Re: a composting experiment

Dear Patrick:
	Manure is great stuff, especially if you can compost it in a way which
will retain it's potenial. Keeping the greatest amount of nitrogen in the
manure is the greatest trick.  The ammonia smell is nitrogen being lost.
	Actions taken, if you smell ammonia from your pile, depends upon how bad
it is; 1.)  it needs more air - turn the pile,  2.)  it needs more carbon
material added to the pile, add shreaded leaves, straw, anything brown  3.)
 the pile got to hot to fast - cool it down by smoothering the pile with a
couple of inches of clay.  The clay will also absorb the exscaping
Nitrogen.  If it is real bad, use cheap cat litter which is very absorbant
clay. 4.) all the above.
	Turning manure directly into the soil is a good way to add organic mater
to grain fields, however, it is the least effective means of improving the
fertility of a vegetable garden.  If you've got manure - compost it then
add it to the garden to maximize it.
	Composting this time of year, in the winter, is impossible in the norther
latitudes.  If you live in the south or west coast or have mean
temperatures near 50 degrees, you can compost.
	Composted manure is not acidic, the process turns just about everything
imaginable neutural.  Uncomposted wood chips, saw dust, etc, will leach
acid.  However, once composted it is neutral.
	Most experts say not to add lime to an active compost pile.  The lime
creates some kind of chemical reaction with the benefical biological
chemicals present in the pile.  Again the end result, the finished compost
will be neutral.
Add lime in the fall or winter to soil which has been tested and the
results say it is to acidic.  Add only the amount recomended by the test
results.
Michael in Akron
mcohill@neo.lrun.com	
----------
> From: PatFishman <PatFishman@aol.com>
> To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
> Subject: Re: a composting experiment
> Date: Saturday, January 10, 1998 8:25 PM
> 
> Michael,
> The cow composted the green and brown stuff and left it on the dairy
floor in
> some sawdust.  The farmer put this mixture in a manure spreader; I
shoveled
> out of the spreader into my truck.  When I turn it, I smell ammonia.  It
> doesn't seem to me that there is more than 10-15% sawdust.  I would bet
that
> it is acidic.  Should I wait a year to use it or rototill it into the
garden?
> Should I mix some pulverized lime into it?  My plan was to rototill it in
next
> spring around March.  I was thinking about getting some worms to put in
next
> spring.  Should I mix some oak leaves or straw into the manure?
> These grand seeds have been granted to a neophyte.
> Patrick
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