Creating Healthy Compost

Should you compost pesticides, herbicides, animal manure, paper, weeds, or diseased plants? The answers may surprise you.

by Janet M. JemmottAugust 1999from issue # 22

Theoretically , anything of organic origin can be put into a compost system , but I would not recommend tot up kernel , fish , poultry , or foods with added fat to an open system . They ’re just too likely to draw pests . Besides , they can be odorous and slow to break dance down .

If you have a shut system and desire to tot wastefulness of animal origin , such as bones or intellectual nourishment fighting , you must bury it in the core of the wad and cover it with brown material ; you should also have a layer of brown material around the outside . dissuade gnawer has to do as much with how you manage the bin as with their contents and the construction of the bin itself .

PesticidesEvidence point that pesticide and herbicides break down into unobjectionable components during spicy composting . Nevertheless , I would not put address grass clippings in my compost system .

Animal manureHorse and cow manure are traditional additions to compost , and overbold manure furnish a expectant input of atomic number 7 . utilize one part fresh manure to four parts chocolate-brown organic matter . Give it pile of time to break down .

Keep cat , frump , and human feces out of your bin , as they may incorporate harmful pathogen . razzing cage barren typically includes legion weed seed and possibly diseases , so keep it out . Any manure can contain pathogens . The concern is not only whether pathogen will founder down in the compost , but also that you may come up in contact with pathogens when treat waste to put in the binful . This is of less concern with manure from herbivores such as lapin . Rabbit droppings are a fertile informant of nitrogen . handle carefully , they can provoke up a wane compost premix .

PaperMost newspaper are print with soy - based ink and are safe to impart to your mint . Use them in moderation and shred them first . If you run out of brown thing during the wintertime , paper is a good stand - in . Do not add sheeny , colored magazine paper , because the ink may take lowering alloy .

sens and diseased plantsDo not add diseased industrial plant to compost . If you ’re sure you have your pile cooking at 150 ° to 160 ° F for at least a few days , weed seeds will be demolish . Certain pestilent weeds may die hard in any but the hottest compost piles .

If you ’re new to composting , keep it unsubdivided . reefer to kitchen waste and backyard clippings . Or follow the guide below .

• leafage , fresh or dry• Grass clippings• Weeds• Pine needles• Seaweed• Shredded woodwind , shavings and sawdust from untreated wood• Brown paper or newspaper , shredded• Vegetable and fruit waste• Tea and coffee grinds ( including bags and filter paper)• Egg shells• Manure of herbivorous animals , including rabbits , buck , cows

- There are folks who successfully compost human faecal matter , as well as those of cats , dogs , and other carnivorous pets . High temperatures may toss off off pathogen and parasites , but in the sheath of the menage composter , the risks are not deserving the annoyance .

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