Category: Soils & Plant Nutrients

In my ongoing quest for that “perfect vegetable garden”, I’m always on the lookout for new ways to improve my little patch of heaven. As it turns out, all vegetable gardens benefit from lots of compost and organic matter.

Compost adds nutrient-rich humus to the garden and encourages the growth of worms, beneficial bacteria, and other organisms that maintain the well-being of your garden soil. Compost added to soil is useful in retaining a healthy moisture level and breaking down clay-like deposits that may develop over time.

That being said, I have to confess: I detest the smell of compost! I have used it before and despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to manage the odor. Fortunately, a reader suggested that I try mushroom compost as an alternative.

But what exactly is mushroom compost? How do you use it, and more importantly, is mushroom compost good for a vegetable garden?

Is Mushroom Compost Good for a Vegetable Garden?

I’ve been using 10 Pounds Sterilized Compost Mushroom Substrate which had the highest rating on Amazon and also had the greatest number of reviews at the time. Having purchased several bags, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

Mushroom compost slowly releases nutrients into the soil and encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria, fungus, and other micro-organisms. It also prevents the occurrence of little nasties such as pests, weeds, or viruses.

Apart from that, mushroom compost also locks moisture into the soil, making it resistant to crusting and compaction. Rain is absorbed more readily; this, in turn, encourages worms that enrich the soil further. Water runs more freely too – no more drowned or waterlogged roots!

Ultimately, mushroom compost is perfect for nearly all flowering plants, vegetables, herbs, trees (especially fruit trees), shrubs, and even lawns. Vegetable crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts are happiest in the non-acidic environment that mushroom compost brings to the soil. Potato crops also thrive due to increased moisture.

Since mushroom compost is rich in calcium, you won’t encounter the blossom-end rot which plagues a lot of tomato growers. I planned on making some compost tea to prevent leaf mold, but according to one source, the use of mushroom compost tea is dubious at best and may even be harmful.

On a side note, I think that mushroom compost looks great with its rich, dark brown colors that speak of a healthy-looking garden. 

Most importantly, mushroom compost doesn’t smell bad at all! It’s also relatively cheap compared to other traditional composts I found on the market.

What is Mushroom Compost?

Mushroom compost doesn’t contain mushrooms, even though its name suggests otherwise. Its actually the substrate left over after the process of producing mushrooms on an industrial scale. 

You’ll find that mushroom compost “recipes” vary greatly and may include chopped straw, peat moss, poultry manure, cocoa shells, cottonseed or canola meal, gypsum, potash, lime, and urea. The mixture is left for a month to allow heat and bacteria to build up, eliminating traces of weeds or other pathogens. 

The resulting mushroom substrate is first steam-sterilized then inoculated with edible commercial mushrooms. After a few rounds of harvesting, the bed is deemed “used up” for mushroom production and sold as compost.

Here’s an interesting video that demonstrates how Northway Mushrooms creates mushroom compost on an industrial level.

Potential Problems of Using Mushroom Compost

While you might find using mushroom compost to be useful, there are a few things you should know first. Some plants like fruit bushes and certain flowers like magnolia, heathers, and camellia are incompatible with the alkaline properties of mushroom compost and prefer a more acidic environment.

Fresh mushroom compost is rich in soluble salts that need to be leached out or cured before use. Excessive salt levels can harm germinating seeds and kill salt-sensitive plants such as rhododendrons, blueberries, and azaleas. Nutrient levels are low, however, relative to other forms of packaged garden manure, with most of the available nitrogen depleted by the mushrooms that previously used the compost.

Mushroom compost may contain large amounts of chalk which you should remove to prevent an accumulation of chalky deposits in the soil. Chalk deprives the soil of nutrients and may lead to a reduction in flowering or fruiting, a yellowing of foliage, and overall stunted plant development.

Also, mushroom farmers may use chemical fertilizers or employ products such as cyromazine, diflubenzuron, methoprene, Dimlin, and Diazanon to control fungus gnats and flies. They may also use chemicals such as thiabendazole, chlorothalonil, and benomyl for fungal infections. These chemicals may find their way into commercial mushroom composts; always check with your supplier!

How is Mushroom Compost Used?

You can apply the compost evenly and uniformly from one to three-inch thickness; this was tilled into the existing soil prior to seeding and planting. For established plants, it’s best to use approximately five to six inches around the base, avoiding any bark to prevent rotting.

As mentioned, fresh mushroom compost can have concentrated levels of soluble salts that can be harmful to certain plants, notably germinating seeds, seedlings, and members of the heath family. To counter this, make sure you mix it with garden soil (25-50% is recommended). You can also allow some mushroom compost to sit uncovered to “cure” over a few months before use.

I also had success in using mushroom compost as a mulch which was great in controlling weeds and helping my garden soil retain its moisture during dry periods.

FAQ’s

Conclusion

I can wholeheartedly recommend mushroom compost for vegetable gardens. However, you just have to keep these pointers in mind:

• Don’t use mushroom compost with plants that prefer acidic soil
• Mix mushroom compost with garden soil
• Buy only from trusted suppliers; avoid unwanted chemicals and by-products!

The results I had from 10 Pounds Sterilized Compost Mushroom Substrate were extremely satisfying. I have a noticeable decrease in watering expenses, and most importantly, my plants and vegetables are all happy and healthy.

Please comment below and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. My take is that if you are interested in improving the state of your vegetable garden, consider adding mushroom compost to your soil. Your garden will thank you for it!

Compose can be considered a commodity for gardeners. After all, they can use it as a natural fertilizer to increase their soil’s nutrient value, thereby allowing them to grow healthier crops and enjoy a higher yield.

As a gardener myself, I normally use compost during the planting season as it allows me to enjoy a bountiful harvest. The best part about this is that you can actually create your own, and it doesn’t have to be that expensive or complicated at all.

In this guide, we’re going to talk about how to compost in a bucket along with a few other composting tips which can surely help you along the way.

What You Will Need:

To start, you need to procure the following:

• A bucket (preferably a 5-gallon bucket with a lid)
• Kitchen waste (kitchen scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, fruit peelings, etc.)
• Compostable materials (paper, cardboard, straw, dead leaves, etc.)
• Drill
• Dirt
• Small sticks

EPICA Stainless Steel Compost Bin 1.3 Gallon with Charcoal Filter

Step-by-Step Instruction

Once you have prepared all of the needed materials, it’s about time to start making your compost in a bucket. Here are the steps you want to follow:

1. The very first thing you want to do is to drill holes in the bucket’s lower half and lid. This will allow the bucket to drain moisture that might be present. If there’s too much moisture in your compost, it will affect its overall quality, and you don’t want that in your garden.

Using your drill, punch around five evenly spaced holes. If you don’t have a drill, you can use a hammer and a nail instead. 

2. After that, you want to place small sticks at the bottom of the bucket to prevent clogging the holes with your compost materials.

3. Once done, you can start adding your compost materials. These include all your prepared kitchen waste and compostable materials such as fruit scraps, papers, eggshells, etc. However, don’t fill up your bucket, just enough to allow air to circulate around the materials so they can decompose properly.

You can add materials in this order:

• First, add dirt at the bottom
• Second, place paper materials on top of the dirt
• Lastly, add kitchen waste like fruit peelings, eggshells, veggies, etc.

4. After you’re done adding all the materials, simply place the lid tightly then roll your compost bucket on the ground. Each time you want to add a compost material into the bucket, make sure to roll or shake it. This will allow proper distribution of moisture, heat, and organic matter which, in turn, can help hasten the process.
5. Every week, make sure you stir the compost at least once to aerate the mixture. Of course, don’t forget to put the lid back on to prevent unwanted pests from swarming the compost. 
6. Once the compost is ready, you can then add it to your compost pile for use in your garden.

Items You Want to Compost

If you’re wondering what items you can add to your compost, we’ve classified them into green and brown materials so you can have a clearer idea:

Green Materials

These materials specifically refer to kitchen waste derived from organic items. These include:

• Fruit peelings
• Vegetable scraps
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds
• Grass clippings

Brown Materials

Brown materials, on the other hand, are still organic items that aren’t necessarily derived from food items. They include the following:

• Paper
• Cardboard
• Brown leaves
• Mulch
• Straw

Note: One thing you want to keep in mind is that green materials generally contain higher nitrogen content than their brown counterparts. Therefore, you want to maintain a 30:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Since each material can have different nitrogen and carbon levels, using a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio chart surely helps.

Common Composting Issues and their Solutions

As you start composting in a bucket, you’ll normally face a number of composting issues that commonly happen. Fortunately, we have a solution for each of them.

• Pests and Rodents

It’s quite inevitable for rodents and other pests to invade your compost bin, especially when it’s still fresh. Fortunately, you can easily ward them off by going for a solid-side bucket that comes with a lid. You also want to avoid adding dairy, meats, and fat into your compost.

• Smell

Another common issue with composting is the smell. However, you don’t have to worry too much as it can be easily solved. Once your compost bucket starts to stink, you can add dry leaves or newspapers to balance its wet-to-dry ratio.

• Slow Decomposition

Slow decomposition tends to occur if there’s not enough aeration inside your compost. To remedy this, you simply have to stir your pile at least once a week. You can also add small content into your pile to hasten the composting process.

Read more about How to Make a Compost Catalyst

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t add fat, meats, and dairy products into your compost since they can attract unwanted pests.
• You want to avoid adding citrus and onion peels as well since they can end up killing those beneficial microorganisms which can help break down your compost.
• Don’t open the compost bucket so often as it will end up releasing heat. Once it happens, the decomposition process will take even longer.
• Seaweed and algae make excellent composting materials. However, just make sure you rinse off any salts before adding them.

Read more about Can You Compost Weeds? The Challenge Of Successfully Composting Them

FAQ’s

Conclusion

As you can see, composting in a bucket is a fairly easy and straightforward process. You simply need a bucket with a lid, your composting materials, and a few tools to get started. However, if you want a more organized and neater means of composting, you can opt for a ready-made composting instead. One such product we can recommend is the Keter Composter Bin. It has a 110-gallon capacity, easy assembly, and is made of recycled material.

Hopefully, the guide we’ve provided above can help you create your own DIY composting bucket. Have you tried creating your own composting bin before? If so, were you able to create a successful compost?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving them in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Adding finished compost to your garden plant isn’t a difficult task, but you need to do it properly. There are ways to add fertilizer directly to your plant, and you need to be familiar with the process if you are going to get the best out of composting. 

The main reason for starting a compost bin is to convert your household waste into useful nutrients for your plants. It will be of no use if your plants don’t get the most out of all the effort you put into the whole process. 

It doesn’t matter if it is your lawn grass or garden bed, adding compost is easy and doesn’t require any specific training. Once you know when to add compost to your garden, and how to do it; you can now get the best out of all the many months and stress of composting. 

How to Add Compost to Plants? 

The soil characteristics and climate conditions of your area go a long way to determine how often to apply compost. If you live in regions with cold weather and a single growing season, it is best to add compost once during spring. 

If you are in a region where it is possible to plant crops all year round, you can add compost twice or thrice a year, depending on how many times a year you plant on your garden. You should do this especially when you plant vegetables, herbs, and flowers; to replenish the lost nutrients after each season. 

There are a lot of ways you can add compost to your existing garden plant, but we suggest that you should try any of the methods below for safe practice. 

• Using Compost to Amend the Soil 

You can add compost to your soil by slowly using the compost to amend the soil. Since you can’t make use of forks around the roots of your shrubs and vegetables, the safer alternative will be to use your hands. With your bare hands or pair of gloves on, you can spread your compost in layers of up to 4 inches around your plants. You should leave a foot space between the stem or trunk of your plant and the fertilizer, to prevent rotting of plant parts. You can finish off the process by using a rake to mix the compost on the top of the soil, and spread it uniformly for deeper penetration into the soil. 

• In the Form of Compost Tea 

Compost Tea is also a great way to feed your plants all the nutrients that are beneficial to their growth and development. You can do this by taking a pillowcase, and filling it will ready-made compost. Once it is full, dip it in a bucket of water, and allow it to settle for a few days. After two or three days, the compost should be ready for use. You can tell by looking at the compost tea; if the color is dark brown, it is ready for use. Fill the compost tea into a spray bottle for easy application to your plant leaves and roots. You want to make sure that you apply the compost tea evenly to all parts of your garden. 

• As a Mulch 

You can also apply compost to your garden plant as a mulch. Before you begin the process, you want to ensure that you remove all weed and grass from around your plants. You want to do this to avoid them competing for the nutrient with your garden plants. You will need to convert the compost into smaller pieces to be able to use them as a mulch. You can do this by using a mesh to sift the large sizes from the smaller ones. You also want to be careful not to waste too much of the compost during this procedure. So you should do the sifting inside a wheelbarrow, to avoid wastage. Spread the compost uniformly on the surface of the soil, you want to be careful to avoid contact with the stem of the plant. 

• As a Top Dressing 

Another method you can use to apply compost to your garden is as a top dressing. This method works best for lawn grass since you have to spread the compost and cover it with grass. You will have to make use of a rake to spread the compost into your lawn roots and water your garden afterward. 

It is best to top-dress your lawn at the onset of spring and the end of fall. 

Before Adding Compost to Your Garden 

You want to ensure that you use only high-quality compost in your garden. You want to avoid using compost that contains ingredients that are toxic and can harm your plants. If you are going to be making your compost bin, you want to ensure that you make use of the right materials and follow the best composting practice. 

You also want to ensure that your garden is free from weed and grasses to prevent competition for the available soil nutrients. 

Compost is only safe to use on garden soil when it is fully decomposed, so you want to ensure that you check that there are no lumps or materials in the compost when adding it to your soil. 

FAQ’s

Why You Should Add Compost to your Garden 

Using compost in your garden is as effective as adding organic fertilizers. Compost is household waste that has undergone biological breakdown and is safe to use on all garden plants. You should be aware that it is unsafe to use human waste in edible garden plants. It will be best to make use of kitchen waste instead and save the humanure for your lawn grass. 

Now that you know the various methods on how to add compost to existing plants, you shouldn’t have a hard time making use of all that compost in your backyard pile. If you have any more questions or will like to contribute, feel free to make use of the comment section. We will love to hear from you. 

If you are a fanatic of green living, then you would be aware of the benefits of recycling waste. It doesn’t matter if it is your leftover food or urine from your toilet, there are methods to convert it into nutrients, for the plant.

 While there may not be many inquests into the safety of composting the kitchen waste, there are concerns about the safety of using human waste in the garden.

 With the right knowledge on how to safely recycle toilet waste, gardeners can channel all that poo to good use.

Is It Safe to Compost Human Waste? 

While it is safe to compost human waste, you should be careful not to use humanure on edible garden plants. What this means is that you can use it on ornamental plants and lawn grass, but not on your veggies and fruits. 

You also should be aware that although human waste in rich in organic matter and nutrients, it is also laden with bacteria, viruses, and pathogens that are not removed by composting. 

Compared to chemical fertilizers, human waste is a safer option to use on your flowers, potted plants, garden trees, and other plants that you don’t eat. 

Another reason why most people shy away from composting human waste is that they can’t seem to find a neater way to do it. With the right composting devices, you can make the process easier and save yourself the hassles involved with composting. 

How to Collect Human Waste? 

Commercial composters are large scale facilities with the right equipment to process a high volume of waste. Night soil which is the term that is used to refer to waste collected from pit latrines, septic tanks, pail toilets, and cesspools, is used by these facilities. 

They hire workers who collect the waste from the city and transport to their out of townsite. 

On getting to the site, the waste is converted into fertilizer and the cycle continues. Most facilities that engage in the business have customers who are available to purchase the processed fertilizers. In most cases, large scale florists and farmers looking for organic manure for their plants. 

Conversion of human waste into compost before adding to garden soil is necessary to reduce disease outbreak in the garden. These composting facilities follow procedures that manage the sludge in the faces and reduces the negative effects of the manure. 

 What is the Best Method of Composting Humanure?

 A lot of gardeners worry about the safety of using compost on their plants. Many of them, because they do not know how to go about the process.

While you can make use of a compost bin to convert your kitchen waste to manure, it will be unhealthy to do the same with your toilet waste. So what is the best method to compost human waste? 

• Use a Composting Toilet 

A composting toilet is the easiest way to convert your toilet waste to manure without getting your hands dirty. All you need do is to install the system and do your business, then occasionally turn the composter to speed up the whole process. There are different models of composting toilets available to choose from, so you want to do your research properly to find the one that works best for you. You should be aware that some of them cost less than $100, while you can spend up to $10,000 on some systems. 

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Most of the elaborate systems are built on-site and are equipped with everything you need. They are odor-free, self-contained and feature compartments where you can easily access readymade compost. Some other brands have separate paths for collecting urine and feces, while others have separate systems fitted on them. Once one of the systems is full, it is closed, and the other is opened; the process is repeated until there are no new piles available. 

Tips on How to Successfully Compost Human Waste 

• Use a Composter 

If you can’t get access to a composting toilet, but still see the need to convert your toilet waste, then you should consider using a compost tumbler instead of a bin. The reason for this is that a compost tumbler turns the pile automatically; whereas you will have to do it manually with a compost bin, which can be messy.  

• Keep it Dry 

You want to ensure that human waste is kept dry. You have to ensure that it is covered at all times, to prevent water, snow, and moisture from getting into it. When this happens, it can make the compost smell bad, and reduce the degradation process. You shouldn’t have to worry about this with a compost tumbler since the units are completely sealed. 

• Use Lime

We always recommend that you add lime to your compost tumblers with human waste. Adding lime to the system helps to kill the pathogens and bacteria and speeds up the entire process. With the addition of lime, your humanure can be ready in less than 4 months, while it can take up to a year without adding lime. So if you are eager to get your result in the shortest possible time, you may want to think about using lime along with a compost tumbler. 

• Avoid Using it on Edible-Plants 

You should avoid using human waste on your edible-garden plants. If you eat it, you shouldn’t use toilet waste on it. You don’t want to risk contracting diseases from the plants when it is ingested. You can make a separate compost bin for your kitchen waste for use on your veggies and berries, and all other plants in your garden. There is also the option of purchasing already made organic compost for use in your garden. Whatever method you choose, it doesn’t matter; so long as you don’t make use of chemical fertilizers that are unsafe for your plant and the environment. 

FAQ’s

Conclusion 

Composting is of great benefit, as it is a great way to convert waste into organic matter for use in agriculture. If you are a gardener, you can provide your plants with rich soil nutrients by starting a backyard compost bin. 

I tend to use wax paper quite often when kneading bread or rolling out pie crusts before baking. After all, it’s really helpful in preventing food from sticking onto surfaces, not to mention it has various other uses as well.

If you practice composting and use a wax paper on a regular basis like me, you might ask: can you compost wax paper? Let’s find out.

Can You Compost Wax Paper?

The answer can be either yes or no. If you’re planning to compost your wax paper after use, then you might want to reconsider. A wax paper can be made of either soybean wax or paraffin. 

Soybean wax is an organic vegetable wax derived from soybean oil and is most often used in making candles. Upon harvest, the beans are then cleaned, cracked, and processed into flakes where the oil is extracted from. The oil then undergoes hydrogenation which converts unsaturated fats to saturated. This will raise the wax’s melting point, thereby causing it to become solid at room temperature. The finished product is then referred to as soybean wax or simply soy wax.

On the other hand, paraffin wax is derived as a byproduct of oil purification via a dewaxing process which crude oil goes through. It’s commonly used in a variety of applications including candles, cosmetics, commercial items, wax papers, and more.

Now let’s go back to the main topic. 

Basically, it’s possible to compost wax paper based on the type of wax used to coat it. Soybean wax is organic; however, since it is a wax, microbes will have a hard time digesting it. On the other hand, petroleum-based is not, and it should be kept away from your compost or even your garden.  

Another thing you have to consider is the process used by wax paper manufacturers. Some of them use bleach or chlorine during the papermaking process. While bleach is ideal for destroying pathogens as well as harmful microbes at home, they shouldn’t go into your garden.

This is because it will end up killing all those beneficial microbes which are essential for the composting process. Aside from that, it will also affect your plant’s growth, even kill it altogether.

That said, if you’re planning to place the wax paper into your compost bin, you want to make sure it’s coated with organic soybean wax and comes unbleached. However, you have to keep in mind that wax repels moisture. Therefore, your wax paper will remain in your compost for a little while before being completely decomposed.

Why an Unbleached Paper Matters?

Since paper is generally made from wood, it will appear brown in its natural state. However, to change a paper’s appearance to white (and make it look more appealing), it will have to undergo pulp bleaching – that’s where the problem begins.

Although there are different ways of bleaching, most bleached papers will be treated with some type of chlorine-based bleach. The reason is because chlorine is capable of bleaching paper to give it that really white appearance. Apart from that, it also removes the lignin compound in wood which is the reason why paper gets yellow when exposed to the sun. This is a common case among newspapers (due to this, they are chlorine-free and will, therefore, go well in your compost bins).

The problem with chlorine is that when it binds with compounds like lignin in wood pulp, it will produce dioxins and other byproducts which are highly toxic and can cause damage to living systems. It is for this reason why wax papers consisting of bleached paper are not advised for composting as they can only kill off those beneficial microbes that are vital for composting.

What Are Your Options?

From what we have gathered, we can confirm that wax paper is compostable as long as it’s unbleached and coated with soybean wax. However, if you don’t prefer putting it in your compost bin, you can reuse it instead.

In fact, wax paper can be reused given that it’s not soiled with any food or grease. You can simply clean it and reuse it for another cooking batch. However, do keep in mind that it is not recyclable due to its wax coating. The paper recycling process involves mixing the paper with water then turning it to a slurry. 

Unfortunately, wax and water don’t mix, so wax paper isn’t viable for recycling. Once soaked with grease, it can be considered contaminated as it won’t be possible to remove the grease out of it. It’s also impossible to remove the wax layer off the paper to make it recyclable. 

That said, another option you can use is simply to dispose of your used wax paper properly and go green instead. As mentioned earlier, go for unbleached paper with a soybean wax coating instead of paraffin. You can also try to reduce your usage of wax paper or opt for cellulose bags which are recyclable paper products that can decompose within 30-90 days.

You may also opt for Ziploc plastic bags which can be recycled at some recycling centers (though you’ll have to check your local recycling center first). Just make sure to check the recycling guidelines in your area if they’re accepting plastic #4. 

Alternatively, you can instead cook recipes that don’t rely too much on the use of wax papers or even parchment papers. There’s actually a handful of them you can find out there.

FAQ’s

Conclusion

If you just can’t seem to shake off your usage of wax papers, then make sure to go for these eco-friendly options:

• Instead of buying paraffin-coated, bleached wax papers the next time you buy on the local grocery, make sure to go for those coated with soybean wax and are unbleached.
• Or better yet, instead of composting them, throw them into your garbage bin and keep them away from your garden for better measures.

Have you tried placing your used wax papers in your compost bin? What are the results so far? Please let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Compost tea constitutes a healthy sippy diet for your plants. As a gardener, you can convert your kitchen waste to a rich compost to improve both indoor and outdoor plants. 

With the right compost tea feeding schedule, you can provide your plants with all the nutrition they need to grow. Imagine not having to worry about your yield at the end of the growing season. 

While compost tea is useful in the garden, not all gardeners are familiar with how best to prepare or use compost tea in the garden. If you are one such gardener, you are in the right place. You can read up more about compost tea and the best feeding schedule for your plants below. 

What is Compost Tea? 

The simplest way to define compost tea is the result of soaking a bag of compost in water. You can imagine soaking your tea bag in a cup of boiling water; it is the same thing. 

There are several ways to go about making compost tea, but all of them involve transferring the nutrient from the compost to the water. Just like with your morning tea, to get the nutrient in the bag, you have to soak it in water. So the two things you need to make compost tea is compost and water. 

Most gardeners have their brewing methods depending on the plant. It is one of the benefits of compost tea; you can experiment with it to find what works best in your garden. 

If you have an indoor garden, or you make compost tea frequently, you may consider getting some gears to help make things easier. 

How to Make Compost Tea? 

Making compost tea is as easy as diluting fresh compost mix in water. Introducing air in the mix improves the concentration of organic matter. Aerobic compost tea is rich in nutrition than with oxygen in the mix. With oxygen in the mix, the microbial solution in the soil increases, which further enhances the plant’s immune system. 

The aeration process is the most important aspect of brewing compost tea. Most gardeners get the process wrong which can harm the plants, and make the compost tea to stink. Your best bet is to keep the compost tea aerated until you are ready to make use of it. 

You can make use of an airline to aerate your compost tea. Removing the airline will cause the microbes in the mix to die. 

A compost brewing unit is a suitable gear for making rich compost tea. You can liken it to a coffee machine. You can save yourself the stress of making compost tea by purchasing a small unit for your plants. Breaking down oxygen is a lot easier with a brewer. You can make use of airstones with the brewer to ensure oxygen is available for microbial activity. 

Before Applying Compost Tea 

Your compost tea should be ready for use from the third day after soaking it. For the best result, you should soak your compost for a week.  You will need to allow up to seven days for the compost to dissolve in water. 

After you are satisfied that the compost tea is ready, you will have to remove the debris from the compost tea. You can do this by using a cloth to strain the tea. You will have to do this if you intend to make use of a foliar spray. 

Applying Compost Tea 

There are different methods you can adopt to apply compost tea to your plants. You have to try a few of the methods to find one that works well with you. The best way to apply compost tea is by:

Foliar Application 

The simplest way to apply compost tea is with the help of a foliar spray. Spraying your leaves with compost tea is a quick way to accelerate the nutrient supply to your plants. 

You can also spray it directly to the roots of the plant. If you make use of a watering can, you can get the compost tea to reach both the leaves and root. It doesn’t matter what you use in spraying your plants, so long as you can get the compost tea to reach all parts of the plant. 

Best Time to Apply Compost Tea 

When is the best time to have a cup of coffee? In the mornings, right? So also it is with your plants. You should apply compost tea in the mornings before the sun is high in the sky. The compost tea needs to be absorbed by the plants and the soil. And the best time to feed your plants is in the morning before the sun is hot. Applying your compost tea in the afternoon when the sun is out will cause some of the tea to evaporate in the heat. 

You can also apply compost in the evenings when the temperature is below 80 degrees. You also want to avoid applying compost tea when it is windy. High winds are capable of drying up moisture, thereby reducing the nutrients available for your plant. 

You should apply compost tea weekly for the best result. You may need to make it twice a week on the newly transplanted bed to improve the nutrient condition of the growing medium. 

In most cases, you can apply compost tea directly without having to dilute it further with water. If you make use of manure as compost material, you should avoid adding too much compost tea to your plants. Manure is high in nitrogen, and this can alter the nitrogen level of the compost tea. 

FAQ’s

Take Away

The type of compost used determines how rich the compost tea will be, so you must make use of compost with rich organic matter. You should be careful with the mineral concentration of your compost tea. Remember, too much nitrogen in your compost tea, for example, can burn your plants. 

You also want to avoid using chlorinated water for compost tea. You should also avoid adding slake lime to your water. 

Now that you are familiar with the compost tea feeding schedule above, you shouldn’t have a hard time preparing a quick fix for your plants.

If you are starting a compost pile, one of the challenges you will face is knowing when your compost is ready for use. It is not like a fruit that you can tell when it is ripe, but you should know that your compost pile like fruits sure do get ripe. 

There is no saying how long it will take for your compost pile to be ready, this is because there are factors that can decide whether your compost will be ready in a few months or years. 

Knowing when your compost is ready is important if you intend recycling your kitchen waste for use in your garden. 

So how then can you tell when compost is ready? 

How to Tell When Compost is Ready

Yes, you heard right, finished compost looks like a dark brown crumbled piece of dirt. You almost cannot ignore the appearance of finished compost. It smells different than it used to during the early stage of decomposition. Instead of the rotting smell of vegetables and the wet bacteria-laden bin you are used to, you begin to notice that the bin smells less offensive, and stays dry. 

There is no science to determining when your compost is ready to be used in your garden. You don’t need to perform any laboratory test or make use of any fancy gadget. You can easily tell your compost is ready by merely looking at it.

If you are up for it, and willing to spend some cash, you can perform a home test on your compost to see if it is ready for use. These home tests lookout for many criteria when checking the compost. Some of these criteria include the temperature of the compost, microbial activity, and pH concentration. 

You need to ensure that you use only mature compost on your plants. Making use of immature compost can result in complications in your garden. You don’t want anything to affect your yield at the end of the planting season. 

Immature compost contains contaminants that can damage your plants. These include pathogens and toxic acids. You can reduce the presence of contaminants in your compost by scrutinizing the types of materials you add to your compost pile. 

Before we get into the time frame for compost to be ready, let’s take a quick look at some of the things that affect compost time. 

Things that Affects Compost Time? 

• Moisture Content 

Your compost pile needs to be moist enough to support microbial activity. Adding moisture to a compost pile is easy, you can do this by wetting with water once or twice weekly. You also want to be careful not to overwater the compost pile. 

When there is too much water in your compost, it can cause the bin to smell bad, and also make it difficult for other activities to take place. 

In a situation when you notice that there is too much moisture in the pile, you can balance things up by adding in more materials to the bin. You want to also ensure you balance things out when reintroducing more ingredients into the compost pile. If you add in more green materials, do well to balance out, by adding brown materials as well. 

• Not Enough Oxygen 

Another important factor needed for decomposition to take place is air. There needs to be enough oxygen in the compost pile to encourage the microbial activities going on in the bin. 

You will occasionally need to turn the compost pile if you are using a bin. You can do this by using a garden fork to turn the materials in the bin. You may need to do this once or twice weekly to ensure that air circulates in the bin. You can save yourself the stress of turning the pile by purchasing a tumbler. Compost tumblers are designed to turn the compost automatically so you don’t have to do it yourself. You can also consider getting one if you stay in an apartment building as they eliminate most of the unpleasantness associated with composting. 

• Size of Materials

You also want to consider the size of the materials you throw into your compost bin. Large materials have a hard time decomposing, and that is if they ever do. You should size down all materials to the barest minimum. Make use of shredder if you have to, it is better than throwing in your old newspapers like that. 

• Materials 

The materials themselves also determine if your compost will take longer to mature or not. 

You want to avoid adding any materials that contain toxic ingredients such as paints, and chemical finishes. They can delay the decomposition time of the material and the potency of your compost. 

Balance the carbon to nitrogen ratio of the compost pile by using the right amount of brown and green materials.

• Heat 

Your compost pile needs to be hot enough to support microbial activity. You can easily achieve this by placing your compost bin at a section of your garden with direct access to sunlight. Using a compost tumbler will save you the stress of finding a suitable heat source for your compost. Truth is you don’t need to spend extra on a tumbler if you can find a suitable heat source. 

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FAQ’s

How Long Does It Take for Compost to be Ready? 

When you follow the right composting practice, your compost pile can be ready in less than a month. It can be quicker if you make use of a compost tumbler. 

On average, it can take several months for your compost to reach maturity. You also need to know that it can take more than a year too. It all depends on whether or not you choose to follow the right methods. 

Your compost will begin decomposing once the worms and bugs get to work. If there is one sign to look out for that says your compost is on the right course to maturity, is the worms and bugs that swarm around inside the bin. They are the ones responsible for turning your kitchen waste into rich organic matter. 

Do you have any problems preparing a compost pile? Or achieving any success composting? Let us know in the comment section, and we will be glad to help. 

Adding compost to your lawn helps support your soil’s conditions. It is designed for anyone who wants to support the health of their lawn or garden in an eco-friendly way.

Compost is beneficial, but what exactly is it? In simple terms, compost is an organic matter that has decayed, and this includes rotten vegetables, old leaves, fruit peels, and leftover food or grass clippings. The decayed organic matter helps amend the soil and add organisms that are beneficial to it. 

Being a natural supporter of a healthy environment, adding compost to my lawn is only a logical choice. In order to manage lawns, a lot of activity such as mowing and raking takes place. Because of this, the soil compacts and this depletes bacteria, organisms, and fungi. These organisms are essential in feeding and supporting the plant. I also kept asking myself how much compost do I need for my lawn and this lead me to do research.

How Much Compost Do You Need?

To determine the number of cubic yards of compost to apply on your lawn, you need to use a compost calculator as seen in this video. Simply enter the dimension of the area and the desired depth to determine the amount of compost you need. 

Begin by working out the size of the area that you need to spread the compost in square inches. After that, calculate how many cubic inches of compost is required by multiplying the size of the area by the required depth. This is important since different uses need varying depths of compost.

The general rule is to apply a depth of ¼ to ½ inch when applying compost on existing lawn and 1 to 2 inches depth when amending the soil. If you are applying compost to flower or vegetable gardens, use 1 to 3 inches and ¼ to ½ inch if you are using it as mulch.

Once you have this figure, convert it in cubic yards. Since a cubic yard has 46,646 cubic inches, divide your answer with this figure in order to determine how much cubic yards of compost you will need. Compost is usually sold in cubic yards. 

For instance, if you are planning to apply 4-inches depth of compost to a 20ft x 20ft area, you can calculate the cubic yard of compost through these steps:

Step 1: Determine the Area in Square Inches that you Need to Cover

Since 20ft is equivalent to 240 inches, that would mean that 240 inches multiplied by 240 inches is equivalent to 57,600 square inches.

Step 2: Multiply the size of the area by depth to get the cubic inches of compost needed

Using the same figures, you multiply 57,600 square inches by 4 to get 230,400 cubic inches.

Step 3: Convert the result to cubic yards by dividing it by 46,656

After that, you then divide 230,400 cubic inches by 46,656. This will give you a result of 4.94 cubic yards of compost.

In this case, you will need to order 5 cubic yards of compost to apply to your lawn. 

If you are having a difficult time establishing how much compost you need, Rodale encyclopedia would be a good place to start. Rodale’s Encyclopedia suggests that you make your order based on the average amount per square foot. For instance, 1000 square feet of lawn would need 200 pounds of compost.

Why Use Compost?

Now that you know how much compost you need for your lawn, it’s time to talk about its benefits which are as follows:

• Acts as a Natural Organic Fertilizer

If you don’t have enough money to buy fertilizer, compost is a good alternative. Compost acts as an organic fertilizer to help improve soil aeration and retain nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. Instead of throwing organic waste like food scraps in the trash bin, I usually save them in my compost bin and use them to make compost for my lawn.

• Prevents Soil Compaction

Lawns are likely to be compacted due to mowing, foot traffic, vehicle traffic, and many more. This makes it hard for plants and grass to thrive. When compost is added, it breaks down the soil to create a favorable environment for grassroots to bloom. 

• Supports the Environment

One of the natural ways that most gardeners use to care for their lawn is by adding compost. A good compost pile comprises of food scraps, plant materials, and green plant materials. All these ingredients contribute to giving you a healthy garden. 

Also, adding compost to your lawn before the winter season is very important as it will provide your soil with adequate energy to help endure the cold season. 

• Maintains Microorganisms

Microorganisms are extremely beneficial for soil health and plant growth. Compost is packed with microorganisms like bacteria and fungi which fix nitrogen in the soil and provide nutrients for the plants. It also sustains these beneficial microorganisms by feeding them.

Applying Compost

After knowing how much compost you need, then you should buy enough to cover your entire lawn. Make sure to use an aerating tool to aerate the surface. Aeration helps speed up decomposition and reduces odors. For this process, you can use a shovel or pitchfork to lift and turn the contents over. 

After aerating, spread the compost manually using a shovel. For my lawn, I prefer adding compost on the perimeter first then scatter the rest on the lawn. If your lawn is large, I recommend using a topdressing machine. You can get it from organic lawn care companies. However, if your lawn is small, you should use a foot press to do the work. 

Compost topdressing is done to revitalize your existing lawn and involves spreading ¼ inch of compost. For a new lawn, ¼ inch of compost applied as top dressing will help maintain the soil’s moisture. Keep in mind, however, that topdressing is only effective when the soil is first aerated before applying compost. 

FAQ’s

Conclusion

Compost is a soil enhancer that will rejuvenate your lawn and promote healthy plant growth. Before adding compost to your lawn, we recommend doing a soil test in order to understand your soil’s PH. This will give you an idea of how you need to correct any problems with the soil pH. If your soil pH is low, adding compost will correct it to the right PH. 

Do you have any questions with regard to applying the right amount of compost for your lawn? Kindly leave a comment below, and we’ll make sure to answer it as soon as possible.