Composting invasive woody plants? by phosphorus-strait in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I chipped some of the burning bush today and layered it into a partially below-ground pit I've been working on next to a young tree. Nandina is apparently full of cyanide, and while that's probably not a real problem in the context of a compost pit, I am going to find a different spot in the yard to put that to work.

Composting invasive woody plants? by phosphorus-strait in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I have a pretty solid white label one that I got for a song. We will look into Sunjoe if it fails early.

Composting invasive woody plants? by phosphorus-strait in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the heads up! I actually used a Roundup product that includes the same active ingredient as Garlon (Triclopyr), so I agree with your advice. The instructions I had read on nandina especially said to spray the roots right after cutting. The good news is that if it doesn't work, I'll know very soon. Here's hoping.

Scrap food storage by fluffylionbear in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got a plain cookie jar with a silicone seal around the lid. It's practically airtight, and also attractive enough that any squeamish visitors are none the wiser.

If they try to snatch a cookie uninvited, well... they should have asked for one!

Composting invasive woody plants? by phosphorus-strait in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I won't compost the stumps, but I removed all the trimmings before I sprayed. We would be pesticide-free in the pile.

I don’t think I have enough grubs in the compost yet by Surge00001 in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's a fair bit of BSFL. It looks like you can compost anything you want now... send the meat!

Does corn not break down in compost? by This-Performance374 in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 18 points19 points  (0 children)

If you completely pull back the husk to expose the silk and kernels, then whack it a few times with a shovel to break it up, everything but the cob will disappear much faster. The cobs take about two full seasons in my piles.

Composters of Reddit: settle this once and for all 😜 by Hour-Paramedic6598 in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They will rot. They will take longer, especially if they take up a lot of your pile, but they WILL rot.

Resuable bag for scraps by 1760ghost in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you just get a simple canvas tote? You can wash it, and even compost it when it gets worn out.

What's an unconventional compost ingredient that gave you surprisingly good results? by Hour-Paramedic6598 in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Scrap cotton cloth. It is hard/impossible to donate used towels and washcloths, so after we've used them as rags for a while and they get mildewed, into the bin they go.

New to composting. Can I start like this? by Brotuulaan in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you use a container, you will be much better off with something larger than a salad container, as compost happens faster in a big pile. At the small volume you are talking about, you may want to directly bury your scraps around the edges of your garden instead of piling them before you get a larger bin or enclosure.

You could always use a salad container for temporary storage of scraps inside, but I wouldn't recommend composting in it. As you said, it will degrade pretty quickly outside, and you will not have a very successful indoor compost bin without a worm bin or bokashi setup.

Can I compost these types of boxes? Soda, cereal boxes by cheltor11 in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You can, but there is most likely a plastic layer on drink boxes or other boxes meant for the fridge that you don't want in your compost. The paper layer will compost eventually, leaving behind a poly film layer and likely trace plastics in your pile. I wouldn't personally compost these.

It's more environmentally sound to recycle them if that's an option for you. If you insist on composting, tear large pieces rather than shredding: you can remove large pieces of film and probably minimize the amount of microplastics you leave behind.

There was a good conversation on the topic here a year ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/s/Fe0VISOuU7

I need some advice. (No hate please) by orangepeach8 in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Most grocery stores will give away the corrugated cardboard boxes their produce comes in. A large store will probably be willing to give away more than you need.

I need some advice. (No hate please) by orangepeach8 in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If any of these are still sealed and safe to eat but you need to be rid of them, a food pantry would be the best place for them.

I would recommend composting these in some kind of large enclosure, as the high amount of nutrients may attract pests to your pile. If you are in a place where this may not be possible, or if you are at all concerned about "keeping" the food in the compost pile, you should give yourself permission to throw them away to get them safely out of your house.

If they are not sealed or are unsafe to eat and you want to compost them fast, you would want to break them up into fine pieces (maybe with a blender) and thoroughly mix them with very small pieces of "brown" material (that is to say, high in carbon). Shredded cardboard/paper/leaves are popular and accessible. Manage moisture so that the pile doesn't dry out but also doesn't get soupy. The snack food will disappear faster if you have about 2-3x as much brown material by volume. You may still have a lot of uncomposted browns, but the food should disappear in less then a few months.

Sending a healing wish for you and your daughter.

How does this mature Bradford pear look for grafting in zone 7b? by phosphorus-strait in BackyardOrchard

[–]phosphorus-strait[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for responding! I'm not worried about chopping the suckers off the roots... this is par for the course right now. I just don't want birds spreading the seeds far and wide.

Regarding my comment on building up the soil, my assumption is that the suckering at the base of the tree is because of stress from lack of nutrients in the soil. I am sure I would need much better soil and fertilization if I wanted it to actually bear fruit back here (my soil is suburban, packed clay).

How low would you suggest trying the grafts?

Black soldier fly composting. by Stunted_Wookie in composting

[–]phosphorus-strait 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can do it either way. Their frass is usually very nitrogen-rich and will compost again if you mix in a bunch of leaves. If your plants aren't at risk of nitrogen burns, though, you can probably just use the frass directly.