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Blog ● المدونة

New Compost Batch

by Alzainah Albabtain on Oct 24 2011

Here is a new compost batch that I started last month, its getting well watered and turned. I add layers of grass clippings (C+N), then kitchen scraps(N), then wood shavings (C), this way the dry wood shavings mask the scent of the fruits and vegetables which will attract less insects. The reason my grass clippings are N+C is because I leave them in the sun for about 2 weeks before I put them in the bin, this way the dried brown grass reacts with the still fresh grass to make fast compost. [/caption] You can see that the wood shavings take longer to compost than the grass and kitchen scraps. Im also making new compost tea to water and spray the plants with.

Blog ● المدونة

Steeped Compost Tea

by Alzainah Albabtain on Oct 11 2011

Compost in any form is a plant's idea of gourmet health food. Made into tea, it's the ideal liquid fertilizer, especially for young plants. Compost tea helps plants grow stronger and more productive and, evidence suggests, can protect against disease. The tea can be sprayed on the plants or used instead of water for a soil drench. I'm making compost tea the inexpensive and simple way, make sure you're using non-chlorinated water. 1- Empty about a cup and a half of mature compost into an old sock. 2- tie the sock. 3- toss it in a bucket of water, here I am recycling an Rawdatain plastic water gallon. 4- stir the mixture 5- keep stirring it as often as you can for a couple of days, stirring allows oxygen to enter the mixture in order for aerobic bacteria to do their job. Update: Here is the compost tea two days later: It smells a little sweet and earthy, no bad smell at all!

Blog ● المدونة

Almost there!

by Alzainah Albabtain on Aug 12 2011

Here is an update on my compost, the compost is not completely finished but it is almost there. Compost is finished when the original items in the compost are no longer recognizable. I can certainly say that about mine, since I can no longer see the newspapers, orange and lemon peels or watermelon rinds, but there is still more time to wait, since some paper items are still visible because carbon rich items take longer to decompose than nitrogen rich ones. The bins don't smell at all and only need water every couple of days since it's so hot. It keeps shrinking and shrinking, and in the end will be dark, crumbly, and ready to feed your plants. This compost is only a month old and already on the way to becoming done! So what are you waiting for? go start your own bins now and recycle your way to a healthy garden!

Blog ● المدونة

Compost

by Alzainah Albabtain on Jul 31 2011