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Re: Composty questions
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:23 pm
by Flo
Your number 1 bin was too dry. Woodlice arrive when the heap is dry. Number 2 bin on a patio has a problem with being on a patio - the base is wrong. No drainage for a start.
You need to ensure that the heaps are placed on soil, kept warm and moist but not soaking. And you need to take all the contents out and turn them at least once a year.
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 5:24 pm
by PurpleMcGowan

90% of my garden is potted as its mostly patio, but I might be able to put bin 2 on soil if I remove some flags in the front, the back patio is raised by 10ft due to the hill.
Thanks for the advice :)
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2019 11:20 pm
by Weedo
I have about 2 tonne of scorched, water and smoke dammaged wheat hay in a pile courtesy of spontanious combustion in the haystack. The livestock won't eat it so I guess it will become "re-purposed". Any ideas on the suitability of this stuff going into compost or should I just use it as mulch? It is a lot of material to get rid of and I really can't source enough other material to mix with it.
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2019 5:30 am
by ina
Applying urine might help with the composting.
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2019 8:34 am
by Green Aura
Maybe you could complete the burning of some of it for potash. I wonder if wheatstraw ashes would make lye? Hmm, haystack soap.
Otherwise compost it and/or use some as mulch, as you've already said.
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:43 pm
by Weedo
Urine probably would help but I can't get the cows to cooperate - perhaps just add some granular urea. No much straw involved GA - mostly leaf - so very little ash; the variety is semi prostrate and grown for grazing & hay rather than grain. I think I will try it in pit compost.
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 8:19 am
by Green Aura
I think ina might have been referring to you, weedo.

Re: Composty questions
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:48 pm
by Weedo
Yay- more beer! for a good cause only of course
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:07 am
by ina
Green Aura wrote: ↑Tue Oct 29, 2019 8:19 am
I think ina might have been referring to you, weedo.
Correct! Much easier than getting cows to pee in a particular spot.

Re: Composty questions
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 2:32 am
by Weedo
Any ideas about substitutes for the green when making compost? Green is becoming very very scarce around here and the tiny lawn area still being watered yields little.
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 8:58 am
by Green Aura
Vegetable scraps?
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:49 pm
by Weedo
Mrs Weedo has been reading innumerable websites etc. looking for the answer to this - the best answer was a research report that looked at the actual composition (carbon / nitrogen) of a range of materials as to their levels of brown vs green. So the short answer is that the browns are not all brown and the greens are not all green (I guess you folks knew that) Straw is browner than hay, cardboard is greener than straw, grass clippings are roughly neutral - greener than vegie scraps but not as brown (N.P.I) as animal manure.
So, I don't have to look for green substitutes during this drought, just for greener brown - yay!
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 10:42 pm
by ina
There are the known greens, the unknown greens, and those greens that don't know they really are brown...
Or something like it.
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:09 pm
by Weedo
yes, I found out that bread is a green also
Re: Composty questions
Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 1:32 pm
by ina
Weedo wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:09 pm
yes, I found out that bread is a green also
It is, if you leave it around for long enough!
