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The biggest advantage of shellfish compost is in soils infested with root-knot nematodes. Root-knot nematodes attack the roots of tomatoes, peppers, and many other vegetables, forming galls that restrict the uptake of nutrients. Affected plants are stunted, and produce inferior fruit.
Shellfish compost is rich in chitin, which forms the shells of shrimp, lobsters, and crabs. Adding shellfish compost to soil produces a proliferation of chitin-eating bacteria. Once the bacteria have eaten all the chitin from the shellfish compost, they attack the next largest source of chitin--the outer coatings of nematodes.
Shellfish compost only has this effect in warm soil temperatures, when bacteria proliferate freely. It also takes a few months to boost chitin-eating bacteria populations, but over time, nematode populations decline. Southern gardeners with nematode problems, pay attention.
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Best compost for your lawn?
Their really is not 'a best type of compost' it is really all the same. Any thick black compost is good for the lawn.
Does using compost in gardens also encourage the growth of weeds?
Most certainly. Weeds are simply plants in the wrong place - your flowers, shrubs and vegetables are plants in the right place - they could be weeds somewhere else! If you buy commercial compost in bags, the chances are it has been effectively sterilised and shouldn't contain seeds or plants which will germinate (no guarantees, though!). If you make your own compost (this is a good idea) you should be aware of what goes into it because it will often grow the plants you put into it. Lawn clippings will guarantee grass growing amongst your flowers and vegetables for instance, and kitchen waste will produce lots of seedlings from pumpkin, tomato, watermelon, avocado, etc. It's best to make your compost in a bottomless tub so that worms will get into it and break down the organic material. Worms will also add powerful nutrients to the compost. The longer you can leave it before you use it, the fewer unwanted plants will come out of it. I use 2 compost bins, and when one is full, I leave it for several months. Then I remove the bin and leave the pile open for a few weeks. This allows the seeds in it to germinate, and you can chop these plants up before you scatter the compost on your garden. The benefits of using compost far outweigh the problems. Compost feeds the plants, improves the soil with organic material and it also acts as mulch to retain water and protect roots close to the surface. Compost also encourages worms, which are very good for the garden. If your compost smells really bad, the balance of kitchen waste to other organic material (e.g. newspaper, leaves, lawn clippings and mulched twigs and branches) is wrong, or you've included meat or fish scraps. Add lots of the drier organic material, and turn the compost with a fork to mix it up and it should get better. You're aiming for it to just smell 'earthy'. If there aren't any worms in the mix (quite unlikely, in most places), or not very many, you can buy a box of live worms from a garden centre to put in with your compost. Leaves of Comfrey mixed in with compost can also improve the process to make your compost quicker.
How can compost be used?
Gardeners tend to have three main uses for compost. Specifically, the dark brown, fresh-smelling, organic matter rich soil may be used as mulch, natural fertilizer, or soil amendments. Any one of the three uses adds nutrients to soil and improves soil structure by encouraging air and water pore spaces. Improved air and moisture movement means improved well being of the soil food web below ground, and of plants above and below ground. Such are the ways in which compost may be used, be it outside wherever the need may be, or inside with houseplants.In contrast to the above case of garden compost is the term potting compost. The latter is what is sold in local garden centers. It's a mixture to which fertiilzer is added. It may be used for growing seeds or plants in pots.
Can you put Vegemite in the compost pile?
Yes I wouldn't through a whole jar in but a Vegemite sandwich no worries. It's a yeast product I have seen some permaculture discussions where they water it down with Manuka honey and use the liquid as a compost
Why compost with worms?
they eat it and poo it out so compost is really poo so is mud
What will compost well?
Banana skins, coffee grounds, egg shells, tomatoes, apple cores (no seeds), leaves, weeds, and any foods that can be grown will compost well. The compost worms (a tiger worm unlike garden worms) really love cardboard and newspaper. Some things should not be composted, such as flax leaves, or troublesome weed plants.
What is elephant poop made of?
You can compost it. It will make really good compost for your plants.
Is human urine really a compost activator?
Yes studies have shown that urine is a compost activator.
Where are shellfish caught?
On a piece of dry land without any shellfish
Do you believe organic food is really organic?
Yes it is really Organic
Why compost is a good thing?
Plants love compost, the earth loves compost. It's a controlled decomposition resulting in the most efficient recycling process available for general organic matter. When one keeps the pile aerated, thus the decomposition anaerobic, keeps the pile within a carbon:nitrogen ration of about thirty parts carbon to one part nitrogen, thus ensuring more of the matter will be left over as physical matter, fully decomposed and stablized, humus (finished compost) is what plants look for in soil, it is really concentrated with nutrients. Best fertilizer on earth, organic, free, and you can never add too much of it to the soil. The more you add, the more fertile and healthy the soil gets. Also, when compost is finished, it represents a fairly large amount of gases that would have been created by the sort of decomposition that landfills foster. Anaerobic over-nitrogenous decomposition creates a lot of methan, carbon dioxide, ammonia (piss smell), hydrogen, and probably a little of a few others. Composting converts all that carbon to something stable and inert, good for the soil, instead of greenhouse gases you put that carbon in the ground and the earth is happy. COMPOST IS GOLD FOR A GARDEN AND FUN AS GRAVY. VEGAN GRAVY.
Are organic foods from Argentina really organic?
If a food is sold as organic in the United States, it is likely that it is really organic, though there is no way to be 100% sure.
