Expert: Greg - 9/9/2011

Question
I have a large yard, mostly grass, and in fact it is so large I use a tractor lawn mower.  I had been disposing  the yard waste until recently.  I purchased one of those compost bends from Costco, I could easily use two or three.  I have heard that it is best to mix the contents of the compost with a mixture of materials.  The problem is that I don't have the resources to do that.  In fall I will have some elm tree leaves to add to the mixture and kitchen additives is non-consequential.  I have heard of adding nitrogen or other additives if the proper mixture is not present.  Can you tell me what I should add, how much and how often should I turn the bend?  I will appreciate any help.

Answer
Hello Art

The Issue as I see it is, you have grass Clippings on a On-going basis, and the piles get rather high, and there is nothing to mix it with till the Fall.

Grass Clippings, in themselves, are the Nitrogen. The Fall Leaves are the Carbon. They are not available at the same time to mix together.

The Ideal Carbon <leaves> to Nitrogen Ratio <grassclippings> is 25-1 to 30-1. No need to bring out a scale to measure all of this, this is the ideal, and things will still decompose, plus or minus.

You will need a substitute Carbon source to add to the grass clippings, till the leaves are added in the Fall. Sawdust is one idea, but there are many, and too numerous to mention them all.

You don't need to add anything to your Compost Pile to activate it. The Compost Activators they sell in Garden Stores are a waste of Money, in my Opinion. Just a small about of regular garden soil, mixed in with all the ingredients, is all you need.

No 2 Compost piles, have the same exact mixtures of ingredients, so there are no 2 that Decompose to the same schedule. When you sense "Heat" this means it is working, and you are doing things right. A good purchase to make is a " Compost Thermometer " It looks like a Turkey Thermometer only much larger, this can help you Monitor the inside temperature of the Compost Pile. The Inside temperature of an active Pile "CAN" reach 150-180 degrees, at about 100-120, turn the pile, this will add Oxygen, which is critical. When you no longer have heat, meaning the pile is normal air Temperature, it is done. Some things won't be fully Decomposed, just take that out, and add it to the next Pile.

The Smaller that things are, before you add them, the quicker they will decompose, and also, the smaller the stuff is, the more they will impede Oxygen, the quicker the heat will generate, the more often you will have to turn the pile. Keep the pile Moist, but do NOT soak it, a light sprinkle of water is all you need.


I hope I have covered things, but if I have missed something, don't hesitate to ask a follow up question to anything here.


The Best of Luck

   Greg