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OK, It's Done -- Now What? |
| Now that your compost is done, you have successfully
recycled organic waste. You have made an environmentally-friendly
alternative to chemical fertilizers. Congratulations! |
| Remember compost is not a soil; it is a soil amendment.
When mix with soil, it adds much appreciated microbes, organic materials,
and nutrients. A good rule of thumb is to mix one-part compost to
three-parts soil. There are many uses for compost in the garden -
flowerbeds, vegetable gardens, and lawns. |
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Use Compost as a Soil Enrichment: |
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- Flower beds -- add about an 1" in establish bed and
1"-2" of compost in new beds and work into the soil. Don't skip the next
step which is to water thoroughly. Your perennials, biennials and annuals
will be happy and produce well for you.
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- Lawn topdressing -- although compost may
be applied on the lawn at any time, the results come when it is applied after
the lawn has be aerated. A thin layer is generally sufficient.
Again, water thoroughly.
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Use Compost when Planting |
- Tree planting -- mix one-part compost to three-parts soil
removed from the planting hole. Use this mixture as a backfill around
the root ball. Again thoroughly water the newly planted tree.
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- Vegetable gardens -- depending on the quality of your
soil, add about 1" - 2" of compost before you begin planting. Turn soil to a depth of 5" of so.
With vegetable, more is not better. Compost is high in nitrogen.
Vegetables don't produce well is the soil has excessively high levels of
nitrogen.
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As a Mulch |
- Mulch -- compost is an
excellent mulch for flowering & landscape plants. A disadvantage of
using compost as mulch is that finely textured composts will not suppress
weeds as well as more coarsely textured mulch. It is better to use compost to
gradually improve the soil by applying between the plants for an added boost
of nutrition.
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Make a Nutrient-Rich Liquid Fertilizer |
- Compost tea -- compost tea is a good benefit for your plants
and it's easy to make. The ratio is basically one-part compost to
five-parts water. Tie compost in a bandana or put in a cloth bag and
place in a container of water. Be sure to complete submerge the "compost tea
bag." Put the container in your garage or a shaded location. Let it
"steep" for a week or so. The compost tea can be poured over
your indoor or garden plants. Ailing plants can get a boost from "tea."
The contents of the "tea bag" can be tossed back into the compost or emptied
in your garden.
An alternative method for making compost tea is to put a shovelful of
compost into a 5-gallon bucket of water. Let this mixture seep of about
a week. Then drain off the liquid. Dilute one-part of
this liquid strong-tea with two-parts water. The diluted tea can be used
to water indoor or outdoor plants.
Soaking the bag in a barrel or bucket of
rainwater for three days is even better.
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As a Substitute for Peat Moss |
- Potting Soil -- make your own potting soil for seedlings
by mixing two-parts compost to three-parts soil.
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- Indoor plants: Add small portions of compost to the
surface of indoor plant pots. Over time the compost will break down.
Your plants will appreciate the added nutrition as the compost continues to decompose.
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