140˚ is optimal
Temperatures above 130˚ can kill pathogens and weed seeds
Excessive temps (greater than 160˚) can kill beneficial organisms
Temperature
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Does my compost have to get hot?
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Good compost can be made in a pile that never gets hot, but
• Decay will be slower
• Not enough air, too little water or too many browns in the mix could all keep a pile from heating
High pile temperature provides the benefit of• The most rapid composting
• Killing pathogenic (disease causing) organisms
• Killing weed seeds
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Pile size
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Pile should be about 1 cubic yard to maintain temperature• under 1 cubic yard is generally too small to reach
temperatures above 130˚F
Larger piles (greater than 3 cubic yards)• May prove difficult to turn
• Lack oxygen in pile center
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Hot piles• Process takes about three months
• Plan ahead
• Store brown
Choosing a compost strategy
Cool piles• Process takes
one-half to two years
• Add materials as they accumulate
• Less effort INPUTS = OUTPUTS
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Pile built all at one time
Pile must be tended often
Compost in about 12 weeks
Benefits:• Faster than cool method
• Reduces weed seeds
Hot compost pile Lambsquarter seeds
1mm
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Hot compost pileMix 2-3 volumes of BROWNS to 1 of
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GREENS
Water as you add materials
Turn pile:• Weekly for first 4-6 weeks
• Bi-weekly for next 4-6 weeks
• Let cure (let stand without turning) for 4 weeks after pile begins to cool
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Cool and easy compostingPile built as materials accumulate
Less intensive management
6 months to 2 years
Good method forkitchen scraps
Keep browns handy to cover
• Leaves • Straw30
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Mix materials from outside to middle
Open pore space
Use garden fork or shovel
Add water if needed
Commercialturning (mixing)tools for compost are available
Pile turning tips
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Composting does not require a bin, but be sure to select a method that will work for you
• Compost heap, pile, trench and sheet may have aesthetic concerns
• Bins can be home-built or manufactured
To bin or not to bin
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Examples of home-built bins
Concrete Block Three-Bay
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Wood/Wire
Wood Pallets
Wire MeshAll-Wood
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Examples of commercial bins
Orb
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Home Composter
Tumbler
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Near where the compost will be used
Two feet or more from buildings
Good drainage
Away from wells
Be a goodneighbor
Check local ordinances
Bin or pile location
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Nothing is happening!• Pile is too dry
• Not enough “greens”
My pile stinks!• Too wet
• Excess “greens”
• Pile compacted
Pests
Troubleshooting
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Gardens, flower beds, lawns and houseplants
• Clay soils – improves drainage and tilth
• Sandy soils – increases moisture holding
• All soils – improves soil structure
• All soils – adds nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus,potassium and micronutrients
Using compost
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When the composting process should be finished
Finished is also known as “mature” or “stable” compost
Compost is dark, loose and crumbly
Organic materials are unrecognizable
Ambient temperature
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Germination test• Will seed germinate in compost?
• Good test if using for potting soil
Bag test• Seal compost in a
plastic bag for 5-7 days
• Should produce no foul odor
Simple test for mature compost
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Compost use continuedUnfinished compost can pull nutrients from the soil where it is placed
Compost can be screened• Removes larger
particles
• Necessary if used for top dressing
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Compost application rates
2 inches mixed into top 6 to 8 inches of soil
Side-dress or mulch: 1-3 inches
Top-dress lawns: up to ½ inchscreen compost
Spreading compost on the Wisconsin State Capitol lawn
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Composting key points
Balanced diet
Keep pile damp
Turn pile when you need to
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University of Wisconsin-Extension – Master Composter Program
This presentation was developed by Joe Van Rossum, University of Wisconsin–Extension, for use in Wisconsin’s Master Composter program.
Photos and illustrations courtesy of: Joe Van Rossum, Penn State Cooperative Extension, UW-Madison CALS, USDA-NRCS, Ken Chamberlain/OSU/bugwood.org, Kevin Erb, Jeffrey J. Strobel, Jeff Miller, Kevin Schoessow, and David Parsons/NREL.