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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, composting leaves is an excellent way to recycle organic material and create nutrient-rich compost for your garden. Here are some techniques to help you effectively compost leaves:
file photo by Boyd Loving
October 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, this is the second article in a series from the staff of the Ridgewood on reducing yard waste . Composting is simple and easy . According to the College of Agriculture , Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, a compost pile is a teeming microbial farm. The microbes in a compost pile go to work for you, breaking down leaves, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable waste, and other organic matter.
Mixing compost material into your yard or garden loosens heavy clay soils, allowing better root penetration and improving plant growth. It also improves the infiltration and percolation of water through the soil, improves a sandy soil’s capacity to hold water and nutrients, and may help add essential nutrients to any soil.
Plus, it improves the health of your plants by improving the soil; provides a natural, healthy way to dispose of organic-matter wastes; creates a healthy environment for earthworms; reduces the need to buy trash bags and soil conditioners; and reduces disposal costs in towns that charge for hauling yard waste.
To set up a compost pile, begin by removing the grass and sod cover from the area where you plan to put it. Place a layer of chopped brush or other coarse material on top of the soil surface to allow air circulation around the base of the heap.
Next, mix together moistened leaves, grass clippings or sawdust, and manure or fertilizer. Adding soil is optional, but it can speed up the composting process. Anything that grows in your yard will make good composting material. You can even add bread, coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit, shredded paper, tea leaves, vegetables, and wood chips to the pile.
Materials that should not be put in a compost pile include: bones, cat and dog manure, cheese, chicken, fat, fish scraps, milk, meat, noxious weeds, and oils.
The compost pile should be between 3 and 5 feet high. On top of the compost pile, scoop out a “basin” to catch rain water.
A properly made compost heap will reach a temperature of 140 degrees to 160 degrees F in one to two weeks. At this time, you will notice the pile settling–a good sign that the heap is working properly.
Five to six weeks later, transfer the materials into a new pile. When doing this, turn the outside of the old heap into the center of the new pile. Add water if necessary. You shouldn’t need to turn your heap a second time, unless additional aeration is needed to reduce odor.
The compost material should be ready to use in your yard or garden within three to four months after you first constructed the pile. A heap started in late spring can be ready for use in the autumn. Then you can start another heap in autumn for use in the spring.
Compost is ready to use when it is dark, brown, and crumbly, with an earthy odor. Let it stabilize a few extra days, and screen it through a ½-inch screen if you want the finest product. To use the compost, turn your soil, apply a 1- to 3-inch layer of compost, and work it in well.
The Ridgewood blog has put together some suggestions on reducing the grass clippings and alternatives for disposing of them. Many municipalities have already begun to refuse to pick up grass clippings and leaves because of reduced landfill availability. In fact, some states have banned yard waste in landfills.
In the Village many homeowners are bagging clippings to be picked up and sent to a local composting facility , particularly with leaves this seems a bit impractical. Another option is using mulching lawn mowers. A mulching mower reduces the size of clippings and spreads them back on the grass, where they rapidly decompose and return to the soil.
Grass clippings are a valuable organic source of nutrients, especially nitrogen. Some mulching-mower users have found that yearly nitrogen applications may be reduced by one-fourth when grass is returned to the turf.
Although mulching mowers and mulching attachments for existing mowers can reduce clipping size, thus increasing the rate that grass clippings decompose, you can get the same effect with a normal rotary mower. Mowing on a regular basis with a sharp blade usually produces clippings that decompose fairly quickly.
In the city of Forth Worth, Texas, participants in the “Don’t Bag It” program said, on average, they felt that their lawns looked 30 percent better when they let the clippings remain than when they previously had collected the clippings. Cities with similar programs report reduced garbage loads and healthier lawns, trees and shrubs.
Leaving clippings on the lawns does not necessarily cause problems with thatch buildup. You may encounter problems with thatch whether you use a mulching mower or not. Thatch can be controlled with vertical mowing, core aerification, and proper watering and fertilization.
If you prefer not to leave clippings on the lawn,consider using collected clippings as mulch or as a component in a compost pile (which in turn will produce nutrient-rich soil conditioners).
If you have recently treated your lawn with herbicides, you will want to wait for three mowings before using grass clippings as mulch. It is possible for herbicide residues to damage garden crops if you use recently treated clippings as mulch. If you put clippings in a compost, on the other hand, pesticides rapidly degrade.