COMPOST

Articles In This Section:

· PLANT FOODS

· ANALYSIS OF PLANT ASH

· ORGANIC WASTE MATTER

· MAJOR PLANT FOOD ELEMENTS

· MINOR PLANT FOOD ELEMENTS - Part 1

· MINOR PLANT FOOD ELEMENTS - Part 2

· FOLIAGE FEEDING

· SOIL ACIDITY OR ALKALINITY

· HUMUS AND ANIMAL MANURES - Part 1

· HUMUS AND ANIMAL MANURES - Part 2

· VEGETABLE MANURES

· COMPOST

· LIQUID MANURES

World-wide experiments with inorganic plant foods, animal excreta, green crops, and compost invariably lead to the conclusion that compost is infinitely superior to the others. The object of composting is to make a humus of high plant food value. The best humus is made by composting animal and vegetable matter together. In nature the relationship between the two types is less than i to 9, and most of the vegetable matter is old and discarded by the plants. In our home composting we tend to reverse these figures. Most gardens are given nearly all animal matter, and the vegetable matter consists mostly of young matter-hedge and lawn clippings, flowers, kitchen waste, and such. From a purely chemical angle humus is the perfect plant food, for it contains all the necessary plant food elements in organic form and in well-balanced proportions, and vastly improves soil texture and resistance of plants to disease, heat, and cold. There should be a large compost heap in every garden, and no pains should be spared in gathering matter for it from as widely scattered sources as possible.

The heap should be built on well-drained, bare earth, and if possible all sides should be exposed to air. No one type of matter should be placed in very thick layers, the layers should be interspersed with soil, and each few inches should be very lightly sprinkled with lime, ashes, or dolomite. The heap should be turned, by forking, after about three weeks. If it is too dry it must be lightly watered during the turning, and if too wet more soil and a small quantity of ashes should be added. It must be completely re-covered with a thin layer of soil. Excessive wetness means putrefaction with gaseous loss of food as well as leaching away of the most soluble foods, particularly nitrogen and potassium. All chemical fertilizers, disinfectants, newsprint, and coal ash should be kept out of the heap. A well-managed heap will not be offensive and will not attract flies. Compost should be spread in August and January. When growing roses for show purposes, light applications of forcing liquid manures made from blood-and-bone, animal manures with sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of soda, ammonium phosphate, and other chemicals can be added to the soil at regular intervals as the season progresses.