From jonesv@wave.co.nzFri Dec 6 20:50:41 1996 Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1996 22:39:06 +1300 From: Vaughan Jones To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Composting [The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] The following may be of help to some. Composting Plants which are given compost grow better, are less affected by pests, rust and other diseases and droughts, saving costs and giving a better crop for little effort. Compost can be clean, odourless and profitable, provided it is made correctly - and that's easy. Any type of bin, drum, bottomless container or three walls of wood or concrete in a U shape can be used, so that earthworms can come and go from underneath, and to allow drainage to prevent anaerobic smelly compost. Make at least two bins to allow one to decompose while the other is being filled. Used bedding, lawn and small hedge clippings, leaves, weeds and vegetable waste make good compost, provided they are spread evenly and no thicker than about 150 mm (6˛), and agricultural lime is sprinkled evenly at about half a kilo per square metre (40˛) over each layer of vegetation. Some rock phosphate powder can be used if farm P levels are low and Ca is not. If pockets of the vegetation go green (like silage) and don't decompose, it is a sign of being too thick and/or needing more lime. Lime raises the pH and starts decomposition. Earthworms finish it off. They will multiply and consume the material, mixing it and increasing its fertilising qualities. Earthworms canšt thrive without lime. If parts go mouldy, apply more water. Keep the heap well watered, but if moisture seeps out, use less water. If seepage occurs because of excessive rain, cover it for a while. Seepage around the manure heap has to prevented to ensure it doesn't get into the soil where flies will breed. If it canšt be controlled a concrete drainage and catchment system will have to be installed. After having added all the available vegetation in 150 mm layers, spread agricultural lime and cover it with soil and/or compost from an adjacent heap or use some decomposed material from the other heap of from under the heap. This should have earthworms galore. After a few months you can start removing compost from the bottom and using it. It should be full of earthworms, although once fuly decomposed they will move to new vegetation. Don't add anything which will attract dogs or rats such as waste human food unless it is well buried or dogs and rodents are controlled as they should be. No Flies If these instructions are followed, flies should not breed in it and no nuisance should be created. However, if the rules are broken flies will swarm in and create a smelly mess. Anything which discourages earthworms will encourage flies. For instance applying urea to our lawn produced high nitrate clippings which earthworms would not enter. It became a soggy smelly mess giving off ammonia which chased the earthworms right out of the heap and attracted flies. We had to bury it. If flies to take over you may have to have a fly trap over the heaps of manure. A frame is made of steel or timber (lumber) and has black plastic around the sides down to a metre above the concrete floor so flies can get to the manure to lay their eggs. The top is also covered with black plastic, except the top centre which has a turret covered with clear plastic. Flies which hatch from the manure go upwards to the light turret and are trapped in the turret because they won't fly down again to the dark so die of heat and/or thirst and drop back onto the compost heap. It is very light so can be lifted off or tilted back for loading manure in and out. Keep plastics and similar rubbish out of the compost. Avoid Kikuyu, Bermuda, twitch, couch and oxalis roots which can survive and grow where you donšt want them. Use a shredder to shred twigs and branches and turn them into compost too. Don't mix the heap - applying agricultural lime and good earthworms will do the mixing for you. Spreading layers of compost with earthworms from the bottom or a previous heap over the new vegetation will speed up the break-down. In New Zealand very active earthworms are available from John Stemmer, Rangimarie Earthworm Farm, RD 3, Motueka, New Zealand. Ph +64-3-528-9614. Stipulate worms for compost, pasture and garden. I compared his earthworms with ones we had in Hamilton and found his to be twice as active both in the compost and pastures. He has bred them for decades. Best wishes Vaughan Jones (ex dairy & beef farmer & consultant) Hamilton New Zealand jonesv@wave.co.nz