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Composting tips

freeman3030freeman3030 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
Hi,
I bought a new house last year and the boarders were over run with brambles. We cut a lot of it back and took it to the tip last year however since January, I've spent a couple of house most weekends working my way around the boarders and digging out the actual root... It's been harder than I had anticipated! That said we've now got a couple of heaps of weeds/brambles etc.
Now I've finished I'd like to get rid of it but because of covid19, the tips are closed. Additionally I don't want to cut the lawn because I like to clear away the grass cuttings. What I have been thinking about is composting the grass cuttings but I've been looking into it and "hotcomposting" but I think I understand correctly that I need 50% nitrogen (freshly cut grass) and 50% carbon (brown/dead plants/paper/cardboard).
If I got a chipper, could I chip the brambles and use that as my "carbon"? Also, I have a tonne of cardboard, when I've finished with the brambles, can I solely use cardboard for the carbon portion of the composting?

Posts

  • Plot75Plot75 Posts: 69
    Hello! Yes you do need a mixture of layered components as mentioned but do not, and I must stress, put any perennial weeds, even chipped, into the compost. A layer of cardboard first at the bottom is a great tip as the worms love it and it encourages them to the suffice to bring it all down, grass cuttings, leaves, vegetable and fruit scraps from the kitchen is all you need. It needs a moisture level too so if it dries out a light watering over with a can is good but not too wet as that can cause mould and fungus to grow. It also needs air so a good fork around a few times a year is good and then it'll all break down nicely and ready to turn and use after about a year and half, or quicker if environment is right.
    Hope that helps. 
    Mix 2tbsp of white,granulated sugar with 1tbsp of water and place on a spoon for a Bee to reach. Sometimes they're too exhausted to reach back to the hives when it's hot and dry. 
  • Plot75Plot75 Posts: 69
    P. S that said you could store the brambles until completely dried and dead and then add them. 
    Mix 2tbsp of white,granulated sugar with 1tbsp of water and place on a spoon for a Bee to reach. Sometimes they're too exhausted to reach back to the hives when it's hot and dry. 
  • freeman3030freeman3030 Posts: 4
    Plot75 said:
    Hello! Yes you do need a mixture of layered components as mentioned but do not, and I must stress, put any perennial weeds, even chipped, into the compost. A layer of cardboard first at the bottom is a great tip as the worms love it and it encourages them to the suffice to bring it all down, grass cuttings, leaves, vegetable and fruit scraps from the kitchen is all you need. It needs a moisture level too so if it dries out a light watering over with a can is good but not too wet as that can cause mould and fungus to grow. It also needs air so a good fork around a few times a year is good and then it'll all break down nicely and ready to turn and use after about a year and half, or quicker if environment is right.
    Hope that helps. 
    Thank you for the response. It is much appreciated. I'm very new to gardening, I'm still trying to tell the difference between the weeds and plants! I'm just pulling out anything that I don't particularly like the look of. I've transferred some tulips into a trough as I'd rather have only shrubs in the borders. I hope they survive! I take brambles fall under the perennial weeds category? I find it all so confusing to be honest and making most of it up as I go along!
  • Plot75Plot75 Posts: 69
    You're halfway there because a weed is just a name for a plant that grows in places you don't want it. 
    So two types of weed - annual and perennial. Annual tend to not have a large root system but they flower, seed and die if you don't pull these out then they seed and will spread everywhere which is why they say "one year seed, seven years weeding" so pull these out straight away before they flower and seed. Some people and I do on my plot, is dig them out and leave them to dry on the ground and then I'll rake them up for the compost. 
    Perennials have extensive root systems like dandelions, buttercups and nettles, dig them out using a fork or hand fork, never a sharp edge tool but you need to pull the WHOLE root system out otherwise if you leave even a tiny bit of root they just come back without fail which is why you don't want them in your compost. Brambles are an irritant of mine especially as I have an allotment and behind the shed was a six ft wide bramble, so chopped and cleared but because I'd left roots in the ground, even now new sprouts pop up in spring and I wished I removed the roots the first time. 
    Mix 2tbsp of white,granulated sugar with 1tbsp of water and place on a spoon for a Bee to reach. Sometimes they're too exhausted to reach back to the hives when it's hot and dry. 
  • freeman3030freeman3030 Posts: 4
    edited April 2020
    Thanks again for the much needed advice, you're brilliant! I'm glad I've gone to the effort to dig out the roots of the brambles (fingers crossed I got them all!) I'm sure I'll soon find out if they spring up! Thanks again for the info 😄
  • Plot75Plot75 Posts: 69
    Most welcome and enjoy your garden, sometimes you can trowel hours on end watching YouTube vids and the like but it all mostly comes from trial and error on your own experience. I'm in no way an expert lol sometimes I ask for advice on here. 
    Mix 2tbsp of white,granulated sugar with 1tbsp of water and place on a spoon for a Bee to reach. Sometimes they're too exhausted to reach back to the hives when it's hot and dry. 
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