Sun 4 Apr 93 9:35 By: Allan Balliett To: ALL B-D COMPOSTING TECHNIQUES (X-posters, please keep my name on this!) General instructions for Bio-Dynamic compost making reprinted from PRACTICAL GUIDE to the use of the BIO-DYNAMIC PREPARATIONS by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer (NY 84) pp 18-26 This book (and many other B-D related titles) is available from the Bio-Dynamic Farming Association POB 550 Kimberton, PA 19442. (The book contains detailed instructions for making composts for special purposes, also.) As already stated, whatever is capable of decay or decompostion can be turned into compost. The only exceptions to be made are human excrement, coal ashes, and newspapers - the latter because printed type contains chemical ingredients which are inimical to the bacterial life of the soil. (transcribers note: check with your local paper - there is a very good chance they are using non-toxic soy-based inks now days) The following method should be used to obtain compost: A trench or ditch should be dug out evenly to a spade's depth. The bottom should be covered with straw or with athin layer of prepared manure or compost. Better still, if practicable, would be a thin layer of lime superimposed upon one of sand. The size of the heap to be placed upon this should be governed by the same proportions as the manure heap referred to on page I 2 . But the heap must not be too long: about 25 feet in length to I2 feet wide is a suitable proportion But this size is not absolutely requisite: smaller heaps can be made. The heap should be built up generously to allow for shrinkage. The different ingredients such as vegetable refuse, leaves, weeds should be placed upon it in layers. Coarse pieces and small twigs should first be broken into smaller bits. A layer of vegetable refuse about IO to I2 inches deep,(Thinner layers 3-inch organic matter and .5-inch soil give the quickest decomposition (three to four months). Lawn cuttings should never be more than 2 to 3 inches thick.) then a sprinkling of unslaked or quick- lime, then a layer of 1 to 3 inches of earth, then again a layer of vegetable matter, and so on, until a height of from 4 to 6 feet is reached, when the heap should be covered with earth.The earth dug out from the trench can be used both for the layers of earth and for thecovering. Where unpaved or untarred country roads are at hand the sweepings of these make excellent material for the earth layers and the covering. Or waste turf or peat may be used for the covering, but care must be taken that the peat does not get into the compost and so on to the soil. It should be lifted off before the compost is touched and kept for re-use. If the soil is sandy the sides of the heap should be sloped more, so that the sand does not shift. If strong winds are prevalentan extra covering of straw, rushes, or branches will be necessary. The top of the heap should be flattened in the middle to form a trough into which water or thin liquid manure can be poured to moisten the heap. The heap may be built up by degrees. This is useful in a small menage, where house and kitchen refuse form part of the heap. Care must be taken, however, to cover each addition completely with straw or reeds. In a large estate one of the workers should be specially instructed and made responsible for the oversight of compost-making. It is very important that the compost should not get too dry. The heap should be built in a shady spot if possible, and if none is available one should be planted. Results have shown that decomposition takes place more rapidly in shade than in sun. It is a wise precaution to plant a hedge round the site or at least to fence it with reeds or straw matting. A few more hints may usefully be given. The processes of fermentation which produce humus cease their activity in frosty weather and work very slowly in dry substances. So there is little sense in building a compost- heap in winter, when the material for it is cold or frozen. And in a hot, sunny August the material is too dry to decompose much, though watering it as it is built up may help a little. Care should in any case be taken to keep the heap moist in dry weather. The writer once saw a compost heap of leaves and foliage which had stood for a year without decay. What was the reason? The dead foliage of the previous winter had been heaped together in the height of summer, when quite dry and with the foliage closely packed in thick layers. Air and moisture could not penetrate. The outer layers had decayed, but within lay an unchanged mass. It is important therefore that dead foliage should be piled up immediately, i.e. in autumn; that the leaves should be thoroughly loosened and the layers not too thick; and above all that sufficient moisture should be ensured. On another occasion there was a perfectly made compost heap, which yet had not rotted. The earth used for the inner layers was taken from a vineyard, the soil of which had been treated intensively with copper preparations. The soil was sterilised and the bacteria necessary to decomposition were dead. Care is thus required in the choice of earth. It must be healthy and not soaked with chemical mixtures (copper, lead, arsenic, nicotine). Even the smallest quantity of these chemicals is deadly to bacteria. For instance, wild flowers in a vase will last some days longer if a small piece of copper is put into the water. After the compost heaps are built up and covered over, they are treated in precisely the same way and with the same preparations as the manure heap, the treatment of which has already been described (See Details on the Use of B-D Preparations below). Nothing need be added here. The heaps are left standing for from two to four months after treatment and are then turned over. Upon their condition when so turned depends whether or no further doses of the preparations are needed. Usually decomposition is so far advanced that the layers have broken down and intermingled. In the turn-over no further layering is required, and owing to the diminished size of the heaps two can be joined into one. If the original heaps contain weeds or leaves infected by mildew or fungus or other pests, care should be taken to put these into the centre of the new heaps, so that what was outside in the old is inside in the new one, and vice versa. Seeds and pests die in the airless conditions which exist in the inside of the heap and thus there is no danger that the weeds may propagate themselves when the compost is spread on the land. Speaking generally, from eight to twelve months are required before the compost is ready for use. With proper treatment this period will suflice even for foliage and other components which are slow to decay. At the end of this time the compost is ready for application to the soil. All unpleasant smell has gone, and in its stead is a humus-like aroma reminiscent of woodland soil. And a lively accretion of earthworms is a sign that the desired transformation is complete. The following will be found useful as a means of keeping the heap sufficiently damp. When building it up, moisten it with liquid manure, which has been treated with the bio- dynamic preparations and made into a solution by the addition of rain-water. It is also important to continue with the moistening after the heap has been built and treated with the six preparations. To this end a small trough should be made at the top; or if the top cover is of peat, this should be taken off at every watering. Two kinds of liquid manure may be used. One is stable drainage, duly treated before use. The other is a liquid made from pure cow manure, which has been treated with the six preparations, 502-507, and stirred in water for a short time before use. For this a tub may be kept ready. It should be noted that this moistening process must not be carried out with excessive quantities, but with smaller quantities at regular intervals, and the stable drainage and cowmanure liquids should be used alternatively. In preparing both the stable drainage and the cow manure for use on the heaps, one part of manure to twelve to fifteen parts water is recommendedrain-water if possible. It is best to give the moistening once a week at a given time. On a farm it might be done every fortnight or three weeks, but here too the intervals should not vary, so that the moistening takes place regularly. DETAILS ON THE USE OF B-D PREPARATIONS (FROM PAGE 14) The preparations should then be inserted one portion of one preparation in each hole. A portion is.5 to I gramme. The Preps. 502-507 should be used in rotation, one portion in each successive hole, the series beginning again when six holes have been so filled. In a small heap three pre- parations may be used on one side and three on another. When the holes have been filled, their openings should be firmly closed with earth. Prep. 507, which is liquid, should be mixed before application with lukewarm water: 8 litres (approximately 2 gallons) of water to sufficient drops of the fluid to colour the water and make it smell of valerian. If possible, rain-water should be used, but it must be warmed only, and not first boiled and then allowed to cool. The mixture should be well stirred for ten to fifteen minutes, and then poured into the hole or holes awaiting it in the series, and the remainder should be sprinkled finely over the heap itself. Exclusive use of any one kind of animal manure, other than cattle manure, should be avoided as the Preps. 502-507 cannot attain their full effect with pig and sheep manures, etc. They work most effectually when used with cattle manure, and for this reason every farm should seek to have cattle manure available for use with other kinds. * Origin: Origin: The Twilight Clone (1:109/70.0@fidonet)