Wednesday, April 1, 2009

More details on Composting

Composting is like cooking and to get the mix to cook aerobically (requiring air), a Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (C:N) of 30:1 is needed.

See the following table to get an idea of C:N different materials contain.
Material C:N
  1. Vegetable wastes 16:1 (avg)
  2. Coffee grounds 20:1
  3. Grass clippings 19:1 (avg)
  4. Cow manure 20:1
  5. Horse manure 25:1
  6. Poultry manure 10:1
  7. Foliage 55:1 (avg)
  8. Corn stalks 60:1
  9. Straw 70:1 (avg)
  10. Bark 115:1 (avg)
  11. Paper 175:1 (avg)
  12. Wood chips & sawdust 300:1 (avg)
This will give you an idea of what to add to get the compost to cook aerobically (needs air).
This information came from Composting to Reduce the Waste Stream, Northeast Regional Agric. Eng. Service Cooperative Extension

No comments:

Post a Comment

We are no longer reading comments on this blog or posting new stories here. To contact us, leave us a comment, or read new posts, please visit us at our new blog, http://citizensforsustainability.wordpress.com. Thank you.