Compost from scraps

Ok, So I have a compost pile consisting mainly of leaf scraps, leftovers from bubblebags, spent rootballs, and coco coir starter plugs. Every harvest all the scraps and one coco coir plug go into the pile when I'm done. What else am i going to need to add to this to get good compost? What ratios? Every so often I like to mix this and some water that has sit for a day and shake the crap out of it. Then I pour it back into the compost pile. I noticed that the water coming out of this is almost as high a ph as my tap water. Why is this? What do I need to do to correct this?

General rule of compost is 3 parts brown waste (fallen leaves, tea bags, coffee grounds, twigs, newspaper and cardboard etc) to one part green waste (grass clippings, fresh leaves etc). Remember that green waste fast becomes brown waste (i.e. month old grass clippings) so add it when fresh. Also, mix it with up weekly.with a garden fork and avoid adding grass clippings as clumps, but sprinkle in as mixing. I used to bury a cardboard box in the centre of my pile to increase the oxygen. The water may well be worth saving to use as compost tea/fertilizer after Ph adjustment. Also, a few worms thrown in help.

I'm trying to go all organic, so what natural ways are there to correct the ph?

You probably just have hard water... minerals dissolved in your tap water (calcium carbonate and others) account for it having a basic pH. Go out and buy yourself a huge bale of sphagnum peat moss (even Lowes often has these), it'll contribute acidity and also counts as brown material. Mix in a few layers of sphagnum with your grass clippings or other greens and see where that gets you. You shouldn't have to worry about it too much though.

Also if you brew compost\humus\earthworm castings you can spray it on the pile to stimulate decomposition and increase the biodiversity of the micro-organisms in the pile (which will attract other biota). Even plain blackstrap at a couple teaspoons per gallon will stimulate the microbes in the pile. Blackstrap mixed with the water will also lower its pH some but there isn't really any need to apply it all the time.

THANK YOU!!!! Amazingly helpful!!

Or orange juice or vinegar will drop pH

I would not worry about the pH of run off in a compost pile. As the components all decompose it will often regulate its self. This pH imbalance is a natural part of the composting process. Now I always add a little lime toward the end, for me I add quite a bit since I use a lot oak leaves which need the lime adjust it. Test it when its done and use dolomite lime to adjust the pH the end.

Apologies for calling potential Hydrogen Ph insead of pH. This is, after all, a science and should be treated as such if we want to move forwards.

cues said:

Apologies for calling potential Hydrogen Ph insead of pH. This is, after all, a science and should be treated as such if we want to move forwards.

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Its one of the few things I seem to spell right. I just dont worry about testing run off in my compost. If you really want to know how much lime to add to adjust pH. This spring it should be composted fairly good. Take a sample and have it test as a soil sample at your agriculture extention office, $15-35 dollar bur its well worth it.

If doing organic soil, I believe the microlife will largely dictate / control pH regardless of your water pH efforts. Just go with it.

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/QR/QRToC.html

Free online book on composting. It's SHORT, THOROUGH and a great little story. If you're serious about organic soil, this book is a real treat.

I still have some questions. So say I cut down a plant, do i add the plant matter right away? Or do I wait for it to dry? As for the rootball, same thing, do I let it dry out, or do I chop it up and add it right away to the pile. Brown stuff constitutes as anything plant that is dried correct? and vice versa with the fresh green stuff? Just trying to get the specifics. The ultimate goal is to be able to use only previous grows as the nutrients for the future grows in a drip system.

You can do either. Adding green and it's a nitrogen component. Add it in a few weeks when dry and crumbly brown and it's a carbon component. I'd rather add it to the compost pile now and get the evidence gone.

You might find the no-till system interesting. This is building a natural organic soil from compost. When the plant is done, cut it and plant another. Add compost, EWC and ACT along the way. A 30 year study demonstrates that this is actually higher producing than standard chem fert. SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive. I can't see why more growers aren't running to this concept. I have guessed it's because they don't know or can't do compost.

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/fst30years

So basically depending on the conditions of the plant matter determines when i need to add it to the pile as long as it's in the correct brown/green ratio. Thank you! I asked a lot of questions because I wanted to be thorough. And my sentiments exactly. Sustainability. I have all plants on a cycle so I have an endless supply of organic plant matter. I want to use whatever i make in a drip system using hydroton. No soil for me. I was also looking up fermenting the compost to try and see if I can get a more liquid mixture but i couldn't really find anything.

I used my last hydroton this past spring. I'm doing all soil now. I'm very happy. The plants are happy, the soil micro-life is happy. Without soil you will likely only ever have just a few microbes able to survive without constant re-inoculation

Rrog said:

If doing organic soil, I believe the microlife will largely dictate / control pH regardless of your water pH efforts. Just go with it.

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/QR/QRToC.html

Free online book on composting. It's SHORT, THOROUGH and a great little story. If you're serious about organic soil, this book is a real treat.

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Great post, ty for sharing!

I forgot to mention that this is small scale being done in a bucket indoors. And the only materials I'm trying to use are what I get from the plants throughout the grow. Does anyone think this will be sufficient? Or will it be absolutely necessary to add other materials?

sonik said:

Does anyone think this will be sufficient?

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No. You'll wind up with a mold pile. You need to add carbon and lot of time. There may be some small volume composting setup online somewhere.

even if i let the materials dry out and turn brown?

You need to go read an article on compost

I have, I'm still confused. The way it's sounding is that technically I could only use leaves as the compost as long as the fresh/dead ratio is right, without having to add extra outside sources.