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What Compost Accelerators To Use

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  • 27-07-2010 12:56am
    #1
    C.
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭


    Im a gardener with 1 acre at back of my house. most of my cuttings and branches are put in a pile at the end of the garden.I would like to know what is the best and cheapest method to speed up the breakdown/composting of this material.:rolleyes:


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    #2
    redser7
    Registered Users Posts: 2,730 ✭✭✭redser7


    Keep a plastic bottle nearby, pee in it and sprinkle on. Grass and washed/ chopped up seaweed decompose very fast and create a lot of heat and get things moving.


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    #3
    C.
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭C.


    Thanks for that. i have a septic tank close by so i might tranfer some of that stuff onto the pile:mad: will let u know how i get on .


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    #4
    OldGoat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,637 ✭✭✭✭OldGoat


    I'm not so sure about using the contents of your septic tank but urea is rich in ammonia which will become nitrates and are benifical to the plants. However peeing directly onto the plants is not recomended so peeing onto the compost pile and allowing the ammonia to break down is not a bad idea. I'm not sure how well it will speed up the decomposition proscess though.

    The wood and branches in your pile will take ages to breakdown. Better to keep the woody debris seperate from your other material to speed up the decomposition.

    I'm older than Minecraft goats.



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    #5
    C.
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭C.


    Thank You oldgoat. Can urea/ammonia be bought in a agri supplies concentrated or is it a home produced product and what quantities should it be used at?????I presume it would be added to each 4-5" layer of cuttings..Cheers:confused:


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    #6
    redser7
    Registered Users Posts: 2,730 ✭✭✭redser7


    You can buy boxes of compost accelerator at garden centres. Some of them will have fertiliser mixed in to give the compost a boost. Or you can buy a large bucket of Chicken pellets and chuck a handful in every so often to enrich it. For me though, the point of making my own compost is that it is free and organic. If you are going to spend money on ingrediants then you might be as well off buying ready made compost from a garden centre. Human urine, although fairly unpalatable, really is super stuff. It also contains lots of nitrogen.

    Couple of links that might interest you ...
    http://www.gardenofarticles.com/gardening/compost/things-to-know-about-compost-accelerators/

    http://www.amazon.com/Organica-Compost-Accelerator-Activator-Microbes/dp/B002VS96SG


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