All About Tree Compost
The best reason to learn all about tree compost is so that you no longer have to spend money on expensive fertilizers and soils; you’ll be able to turn waste into healthy soil for free! Tree composting organically reuses natural decaying materials to form sustainable, nutrient-rich soil, all from your own backyard. Instead of burning leaves, which is illegal in many states and harmful to the environment, or transporting bags of leaves to a processing facility, composting creates a fresh supply of soil to help beautify your garden.
A compost bin is not necessary, but is useful and easy to make or purchase. Constructed typically out of chicken wire, a compost bin should have air access for oxygenation, but also a way for you to turn the materials. Be sure to keep your compost pile away from houses and wood structures, as composting can decay wood.
The most crucial part to successful composting is having a mixture of nitrogenous and carbon-rich materials. Nitrogen materials are typically green and moist, such as leaves, grass clippings, weeds, and even scraps from the kitchen. The nitrogen helps nourish the bacteria that speed up the composting process, but with nitrogen must come a carbon supply. Carbon-rich materials are usually dry or brown materials, such as autumn leaves, hay, or newspaper shreds. Your compost should have more wet materials than dry materials, enough so that if you squeeze the compost, water will drip. If there is too much moisture, simply add more dry materials. The most efficient composting is achieved with several inch-thick layers of wet and dry materials. Add manure from horses or cows as a good source of nitrogen and moisture, speeding up the process of composting. After all the materials are added, a full composting cycle will take four to eight weeks. During this time, turn the compost mixture every 4 days. The product can be used in yard plantings, all for little cost.
