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Banana peels are good for gardens because they contain 42 percent potassium.

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The pandemic and isolation are causing many people to "go bananas," because the phrase "going bananas" probably comes from the earlier idiom of "going ape," meaning acting crazy or wild as apes sometimes do.

Bananas are unusual in many ways, not the least that bananas, like watermelons, botanically speaking, are actually berries, which develop one flower with one ovary and often several seeds. Yes, bananas have seeds, but they are so small and edible that we forget about them.

Because of the oil in them, rubbing the inside of a banana peel on your skin will reduce the itching from mosquito bites and poison ivy. You can even use banana peels to polish silver by rubbing it with the inside of the peel.

The scientific name for bananas is Musa sapientum, which translates as "fruit of the wise men." And you are wise, indeed, to use banana peels as fertilizer.

Banana peels are good for gardens because they contain 42 percent potassium (abbreviated to its scientific name K), one of the three major components of fertilizer along with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and shown on fertilizer labels as NPK. In fact, banana peels have the highest organic sources of potassium.

Potassium aids plants in moving nutrients and water between cells. Potassium strengthens plants' stems and also fights off disease. It is especially important to creating flowers, and even makes fruits (and berries!) taste better. Potassium will even make your plants more resistant to drought. Without enough potassium, plants grow poorly in general. It even increases the protein content of your plants.

In short, potassium helps plants grown for their fruiting and flowering, including rose bushes and fruit trees, rather than plants grown for their foliage, such as spinach, lettuce and Swiss chard.

Banana peels are good fertilizer because of what they do not contain. They contain absolutely no nitrogen. While plants need nitrogen (remember the NPK on fertilizers), too much nitrogen will create lots of green leaves but few berries or fruits. This means potassium-rich banana peels are excellent for plants like tomatoes, peppers or flowers. Banana peels also contain calcium, which prevents blossom end rot in tomatoes. The manganese in banana peels aids photosynthesis, while the sodium in banana peels helps water flow between cells. They even have traces of magnesium and sulfur, elements that help make chlorophyll.

You can simply bury banana peels near your plants where they will release their nutrients as they break down. You can also brew banana peel tea by putting banana peels in a jar and covering with water. Let this steep for a week or two and you will have a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer. Unlike powdered or solid fertilizers, this liquid fertilizer goes directly to the roots and helps the plants immediately. Toss the used peels into a compost heap or bury them in the garden

Make some banana peel tea, and your garden just might go ape for it.

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The pandemic and isolation are causing many people to "go bananas," because the phrase "going bananas" probably comes from the earlier idiom of "going ape," meaning acting crazy or wild as apes sometimes do. Bananas are unusual in many ways, not the...

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Researcher Studies Best Fertilizer for Organic Chile

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Researcher Studies Best Fertilizer for Organic Chile

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She is researching the effects of organic fertilizers on two hybrid long green chile varieties

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Effects of Compost and Compost Tea on Radish Plant Growth

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Effects of Compost and Compost Tea on Radish Plant Growth

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Compost tea is a brewed liquid made from compost and additives are usually added to increase microbial growth.

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Effects of Compost on a Potted Poinsettia

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Effects of Compost on a Potted Poinsettia

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Evaluates the growth of poinsettias cultivated using different types of compost.

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Evaluation of Four Commercial Composts on Strawberry Plant

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Evaluation of Four Commercial Composts on Strawberry Plant

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Composts can have beneficial effects on strawberry production and these benefits can be dependent on the type of compost used.

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Efficiency of garden waste compost teas on tomato growth

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Efficiency of garden waste compost teas on tomato growth

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The use of compost teas is of great interest to sustainable agriculture.

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Effect of tomatoes  in response to organic fertilizers

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Effect of tomatoes  in response to organic fertilizers

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This study was conducted to evaluate the organic fertilizer mixture on the physiological and morphological indices of tomato seedlings under greenhouse conditions.

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Best ingredients for your compost.

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No matter how much you make, there’s never enough compost to go around. So pick your system and get started.

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No matter how much you make, there's never enough compost to go around. So pick your system and get started.

The easiest way of composting is to pile organic material in an open heap. Credit... Bryan Gardner

How's that compost coming?

If you live in a New York City apartment, it may be on hold, because the city has suspended its composting program (although there are workable alternatives). But if you're lucky enough to have a garden of your own, there's no time to lose.

"The answer to so many gardening questions is, typically, 'compost,'" said Daryl Beyers, the author of "The New Gardener's Handbook," published this year. "Whether you're adding it to help improve fertility or water-holding ability: Compost, compost, compost. Until people truly grasp the importance of building healthy soil, they will struggle in the garden."

Encouraging new gardeners to foster healthy, productive soil - and to recycle kitchen and garden waste into compost, as the crux of that effort - is Mr. Beyers's favorite part of the class on gardening fundamentals that he has been teaching at the New York Botanical Garden for 10 years.

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Pit composting, step by step: In spring, dig the first pit, maybe four by four feet, and two feet deep, in a spot where there is room for two similar pits alongside it. Pile the excavated soil to the side to use as inoculant. Credit... Bryan Gardner

Mr. Beyers, who preaches the virtues of soil science in his class and in the free Zoom question-and-answer sessions he has been holding on Mondays at 6:30 p.m., admits there is a certain irony in that. When he took the soil course in college, it didn't go so well. "I did really badly, and almost failed," he said. "And then it turned out to be the most important thing."

He shared some basic composting advice, as well as his favorite system: pit composting, which doesn't require buying or building anything, but rather digging a series of holes in the ground.

It is decayed organic matter, or humus, that improves soil structure and promotes fertility when added to the garden. It does this by making nutrients and water more available to plants, while creating a living soil hospitable to all the essential organisms whose (mostly unseen) job is to recycle.

"Humus happens - composting is going on in every field and forest in the world," Mr. Beyers said. "To support our garden soil, we just have to learn to mimic that process."

In short: Mix green with browns, in roughly equal measure. Green is shorthand for nitrogen-rich materials like fresh grass clippings or the lettuce plants about to bolt. Brown represents those higher in carbon, like dried leaves or twiggy prunings.

Of course, it's not always so obvious, Mr. Beyers acknowledged.

"One of most important lessons is to start to understand what's a green and what's a brown," he said. "The way I explain it to my students: If you let it sit on your kitchen counter for a week, does it start to rot? It's probably green. If it dries up, it's brown." ( A list of ingredients.)

Don't put all of the green - or a mass of any single ingredient - in one big lump. Layer it, and alternate. When Mr. Beyers adds a bowl of kitchen scraps, he tosses a handful or two of shredded paper on top, and then a sprinkling of soil.

You'll know the balance is wrong if compost isn't happening fast enough. Then try adding green. But if there is a funky odor or you see flies, add brown.

Animals may take an interest in a compost pile. A shovelful of soil and some dry leaves or shredded paper on top of food waste is a deterrent, and tumblers (see below) are the most animal-proof device.

Any organic - in other words, living or formerly living - material can be composted, but some of those materials should be left out of home systems.

Don't add meat, dairy, eggs or oily foods. Composted manures from herbivorous farm animals like chickens or cows are welcome; those of carnivorous domestic pets are not. Eggshells and fish bones are neither green nor brown, but they are mineral-rich and can be added.

Mr. Beyers does not add diseased plants or weeds with rhizomes that might re-sprout. "I do compost weeds with seeds," he said, "because the heat of the process makes the seeds unviable."

He also composts uncoated black-and-white paper, like newsprint, junk mail or computer paper, and corrugated cardboard (all considered browns), shredding or tearing it up first.

Coffee grounds - a popular additive among kitchen wastes - are doubly confusing. They're brown in color and don't decay if left sitting out, but are actually a green, rich in nitrogen. As Mr. Beyers said, it takes a little homework.

Any material will break down faster if it's added in smaller pieces. A whole tomato vine will eventually break down, but cut up first, it moves along faster.

Air and just enough moisture are also essential to get microbes working. Sunshine provides the heat.

Site your composting setup "in a place that's not superhot and sunny, but also not dank and shady," Mr. Beyers said. During periods of little or no rain, moisten the compost slightly with the hose.

" Inoculate your pile or bin for free with an occasional shovelful of garden soil, loaded with the microbes that do the work," Mr. Beyers said. "Later, use some of your finished compost."

The tumbler suits urban gardens, or those with limited space. The downside: You can't just keep adding fresh material, or you will never get to harvest anything.

"You add material and tumble, and add more and tumble, but you don't harvest until you've been tumbling a full unit for a few weeks, with no more additions," said Mr. Beyers, who recommends a dual tumbler, or two tumblers. "You fill one up, start tumbling, and then start filling the second."

Closed bins, also called composters, are another small-garden option. But don't put a bin or a tumbler in all-day sun or the heat buildup will harm the microbes.

Open bins, made of wire, wood slats, pallets, concrete blocks or straw bales, are often set up as three compartments, allowing several stages of decomposition. Turning each periodically speeds breakdown. The downside: Unless you're using concrete blocks, you will have to rebuild every few years.

Then compost in a pit. Mr. Beyers started pit composting as a renter, worried his landlord would object to a heap of debris visible to neighbors.

Then he thought, "Why don't I just dig a hole?'" he recalled. "And it ended up working so well that I've re-created it at my own home."

Choose a spot where three pits or trenches of equal size can be dug alongside one another. Start with one, perhaps four by four feet, and two feet deep. Pile excavated soil beside the first pit. Begin adding wastes, like kitchen scraps, dry leaves and soil, then fresh weeds, shredded paper and soil, and so on.

"I continue every time: green, brown, soil; green, brown, soil," Mr. Beyers said.

Start a second pit when the material in the first is about a foot above ground.

The average process in Mr. Beyers's Northeast backyard: "If I start Pit 1 in April, and it's full by July, I dig Pit 2," he said. He fills that until about September, but more material is still to come, and Pit 1 isn't ready yet. "So I dig Pit 3. I fill Pit 3 throughout the winter, and by spring, Pit 3 is full, I harvest Pit 1 and start filling it again. And so on."

The method isn't as fast as a pile you turn or a tumbler, but it can be made smaller or larger as needs change, and it isn't an eyesore.

"Plus, the soil that you dug out is a whole pile of compost starter," Mr. Beyers said.

Pile things up in an open heap - or, more passively still, do sheet composting or sheet mulching. In recent years, sheet composting has become known as lasagna gardening, but it's an old technique, modeled on the way trees' leaves drop and degrade slowly into the soil. Simply place the compostable material in existing or new beds - again, alternating greens and browns.

Unless you have a very big garden and a very big system, demand for compost will exceed supply.

"I'm very particular about who gets the compost," Mr. Beyers said, as even his three-pit system doesn't yield enough homemade stuff. "I'll top-dress my vegetable plants, my dahlias and other flowers, spreading an inch thick around the root zone of each."

He happily harvests whenever finished material is ready. "It could be spring, which is great," he said. "But it could be July, and I put it on then, too, focusing on problem areas, where I want to improve soil over time."

For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

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No matter how much you make, there's never enough compost to go around. So pick your system and get started. How's that compost coming? If you live in a New York City apartment, it may be on hold, because the city has suspended its composting program (although there are workable alternatives).

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Read most compost guides, and you'll be advised you need size to compost effectively.

And this is true - to an extent.

I can attest to this. I used to struggle to get my smaller compost heaps going. But when I built a large compost heap using pallets, I would find, when I turned my heap, that the compost was steaming hot inside.

But there are many variables to compost. And as many people don't have access to a garden, I wanted to find out if there was a way to successfully micro-compost in a small, closed bin.

Particle Size

Volume is one variable that is important in the composting process, but the size of the individual elements of the compost is also important. That's because smaller particles increase the total surface area that microorganisms can feed on.

Indeed, when I am feeling particularly enthusiastic, I will chop up the individual elements of my compost pile with a lawnmower, but most of the time I can't be bothered.

Another element is oxygen. For efficient aerobic composting, the bacteria in compost needs about at least 5% oygen. Some compost methods advise turning your compost on a twice daily basis, but frankly I've got better things with my life than turn 50 cubic feet of compost every two days. In fact, my large compost pile only gets turned twice before use, while No Dig expert Charles Dowding only turns his compost heaps once before use.

But what would happen if you got every element apart from the volume? I decided to find out. And even though conditions could have been more ideal, things are looking good so far.

The Experiment

To conduct the experiment, I took the contents of two food waste bins that I keep at work. These are mostly filled with coffee grounds, blue paper towels and bits of fruit (a handy combination of high carbon and high nitrogen materials). I tipped out the contents on my lawn and chopped them up with a lawnmower, in the process adding a little grass and a few leaves.

That vastly reduced the volume and I added the contents to one of my Bokashi bin. I chose a Bokashi bin as as it allows me to drain off the compost 'tea'. I also added a handful of compost from an existing compost heap in order to introduce helpful bacteria.

To speed things up, I then added some home made compost accelerator, made with alcohol, sugar, hot water and urine.

By now it was autumn, and the days were cooling rapidly. So I placed the Bokashi bin in a greenhouse in order to take advantage of any remaining sun.

I left for a couple of days, and then stirred daily until it got too dark in the evenings to get to the greenhouse. That sounds like a chore, but it only took a minute or so and was a job I could do while watering the green house. After eight weeks, I am now only stirring at the weekend. I also added some tiger worms to help speed the process up.

How did it go?

To start with, I am surprised that the compost did get warm - in fact, I even found the poor worms climbing up the walls of the bin trying to get out. However, I suspect this may have been at least partly down to some warmer autumn days and the fact the compost was in the greenhouse.

Smell's going to be important for people composting indoor. I did get a slightly acidic smell of citrus, due to the presence of orange peel, but this was only when I opened the bin.

The compost also decreased rapidly in size, which suggest that it could be a good solution for people who are short of space. If necessary, you could combine the contents of compost bins to reduce the space being used.

In the early days I was collecting plenty of compost tea, which I put straight into the watering can, watered down and added to the plans. This suggest a Bokashi bin, or any closed bin with a tap for draining off liquid, is a good solution.

The food seems to be well on its way to composting, although the paper towels are taking a bit longer. At the eight week stage, especially given the days are working their ways towards zero degrees, I'm both pleased and surprised at the progress.

Have a look at today's picture, and see what you think!

Not bad for eight weeks in a small container in winter! This container was nearly full originally, but has shrunk to a third of its original size.

How could it have been improved?

I never really expected this experiment to work, so I didn't put too much effort into it. If I repeat the experiment, I'll take more care to get the green/brown ratio right.

In an ideal world, the weather would be warmer, but there's not too much you can do about it!

As mentioned, I used a lawnmower to chop up the compost material. It would be interesting to see if the compost process speeded up if the material was chopped up with a food processor to get an even smaller amount.

One thing that seems to have slowed things down is the blue toilet roll. This gathered together in clumps, and is decomposing slower than the organic material. Shredded paper might work better.

For future experiments, it would be interesting to compare how it works with and without compost accelerator. It might also be interesting to see how compost fares without worms, although given these wriggly helpers can remove pathogens such as E-Coli (source: Science Daily), I might leave out that experiment.

I'm keen to try more experiments - such as truly micro-composting in a jar!

Image at top of post by Allan Handerson

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Can you micro-compost in small bins? We did an experiment - here's what happened... - Compost Magazine

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Read most compost guides, and you'll be advised you need size to compost effectively. And this is true - to an extent. I can attest to this. I used to struggle to get my smaller compost heaps going.

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Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling

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Garden Center Magazine: Composting helps turn raw materials into the valuable, earthy smelling soil conditioner.

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Contents in the present book will comprised various chapters on the role of beneficial bacteria in the composting process.

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The dramatic worldwide increase in agricultural and industrial productivity has created severe environmental problems. Soil and groundwater reservoirs have been polluted with pesticides, xenobiotics and agro-chemicals. The global consensus to reduce inputs of chemical pesticides and agrochemical fertilizers, which are perceived at being hazardous by some consumers, has provided opportunities for the development of novel, benign sustainable crop management strategies.

The future of agricultural depends upon our ability to enhance the productivity without damage to their long-term production potential. One of the strategies is the application of effective microbial products beneficial for both farmers and ecosystems. This kind of approach can ensure both ecological and economic sustainability. Soil microbial populations are immersed in framework of interactions, which are known to affect plant fitness and soil quality.

For betterment of life of human being, improved quality and variety of products are formed due to versatile action of different group of microorganisms, Microbes are able to degrade solid waste material into compost which is a mixture of decayed organic matter, manure etc. Incomplete microbial degradation of organic waste where the microbial process varies aerobic to anaerobic form is stated as compost, if added to soil improves plant growth and development. The biological activities and microbial metabolism in the soil contribute to alter its mixture and fertility. Incorporation of organic remain in the form of compost is known to influence favourably the physio-chemical and biological properties of soil. The beneficial activities bestowed upon plants by compost utilization are multifaceted, hence most promising alternatives for achieving sustainable agricultural production.

An increased awareness on compost has led to their use in agricultural concern. Contents in the present book will comprised various chapters on the role of beneficial bacteria in the composting process. The application is depicted to achieve the attainable productivity besides, in disease management and suppressiveness of organisms of phytopathogenic in nature. Significance of the compost elicits certain responses e.g. soil reclamation, soil fertility, soil health and disease management exhibit due to quality compost amendment in soil. It serves as low cost prospective option for sustainable crop production and protection.

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The dramatic worldwide increase in agricultural and industrial productivity has created severe environmental problems. Soil and groundwater reservoirs have been polluted with pesticides, xenobiotics and agro-chemicals.

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In this book, the views of scientists, engineers and end-users on compost production, process optimization, standardization and product application are presented.

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Composting is increasingly used as a recycling technology for organic wastes. Knowledge on the composition and activities of compost microbial communities has so far been based on traditional methods. New molecular and physiological tools now offer new insights into the "black box" of decaying material. An unforeseen diversity of microorganisms are involved in composting, opening up an enormous potential for future process and product improvements. In this book, the views of scientists, engineers and end-users on compost production, process optimisation, standardisation and product application are presented.

Abfall Recycling angewandte Mikrobiologie applied microbiology biodegradation biowaste composting microbiology microorganism sewage sludge

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Composting is increasingly used as a recycling technology for organic wastes. Knowledge on the composition and activities of compost microbial communities has so far been based on traditional methods. New molecular and physiological tools now offer new insights into the "black box" of decaying material.

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The number of farmers using composts in their operations has increased in the last several years as they look to compost as a source of nutrients and organic matter.

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Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment

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Introduction

Composting is the biological decomposition of organic materials by bacteria and other organisms. The result is a dark, somewhat nutrient-rich soil conditioner. The number of farmers using composts in their operations has increased in the last several years as they look to compost as a source of nutrients and organic matter. Some farmers make their own composts from manure and other materials that they have on their farm or obtain off the farm, whereas other farms buy already finished compost.

If you are interested in learning more about making compost on your farm, you can order handson manuals from the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES) located at Cornell University.

Two manuals available are:
On-Farm Composting Handbook ($25.00)
Field Guide to On-Farm Composting ($14.00).

You can order these from the
UMass Extension Bookstore,
Draper Hall, University of Massachusetts, 40 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003-9244, by calling (413) 545-2717, or by sending a fax to (413) 545-5174.

Many farmers are more knowledgeable about how to make compost than they are about the nutrient availability from compost in production agriculture.

In most cases, finished compost is classified as a soil conditioner rather than a fertilizer due to the relatively low levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Finished compost adds these elements, and others, but releases them over a longer period of time than chemical fertilizers.

Compost Maturity vs. Compost Quality

A compost is considered mature (i.e., finished) when the energy and nutrient-containing materials have been combined into a stable organic mass. The composting process results in a darkbrown material in which the initial constituents are no longer recognizable and further degradation is not noticeable. The length of the time needed to achieve finished compost will vary with many factors and can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to over a year. Making sure that a compost is finished before adding it to the soil is very important. Application of an unfinished, carbonaceous compost could affect plant growth adversely since the compost may have its own demand for nutrients as the breakdown to maturity continues in the soil. In addition, immature composts made from nitrogen-rich feedstocks are often high in ammonium which can be toxic to plant growth.

Because of the risks with use of immature composts, farmers would be wise to allow a period of at least a week between application of any compost to land and planting or seeding of crops. Compost Quality reflects the chemical makeup of a given compost. A compost can be mature (i.e., fully composted) but can be of poor quality due to low nutrient levels. A compost is considered stable when the temperature within a static pile remains near ambient temperature for several days, assuming there is sufficient moisture and oxygen (See Figure 1). Unfinished compost can remain cold if moisture or oxygen are limiting.

Availability of Nutrients in Compost

Finished compost is a dilute fertilizer, having an analysis of about 1-1-1 (N-P2O5-K2O), but varying according to the original materials that were incorporated into the pile and how they were composted.

Nitrogen

- The nitrogen content of composts will vary according to the source material and how it is composted. In general, nitrogen becomes less available as the compost matures with nitrogen-rich feedstock but more available with carbonaceous feedstock. Nitrogen in the form of ammonium (NH4+) or nitrate (NO3-) is readily available for plant absorption. However, these constituents are low in composts. A finished compost has little ammonium, as it is oxidized to nitrate during composting and curing, and any nitrate that is produced could be leached, lost to the air, or consumed by the organisms performing the composting. The majority of the nitrogen in finished compost (usually over 90%) has been incorporated into organic compounds that are resistant to decomposition. Rough estimates are that only 10% to 30% of the nitrogen in these organic compounds will become available in one growing season. Some of the remaining nitrogen will become available in subsequent years and at much slower rates than in the first year.

Carbon:Nitrogen Ratio

- A material having 30 times as much carbon as nitrogen, for example, is said to have a Carbon:Nitrogen (C:N) Ratio of 30:1. This C:N Ratio plays a crucial role in the availability of nitrogen in any organic material added to the soil. If the C:N Ratio is much above 30:1 microorganisms will immobilize (i.e., consume and make unavailable for plant uptake) soil nitrogen. The average C:N ratio for composts sampled on farms in 1996 was 16.9, which represents the C:N ratio that one would expect from a mature compost. However, some of the composts sampled had C:N ratios above 30:1, with one at 41:1, which would cause immobilization of nitrogen, particularly if added in large amounts to the soil.

Nitrogen Availability

Table 1 reports information on various components, including nitrogen, from composts sampled on farms in 1996. The average total nitrogen is 8 lb/cubic yard. Of that 8 lb, only 0.25 lb is immediately available (in the form of nitrate, 0.19 lb, and ammonium, 0.06 lb). Estimating that 10% (the low end of seasonable availability of N from compost) of the remaining nitrogen is made available in one growing season, a little more than 1 lb of nirogen per cubic yard is available the first year (0.25 lb from nitrate and ammonium and 0.8 lb from the slow-release portion). Adding 20 tons/acre (one cubic yard is approximately 800 lb) of this compost would add a total of 320 lb of nitrogen; however, only about 42 lb of nitrogen would become available the first year.

Phosphorus

Similar to nitrogen, much of the phosphorus in finished compost is not readily available for plant uptake since it is incorporated in organic matter. However, not all of the phosphorus mineralized from organic matter is available for crop uptake, because some of the phosphorus released from organic matter by microbial and chemical action is quickly made unavailable by binding with other elements in the soil.

Some studies where plants have been grown with compost as the sole source of fertility added have shown phosphorus deficiency more readily than nitrogen or potassium deficiencies. Generally, farmers should consider that compost is too low in phosphorus to consider use of compost in short-term fertilization of crops and should provide an additional source of phosphorus to ensure adequate crop nutrition.

Table 1. Summary of several parameters of the compost analysis taken from twenty Mass. farms in 1996.

Potassium

Potassium in finished compost is much more available for plant uptake than nitrogen and phosphorus since potassium is not incorporated into organic matter. However, much of the potassium can be leached from the compost since it is water soluble. In one study, potassium levels were reduced by 25% when a compost finished under cover was left uncovered in the open over a winter.

Soluble Salts

In general, soluble salts are not a concern from additions of composts to field soil. However, soluble salts can be a serious problem when using a compost in greenhouse mixes. Incorporation of 40 tons/acre of compost in the top 6" of field soil would be a ratio of 50 parts soil to one part of compost. Compost used in the preparation of greenhouse media will make up a much greater percentage of the whole mix and therefore will have a greater influence on all aspects of fertility, including soluble salts. There have been studies that have shown that compost used in greenhouse media can create problems with high soluble salt concentrations. Some of the composts tested in 1996 had soluble salt levels that could cause toxicity in greenhouse mixes. The electrical conductivity of a saturation extract of compost should be in the range of 2 to 4 dS/m to avoid saline injury to container-grown crops.

Compost and pH

The pH of finished compost is usually slightly alkaline (see Table 1) . In general, composts will not raise soil pH to undesirably alkaline levels because of the low total alkalinity of composts. However, caution should be taken if the compost has been 'stabilized' with the addition of lime (thus increasing the total alkalinity) or with heavy applications to certain crops such as potatoes, for which the soil pH should be about 5.3. Heavy applications give rises in soil pH that might last for a growing season.

Heavy Metals and TraceElements

The danger of heavy metals in some composts has received much attention. At one time, some heavy metals in some composts were high enough to be toxic to plants (copper, nickel, zinc) or of concern to human health (cadmium). There have been documented cases where elements such as boron have been raised to toxic levels with repeated applications of compost. These composts with high metals or boron were made from materials with high concentrations of these elements.

Governmental regulations control the materials that may be used in composts for applications to farm land. None of these toxicity problems are likely to occur with compost that has been made from farm manures or crop residues or with the commercially available composts of today. If farmers are concerned about the composition of their composts, they should have the compost analyzed at the UMass Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory.

Take Soil Test After Applying Compost

A good way to evaluate the effect of compost on the fertility of a soil is to obtain a soil test after applying a compost. The soil test measures available plant nutrients, soil pH, and heavy metal accumulation in the soil.

Compost Analysis

In response to the increased interest and use of composts by farmers, the UMass Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory offers a compost test. The test will analyze the following: Extractable major and minor nutrients (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, boron, iron, manganese and copper), water content, pH, organic matter, total nitrogen,nitrate,ammonium, carbon:nitrogen ratio, soluble salts, and extractable heavy metals (lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium). The current cost for this test is $45.00.

Contact the UMass Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory to receive more information
about getting your compost analyzed.
By Frank Mangan, Allen Barker, Steven Bodine, and Peter Borten
University of Massachusetts Extension

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Introduction Composting is the biological decomposition of organic materials by bacteria and other organisms. The result is a dark, somewhat nutrient-rich soil conditioner. The number of farmers using composts in their operations has increased in the last several years as they look to compost as a source of nutrients and organic matter.

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WSU Whatcom County: Composting & Gardening 

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WSU Whatcom County: Composting & Gardening 

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We are a vibrant agricultural county and WSU Extension has a long history of extending the knowledge of WSU research and benefits of horticulture to our community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Heading using the h3 tag

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

# data[].attributes.body
Rodale Books is the premier destination for the best in wellness content.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rodale Books - The Crown Publishing Group

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rodale Books is the premier destination for the best in wellness content. Our mission, to help people improve their lives, is the lens through which we acquire books across the entire spectrum of ...

# data[].attributes.headline
Using Seaweed Compost to Grow Bedding Plants

# data[].attributes.subject
Using Seaweed Compost to Grow Bedding Plants

# data[].attributes.body
The writer discusses trials at the University of Florida on the use of seaweed compost to grow bedding plants.