Nutrients? Yes it's a good question, as is Ph. I decided to do some tests. This was the first test I did using this kit:
This is the home made compost result:
This was bought compost:
They're similar, but the home made one has darker colours indicating it has more nutrients in it.
Test two: There are root veg which don't play well with rich soils, these are parsnips, carrots and radishes. For the test I chose radish as it's a quick and easy crop to grow, it needs a poorer soil to be successful. I planted a whole pot sink full of them in home made compost. The crop was terrible, all growth on top and barely any small radishes, just thin roots. This was because the compost was too rich in nutrients. Any plant which can be, will be grown in it here. Either 100% or mixed with some old shop bought rubbish i've got left or ordinary soil. I've had so much veg this year I've been giving it away to neighbours and selling it to the locals via our FB page.
Being a wee babe in arms when it comes to compost making would someone advise me please? I'm doing everything I can to successfully make compost, layered herbaceous stuff, paper, cardboard, veg trimmings etc. So far so good. I've had the offer of some bags of 5-10 year old manure, I'm not sure if it's poultry or cow muck.
Should I add it to my compost heap or put it on the garden as it is? I can have as much as I want but it's from a friend who lives 60 miles away so I'm limited to how much I can get in the car. I won't be wasting fuel because I'd collect when I socially visit.
It depends on a few things, but most of all it's up to you Personally i'd mix it in with equal amounts of brown and mix it into your compost as you have none in there. If it's chicken poo it can go directly onto plants any time of the year, if it's cow then I would lean to putting on the ground now and letting nature do it's job over Winter (it'll finish off composting it if needed and wash it into the ground). Some will say it could wash in and right through the ground though.
Home made compost is bound to vary in structure, moisture level, ingredients, nutrients going in as well as coming out in the finished product. Even 2% of nitrogen, phosphate or potash is good in my opinion especially as it's been made on site, not manufactured, packaged and transported. Keep doing what you're doing if it is giving good results. It's a natural product, benefitting your garden, crops and ecosystem, with good nutrient levels in your case. It's all good..
As a matter of interest @MikeOxgreen, seeing as your compost seems much higher in nutrients than is quoted in all the studies widely available, I was wondering whether you have any manure, or other animal products in it. If not it is truly remarkable stuff.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
As a matter of interest @MikeOxgreen, seeing as your compost seems much higher in nutrients than is quoted in all the studies widely available, I was wondering whether you have any manure, or other animal products in it. If not it is truly remarkable stuff.
Yes it's got plenty of hoss muck in, as per my recommended recipe on P1.
If I've put all my grass cuttings, shredded hedge trimmings (mainly Lonicera nitida) & shredded shrub prunings (mainly Laurel & Berberis) into my heap why will there not be a similar level of nutrients in the finished compost to that which sustained the plants in the first place? Give or take a bit of leaching from the bottom of the heap.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
There should be some nutrients @LunarSea, as discussed above and mentioned in the RHS article. Some people add animal manures, some even add animal derived fertilisers to help boost the decomposition and that has an effect on the finished product. It's all about what you want to do. I like the fact that everything I add came from here, and I know exactly what's in it, unlike with some manures, which contain whatever the animal has been given, and sometimes the herbicides sprayed on to their grazing. There's no need for pedantry in composting, but some people just enjoy adding it, and I suppose it's one use for it at the end of the day. Add what you have, experiment,it's all your garden compost by the time it's finished 🙂
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This was the first test I did using this kit:
This is the home made compost result:
This was bought compost:
They're similar, but the home made one has darker colours indicating it has more nutrients in it.
Test two:
There are root veg which don't play well with rich soils, these are parsnips, carrots and radishes.
For the test I chose radish as it's a quick and easy crop to grow, it needs a poorer soil to be successful. I planted a whole pot sink full of them in home made compost. The crop was terrible, all growth on top and barely any small radishes, just thin roots.
This was because the compost was too rich in nutrients.
Any plant which can be, will be grown in it here. Either 100% or mixed with some old shop bought rubbish i've got left or ordinary soil.
I've had so much veg this year I've been giving it away to neighbours and selling it to the locals via our FB page.
Personally i'd mix it in with equal amounts of brown and mix it into your compost as you have none in there.
If it's chicken poo it can go directly onto plants any time of the year, if it's cow then I would lean to putting on the ground now and letting nature do it's job over Winter (it'll finish off composting it if needed and wash it into the ground).
Some will say it could wash in and right through the ground though.
Even 2% of nitrogen, phosphate or potash is good in my opinion especially as it's been made on site, not manufactured, packaged and transported.
Keep doing what you're doing if it is giving good results.
It's a natural product, benefitting your garden, crops and ecosystem, with good nutrient levels in your case.
It's all good..
If not it is truly remarkable stuff.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Some people add animal manures, some even add animal derived fertilisers to help boost the decomposition and that has an effect on the finished product.
It's all about what you want to do. I like the fact that everything I add came from here, and I know exactly what's in it, unlike with some manures, which contain whatever the animal has been given, and sometimes the herbicides sprayed on to their grazing.
There's no need for pedantry in composting, but some people just enjoy adding it, and I suppose it's one use for it at the end of the day.
Add what you have, experiment,it's all your garden compost by the time it's finished 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4APqcvo-gqE&t=314s