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Here is some advise on compost and mulch
Magical Garden Gold
What is mulch? What is compost? What's the differance? Why care?
Basically mulch is material that you put on top of the ground. Why? And what kind of material? You can use many things. Organic materials include: wood chips, grass clippings and/or leaves, hay, old spread out newspapers. Non-organic materials could include: decorative gravel or pebbles, landscape plastic sheet or other similar material, old carpet. It benefits include: great water retension (great in dry climates), great weed supression, less soil temperature fluctuation. Erosion control.
Compost, on the other hand, is organic material that you normally mix into the soil. You use all the leftover stuff and make a compost pile*. You can put in grass clippings, leaves, old vegetables and fruit, shredded branches, and other household garbage. Yuck? You say? The magic comes in here. This is where junk becomes black gold. Use this instead of chemical fertilizers and your plants will thrive. They will be healthier, resist deseases and pests much more, and yeild better tasting fruit and vegetables. This will save money on chemical sprays and fertilizers and is much safer for humans and animals.On lawns the roots will go deeper which translates into less water usage. It helps balance soil pH level. It fixes many problem soils.
Can I use mulch as compost and vise versa?
You can put compost on top of the ground and use it as a mulch. But don't mix organic mulch into the ground because it will start to decompose. That's not horible but it temporarally borrows the nitrogen out of the soil to do so thus robbing the plants of this vital ingredient. When it finishes composting however, it gives it all back and more.
What is mulch? What is compost? What's the differance? Why care?
Basically mulch is material that you put on top of the ground. Why? And what kind of material? You can use many things. Organic materials include: wood chips, grass clippings and/or leaves, hay, old spread out newspapers. Non-organic materials could include: decorative gravel or pebbles, landscape plastic sheet or other similar material, old carpet. It benefits include: great water retension (great in dry climates), great weed supression, less soil temperature fluctuation. Erosion control.
Compost, on the other hand, is organic material that you normally mix into the soil. You use all the leftover stuff and make a compost pile*. You can put in grass clippings, leaves, old vegetables and fruit, shredded branches, and other household garbage. Yuck? You say? The magic comes in here. This is where junk becomes black gold. Use this instead of chemical fertilizers and your plants will thrive. They will be healthier, resist deseases and pests much more, and yeild better tasting fruit and vegetables. This will save money on chemical sprays and fertilizers and is much safer for humans and animals.On lawns the roots will go deeper which translates into less water usage. It helps balance soil pH level. It fixes many problem soils.
Can I use mulch as compost and vise versa?
You can put compost on top of the ground and use it as a mulch. But don't mix organic mulch into the ground because it will start to decompose. That's not horible but it temporarally borrows the nitrogen out of the soil to do so thus robbing the plants of this vital ingredient. When it finishes composting however, it gives it all back and more.
*A compost pile is easy to make. Little micrscopic creatures eat up the organic materials (some are listed to the left). These mico-organisms give back perfect plant food.
Easy method: Pile alternately green (nitrgen) material and brown (carbon) material such as grass clippings and leaves. Throw in other organic waste too and a shovel or two of dirt every once in a while. Make the pile at least 3 x 3 x3 ft(aproximately). Keep the moisture right (like a wrung-out sponge) by either sprinkling it if too dry or tarping it if there is tons of rain ( a little won't hurt). Turn the pile every once in a while. The time it takes varies by the weather, the materials added, how fine the material added is, and how much it is turned. But you will know when you see that fine dark soil with the sweet earthy smell.Now go make your plants happy!
Is there any thing I should Not use in the compost pile?
Meat scraps can cause smell and maggots. Dry bones are fine though. Although most weed seeds and also deseases die in the heat of the compost pile and are fine to use, avoid ones that are a real problem or highly diseased plants. Avoid wood scraps that have been treated with creosote or other preservatives. These can linger in the soil and be harmful to us and plants.
Easy method: Pile alternately green (nitrgen) material and brown (carbon) material such as grass clippings and leaves. Throw in other organic waste too and a shovel or two of dirt every once in a while. Make the pile at least 3 x 3 x3 ft(aproximately). Keep the moisture right (like a wrung-out sponge) by either sprinkling it if too dry or tarping it if there is tons of rain ( a little won't hurt). Turn the pile every once in a while. The time it takes varies by the weather, the materials added, how fine the material added is, and how much it is turned. But you will know when you see that fine dark soil with the sweet earthy smell.Now go make your plants happy!
Is there any thing I should Not use in the compost pile?
Meat scraps can cause smell and maggots. Dry bones are fine though. Although most weed seeds and also deseases die in the heat of the compost pile and are fine to use, avoid ones that are a real problem or highly diseased plants. Avoid wood scraps that have been treated with creosote or other preservatives. These can linger in the soil and be harmful to us and plants.
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