Soil - Lawn - Cactus - Roses - House Plants - Shrubs & Trees - Bonsai - Japanese gardens - Diseases - Compost - Taxonomy - Ferns - Propagation - Landscaping - Home Improvement
How to Make Compost
For a good compost And:, Mulching Roses, Beef Ranches and Farmsheap, the layers of refuse should be 6 to 8 in. thick and should be trodden down moderately firmly. If the material is very dry, water Other resources include:, Care and Cleaning Products, Nutcrackersmay be added before the activator is applied. If you have to use very tough material such as cabbage stumps, it is best to break them up first on a chopping block to pulverize them. They should then be intermingled with grass Also consider:, Life Insurance, Outdoor Resourcesmowings or similar material to help build up heat. More interesting articles:, European Pottery, Insurance in Pennsylvania Healthy Try:, Orchids in the United States, Lawn Spriggingsoft growth, but not woody material, can be included. Woody material should be burnt and the ashes collected, to be stored dry for use as fertilizer. Never burn any soft material unless it harbours soil-borne diseases; to do this is a waste of potential compost. Consider also:, Insurance in Pennsylvania, Peat moss and plants that like lime mowings and cabbage leaves, provide a ventilation shaft by driving a post of 3 or 4 in. diameter into the ground in the centre of the bin or pit, pile the vegetable And:, Decorative Birdhouses, flora20waste around it layer by layer and activate in the normal way. When the heap reaches the correct height pull out the post, thus leaving an air Also consider:, Lawn Rep, Pillowsshaft through the middle, or use a double roll of wire netting about one foot in diameter in place Try:, Rocks and Stones in a Japanese Garden, flora23of the post and leave it in the heap. This is seldom necessary for small heaps but is quite a good practice for heaps that are 12 ft. by 12 ft. or larger. Some gardeners believe that the compost See:, Rose Suckers, flora22heap should be turned at the end of three months, but the heap rots satisfactorily without any attention. It will probably be ready for use at the end of six months, though it need not be used for one, two or more years. If the outsides Also consider:, Shrubs - Rhododendrons, When to Sow Grass Seedshave not rotted down properly, cut them off with a spade, just as the black part of a burnt cake is cut off with a knife, and put them on the reserve compost And:, Life Insurance, Insurance in Pennsylvaniaheap to complete their decay. When the compost Also consider:, Ornamentals - Perennials, flora23is ready to use, it should look like earthy mould or moist peat. It should be dark brown or black, free from any objectionable odour and show no traces of the original materials. Eighty-five per cent of it should pass easily through a in. sifting screen. When it is properly made, compost Consider also:, Insurance in South Dakota, Insurance in Pennsylvaniacan be as valuable as manure, because in addition to containing plant Including:, Brangus Breeders, Gardens in Virginiafood, it is alive with millions of microorganisms. It will also have most of the minor minerals, known as trace elements, which plants Also consider:, flora23, Merino Breedersrequire. What we have described embodies the general principles of compost More interesting articles:, What is soil pH?, Wildlife Foragemaking. Two other methods are sometimes used. The first is as follows: For the small garden Other resources include:, Oversowing Lawn, flora8make a bottomless box to contain a heap 4 ft. by 4 ft., and 3 ft. 4 in. high. Such a heap will provide 2 cubic yds. of good compost, Also consider:, Greens and Flower Associations, flora14 weighing 1 ton. Bolt or screw Also consider:, Prevailing Winds And Planting, Know Your Tree's Soilthree sides of the box together, and make up the front with loose boards slipped into position as the box is filled. Where possible. make a reserve bin. Cut all the vegetable Also consider:, Know Your Tree's Soil, Lawn Spriggingwaste into lengths of a few inches and put it into the box with one third or one quarter of the same volume of manure. Incorporate a little soil Try:, Insurance in Nebraska, Cactus Pests and Diseaseat the same time. If animal manure is not available, use blood and bone or dried blood at the rate of 1 to 2 per cent of the dry vegetable Try:, Bonsai Styles, Shrubs - Rhododendronswaste. When the box is full, make three holes vertically through the mass with an iron bar to improve the supply of air. Try:, Feeding House Plants, When to Sow Grass Seeds Cover the top with sheets of plastic Try:, Transport, Commercial Insurance in Irelandor other material to keep out the rain. After six weeks dig the material out and stack it on a convenient site where it can ripen for another six weeks. Four tons of compost Also consider:, Astrophytum, How to Plant Rosesper year can be made in one of these 1-ton boxes. The second method is to make the bins with old boards (old railway sleepers are excellent, because they are thick and help to retain heat), wire netting or bales of straw. The straw can later be put on the heap. Make the bins 6 ft. by 6 ft. with open ends for ease of access, and intersperse the 6 in. layers of waste with fish More interesting articles:, Lawn Repair, flora11meal, dried sheep or poultry manure at 3 oz. per sq. yd. When available add the urine and excreta from any animals that are kept. Once a week or so, in the summer, Consider also:, Winter Protection for Bonsai, National Association of Professional Insurance Age 3 give the heap a good watering. When it is 4 ft. high plunge a long-tined digging fork into it in several places And:, Belgian Blue, Orchids in the United Statesand move it backward and forward to provide aeration. At the end of six months the heap will be ready. The top 9 in. and the sides may not be fully decomposed so skim them off and put in the reserve bin for further rotting. If the garden Also consider:, Belgian Blue, Nutcrackerssoil is acid, use lime in addition to the fish Go here:, Brangus Breeders, Farming Equipment in New Yorkmanure meal or sheep manure as the activator, at 4 oz. for every 2 cu. ft. of waste. Apply compost Also consider:, Turfgrass, Beef Ranches and Farmsat the rate of at least a large bucketful to the sq. yd. each year. Mix it thoroughly with the topsoil to a depth of 6 to 10 in. with a digging fork or rotary hoe, or apply it as a top-dressing or mulch on the surface of the ground.The worms will pull much of it in, greatly enriching the soil Try:, Huacayas Breeders New Hampshire, flora18as they consume and excrete it. Their tunnels aerate the ground. With the use of compost Including:, European Pottery, Light and House Plantsthe soil And:, Lawn Plugs - Plugging, Companion Planting for Roseswill not dry out so readily, the tilth will be improved and there will be ample humus to feed seedling plants. Go here:, flora14, Light and House s |
   What's Inside
Will lime break up clayey soil? - Although many soils benefit by the application of lime, lime will not alter the structure of the soil to any extent. Better results could be achieved by applying generous applications of stable and cow manure or compost and coarse sand. Turn these in no d... more Repotting Houseplants - Frequent repotting of house plants is unnecessary, and generally plants placed in containers 5 in. or larger in diameter can stay in the same pots for 12 to 18 months. Most kinds will thrive in pots that appear too small for them, and many that have fille... more Grass Seed Mixtures - Cheap mixtures are largely composed of the less permanent grasses, the kinds least costly for the seedsmen or packager to buy. It has to be that way. Good seeds of desirable varieties are comparatively expensive. They cannot be sold to compete with cheape... more Cactus Cultivation - A general rule is that a densely-spined or thick-skinned plant is more able to stand the full sun than a thinly-spined or spineless one which would do better in a more protected position. To enable the plants to breathe more readily in collections that gr... more How to Grow Roses - Most roses will grow and flower with relatively little attention. They will, however, give much better results, increasing in both size and beauty if looked after properly. This extra care is well within the scope of the average gardener, even if he is gr... more Rose Pests and Diseases - Major diseases are black spot, mildew and rust. Black spot may appear at first as yellowish areas on leaves, darkening later. Lower leaves are infected first. Mildew often starts to show on young new foliage as a whitish coating. The leaves curl or become... more Cleaning House Plants - Many house plants belong in the tropics. They tend to lose condition in areas with cool winters and are even more unhappy with the changes of temperature brought about by irregular house heating. When spring comes, they will revive. Some will need repotti... more |