The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Gardens => Topic started by: Guy on January 25, 2009, 07:19:43 pm
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when going through my compost bin - i noticed some grass cuttings which had not rotted down but turned into some awful slime :o is there anything practical you can do with grass cuttings(other than throw them into the neighbours field!!!) or a more effective way to compost them??
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Get geese? they'll eat the grass so no need to mow?
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didnt realise they ate grass , but i think my dog may eat the goose!!!!! :D ( seriously though, i dont have enough room for any more livestock , thanks though ;))
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hello Guy,
you can just break up the clumps into smaller bits and mix it with other material , such as straw , and re compost it . All that has happened is it has got squished in the heap and has gone anaerobic ie starved of air. Well mixed with other stuff it will rot down really well . Grass cuttings are good if you have lots of straw to rot down . You can rot it down in sealed rubbish bags too ,anaerobic composting !!!Trouble with this way of doing it , is it takes longer to rot down , and can still stink like billyo when you open it after six months or more. The secret to composting is mix well , and that way you get an even rotting process. Don't throw it over next doors field mate ... chuck the slugs over there .... :o ::) :D
cxheers
Russ
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Cheers Russ ,
I'll "re-invest" it this week then , Ive tried that with the slugs , but i think they're homing ones...grrrrr :D
hope all is well with you?
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no probs Guy,
everything is ok here so far thanks mate. The car is off the road at the moment so I am having to walk the 2.5 miles to the land to feed the horses. Not really that far I know ...but it is uphill all the way and whatever I do at the land I have to remember I have 2.5 miles to walk back home again.... ::) Still 45 mins there and the same back isn't too bad, the the romans used to walk a league ( 3 miles ) in an hour, so I am not that far off ... But I couldn't do it all day though .....well I could go much further if it was flat.... ;D Walking in the howling wind and pouring rain is a real pain though ...I hate it !!!! On nice days it is lovely walking ( after the lactic acid has gone and the pain with it ....) Some people do not give you enough room to walk though .. I have been up the bloody hedge a few times , trying to miss some pr*tt who doesn't even see me ... I have two of my dogs with me as well , so I make sure everytime I hear a car we get right out of the way . Anyway , waiting for the good weather now , so I can get sowing again.....
cheers
Russ
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i reckon 2.5 miles is far enough mate ( didn't realise you had to travel to your land) and dint forget , the Romans were mad!!!!!!!!!! people can be inconsiderate when driving - all in too much of a rush. amen to the good weather
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take your grass cutting and put them in a dustbin or something similar with a lid....wheels preffered!! (ie wheelie bin!!)
Add water to the top and leave.... continue to top up if and when required with water, though with a lid on there is very little evaporation...... after two or so months of Summer (if we get one) open lid, enjoy the smell and spread on veggie patch...... my brussel sprouts love it and grow at an amazing rate....i'm sure it will work just as well on other veg and Roses!!
Enjoy! ;)
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would you fill bin to the top with grass first , then add water? what consistancy should it be when "cooked?"
thanks for idea
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You can do the same with any weed, even dock and couch grass roots (and of course nettles and comfrey). After a few months it is all dead and turns into lovely nutritious smelly fertiliser. All you (and me!) need is lots and lots and lots of containers (old council bins with a lid are great).
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Yes Guy...fill the container to the brim with grass and weeds, then add the water to the brim, every week or two top up the water and give it a good stir with a big stick..... trust me ...you'll struggle yo get a better fertiliser!!
A council wheelie bin is idea.... phone up and ask for a gress clippings bin/garden waste bin..they should supply it for free, and then use that... but don't put it out to be emptied...they'll get a nasty surprise!!!
;)
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id already thought of starting a comfrey bed with a view to make liquid fertiliser - these tips should help to bulk it all out until i get the comfrey underway!! :)
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I put several layers of newspaper down in areas I don't want to weed (between the rows of raspberries... round the rhubarb...) and cover with 2 or 3 inches of grass cuttings. They do the trick for the spring/summer, then I either put the lot on the compost heap - if it's not already rotting down - or dig in in situ.
Thanks for the fertilizer idea. I already use comfrey liquid but always need more!
Cheers, carole
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Use them directly in the garden for fertiliz(s)er...thin layers as follows.
From Mother Earth News..."In most regions just a half-inch of fresh clippings each spring — that’s about six 5-gallon buckets per 100 square feet — mixed into the soil, or a 1- to 2-inch layer used as a surface mulch, will provide all the nutrients most crops need for a full season of growth." Full article at http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-04-01/Build-Better-Soil-Free-Organic-Fertilizer.aspx?page=2
Picture from my garden
(http://www.redbayfarm.com/images/clippings2.JPG)
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Yes Guy...fill the container to the brim with grass and weeds, then add the water to the brim, every week or two top up the water and give it a good stir with a big stick..... trust me ...you'll struggle yo get a better fertiliser!!
A council wheelie bin is idea.... phone up and ask for a gress clippings bin/garden waste bin..they should supply it for free, and then use that... but don't put it out to be emptied...they'll get a nasty surprise!!!
;)
this method also makes a great tomato feed if you do it with nettles.
get your wheelie bin, fit a tap on the bottom, fill with nettles and water, regularly stir and top up with water and then drain off some liquid fertilizer for toms, chillis, peppers even strawberries
i wonder how it would do for my lawn. i've cut the turf away from a few large sections and relaid it elsewhere, it's still knitting together just now but i could do with it hurrying up!!!!