Grass cuttings on their own won't make good compost, so we have already described in previous posts how to mix it with other matter to help it break down in an acceptable mulch glasgowdan - I think we have all had failures and know what the solution is - a mix of paper, cardboard, kitchen waste, prunnings, grass cuttings and all cut up into manageable pieces - some turning and some water and a cover - all shown and described.
I have three wood bins and a dalek. The latter is singularly useless and I'm thinking of sending it back to the planet it came from. Anybody got one that works?
They work fine for me but they're more effort than an open heap. Keep them turned and mixed and they'll steam with activity. Sometime I find it helps to just lift the dalek off the contents, move it a metre to the side and chuck the stuff back in again. It makes a mess but it's the only way to mix it well.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Something I've wondered about for some time - why do people put covers on compost heaps to stop rain getting in but then they water them? I don't cover my heaps and I still get compost.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Something I've wondered about for some time - why do people put covers on compost heaps to stop rain getting in but then they water them? I don't cover my heaps and I still get compost.
Cardboard or carpet work well or even a black weed barrier which will warm up in the sun but mostly it's to keep the heat in. If you want to get the heap really warm a cover is pretty much essential. It does regulate the water too though as rain can cool the heap as well make it a bit too damp for ideal composting. Body temperature liquid can really help the heap along though
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Grass cuttings make excellent compost. You don't need to add anything at all, though you can if you wish. You just have to turn them regularly. You will get a dark, friable sweet smelling material that is really good for heavy clay.
Thought I would show a pic of what my rotted down grass looks like. I've been dumping my grass cuttings in this pile for 12 years. Not saying this barrow full is 12 years old, but it's certainly a few years old.
It has rotted down nicely to the sweet black substance that someone referred to above, but it is a little "sticky" or "claggy". I've used this as mulch today on my roses, clematis and honeysuckle.
Having just got into gardening last year I will be using this a lot more as mulch so it won't have years to rot down again, which is why I started the thread. I'll be looking for a quicker rotting down time.
I’m not sure about the technical details of the compost heap, but if you use only grass won’t that lead to a lot of nitrogen on your ground, producing lots of green and not so many flowers, or am I wrong?
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
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