compost disaster - any use ?

maryxyz

Hello

Is failed slimy compost any use for fertilising the garden ? I'm afraid mine turns out like that mostly ! Or else it's dry & twiggy as I don't have time to shred everything.

Also, grass cuttings left in black bags which have turned into giant fragrant country pancakes - is it ok to use these as a mulch under bushes ? Perhaps as the pancakes closely resemble manure they may have the same effect in supplying nutrients to plants ?

Thanks

Maryxyz

luckat

Try putting a layer of earth in between each layer of green stuff when you're making the compost.

To make better compost with the current slime, put it in a pit, covering each layer with earth, and leave for six weeks.

ClimateGirl

It sounds like your composting system is anaerobic (oxygen deprived). The slimy stuff is still usable, but you should try to add oxygen to your system by turning the compost more frequently, creating space between the loads you put in, and adding drier material to the system.

I had the same problem when I started using a green cone, but have sorted it out now by just being more aware of how much moisture I'm adding to the system. You can see a long description I posted about my experience under "A Green Cone Owner's Insight" at http://greendiy.ie/wiki/projects/green_cone

Good luck!
ClimateGirl

joseph brand

and adding drier material to the system.

What would drier material consist of?

I currently put all fruit and veg and egg shells into composter, along with weeds and cut grass, and some muck from digging.


Kev.

pft

joseph brand wrote: »

What would drier material consist of?

Adding some cardboard is a good idea. Particularly corrugated stuff from boxes and egg cartons.

ClimateGirl

Dry shredded newspaper/dry plant material would help to absorb moisture if that's what's causing your problem. It doesn't sound like you're adding particularly "wet" stuff to your system though, so I wonder if your compost heap is in a damp spot or something. If not, then just turning and aerating your pile every week or two should help bring the oxygen back into the system.

In my case, I was only composting food waste so I was putting very wet materials in (e.g. coffee grinds, wet tea bags, etc). That's what casued my system to get slimy but your problem should be easier to fix since its mostly yard waste.

Good luck! Composting really is your own backyard chemistry experiment!
CG