I think it worked in our bins because it was several contributions stored in an old watering can ( which can be a bad thing....) The odd wee added when nature calls might not be as effective. Freshly mown grass is an excellent accelerator if you have enough of it.
I have always used direct application, but my heaps cannot be overseen by anybody. I try and add fresh grass every few layers of the heap, and I also add it to my leaf mould piles, where it seems to speed up decomposition.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Back in my smallholding days we had access to lots of goat droppings from my herd of dairy goats ... their droppings are a marvellous compost activator. Then, when I moved to Norfolk I worked with a person who kept and bred Show Cavies. She had quite a few, and their poo is probably one of the best activators I've ever come across ... (and no weed seeds) ... once a week she would bring me the 'clearings' from her cavies' cages in a black bin bag and leave it in the shade under my car in our office car park when she came in to work ... when I left for the day I'd pop it in my car boot, bring it home and tip it onto the middle compost bin. Marvellous!
It did cause consternation on one occasion tho' ... because of the nature of our work we had security keeping an eye on us and our cars ... a new security guard was most concerned about the suspicious bag left under my car and was about to call the Bomb Squad ... until his colleague who was used to our strange ways realised what was happening and put him straight. 🤣
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My former father in law used it sometimes ... but I remember him saying that the compost was fine with or without it. I've never bothered .with it .. I've always found that using a good mix of 'stuff' and the three bay method, I've never found I needed to. Their website speaks of it containing all sorts of microbes and fungal ingredients, but it seems to me that my heaps have always developed those all by themselves ... as for chitin ... isn't that made from beetles? ... plenty of beetles found their way into my heaps
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Has anyone used Garotta (sp) and if so what are your views on it?
I think that's what Urine is a replacement for. It gives a dose of available nitrogen to the microorganisms when a heap is new and hasn't yet started to decompose.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
their droppings are a marvellous compost activator. Then, when I moved to Norfolk I worked with a person who kept and bred Show Cavies. She had quite a few, and their poo is probably one of the best activators I've ever come across ... (and no weed seeds)
I can believe it..a friend of mine used to breed Flemish Giants. Their poo & bedding was the only thing that used get my usually luke warm heaps (at best) really cooking. It's a pity he stopped.
A while ago I was wondering whether growing something like a lucerne or alfalfa green manure, and then cutting it to add to the compost heap rather than digging it directly into the soil, might be helpful for those of us with smaller gardens who don't have the space to leave the green manure to decompose directly in the ground.
which, as well as talking about the more conventional legume green manures which can be added to a compost heap, and describes the benefits of growing brassicas as they produce so much growth which is not used in the kitchen but which is a huge benefit when added to compost, also states that yarrow (achillea) actually helps in the decomposition which takes place in a compost heap. However it doesn't say 'how' or 'why'.
Anyone have any suggestions why yarrow might be especially useful in composting?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
their droppings are a marvellous compost activator. Then, when I moved to Norfolk I worked with a person who kept and bred Show Cavies. She had quite a few, and their poo is probably one of the best activators I've ever come across ... (and no weed seeds)
I can believe it..a friend of mine used to breed Flemish Giants. Their poo & bedding was the only thing that used get my usually luke warm heaps (at best) really cooking. It's a pity he stopped.
Ooooh! I had a Flemish Giant (and some other rabbits) when I was a child. He was absolutely goooooooorgeous. Such a handsome chap.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Your posts are only removed if you are abusive to fellow posters, which sadly is fairly frequent.
Amazing how one of the most obnoxious posters here has the nerve to make such accusations. This is from one of @punkdoc's earlier posts (directed at @MikeOxgreen) that didn't get removed despite me flagging it & complaining about it. Certainly more abusive than the recent one by @MikeOxgreen that did get removed.
I have always thought you were rude, but this confirms you are stupid too.
I'm really sorry to prolong this @Uff & @Woodgreen but there's a big difference between just shooting from the hip when someone has annoyed you momentarily and the prolonged belittlement that @punkdoc & a couple of other regulars here indulge in.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Posts
Freshly mown grass is an excellent accelerator if you have enough of it.
I try and add fresh grass every few layers of the heap, and I also add it to my leaf mould piles, where it seems to speed up decomposition.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
It did cause consternation on one occasion tho' ... because of the nature of our work we had security keeping an eye on us and our cars ... a new security guard was most concerned about the suspicious bag left under my car and was about to call the Bomb Squad ... until his colleague who was used to our strange ways realised what was happening and put him straight. 🤣
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've never bothered .with it .. I've always found that using a good mix of 'stuff' and the three bay method, I've never found I needed to.
Their website speaks of it containing all sorts of microbes and fungal ingredients, but it seems to me that my heaps have always developed those all by themselves ... as for chitin ... isn't that made from beetles? ... plenty of beetles found their way into my heaps
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I found this
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/growing-plants-for-compost.htm
which, as well as talking about the more conventional legume green manures which can be added to a compost heap, and describes the benefits of growing brassicas as they produce so much growth which is not used in the kitchen but which is a huge benefit when added to compost, also states that yarrow (achillea) actually helps in the decomposition which takes place in a compost heap. However it doesn't say 'how' or 'why'.
Anyone have any suggestions why yarrow might be especially useful in composting?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Amazing how one of the most obnoxious posters here has the nerve to make such accusations. This is from one of @punkdoc's earlier posts (directed at @MikeOxgreen) that didn't get removed despite me flagging it & complaining about it. Certainly more abusive than the recent one by @MikeOxgreen that did get removed.
I'm really sorry to prolong this @Uff & @Woodgreen but there's a big difference between just shooting from the hip when someone has annoyed you momentarily and the prolonged belittlement that @punkdoc & a couple of other regulars here indulge in.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful