Composting 101

unilogadmin — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 19:18:00 +0000

Composting 101

Consider placement of the compost pile carefully. It should be convenient to add to the pile and must have easy access for watering, turning and removal of the compost. Drainage must also be considered. Be sure water won’t pool around it – compost should be kept only about as wet as a wrung-out sponge.

To ensure that there is enough air for the microbes to work, turn the pile every week or so with a pitchfork or shovel. This may slow the process in the center temporarily, but you will have much better results with the entire compost. You may want to add sticks or poke holes in the pile with a pole to ensure that it is aerated.

“Food” for the compost (nitrogen and carbon) comes from green and brown organic matter. The “green” (nitrogen) is usually moist or wet materials and the “brown” (carbon) is the source of energy for the microbes and is dry and bulky materials which may need to be watered when added into the compost.

Recommended Compostable Materials

"Brown" (high in carbon)	"Green" (high in nitrogen)
Corncobs	Bread & Pastas
Corn Stalks	Coffee Grounds & Tea Bags
Dry Weeds	Eggshells
Fallen Leaves	Fruit Scraps
Hay and Straw	Grain Waste
Nutshells	Grass Clippings
Pine Needles	Green Weeds
Sawdust (not from treated wood)	Hair (pet and human)
Twigs and Branches (dry)	Manure
Vegetable Stalks	Seaweed (rinsed)
	Vegetable Scraps

Do not add pet or human waste, diseased plants, meat scraps, bones, grease, fat, coal ashes from the grill or dairy products to your compost. “When in doubt – leave it out!”

The minimum size for a compost pile is three cubic feet. This size will allow for the microbes to heat up for a faster composting process. Begin with some branches and twigs to help with airflow. Mix about six inches of brown and two to three inches of green materials together and add a compost activator to start the process. Cover with approximately two inches of soil to control odors. Keep the center concave to reduce run-off. Sprinkle with water but don’t soak.

By chopping up kitchen scraps and woody material larger than ¼” in diameter before adding them, you will help speed up the decomposition process. Turn and sprinkle the pile with water once a week. When the pile is no longer hot and the materials are dark, crumbly and smell like rich soil with no odor, the compost is finished. The entire process takes approximately three to six months to complete.

If your compost is healthy, you shouldn’t have any problems with odor, flies, rodents or animals. When adding grass clippings, mix them in thoroughly so they don’t mat up. Too much moisture can make the compost rot rather than decompose. If you have large quantities of clippings, you may not want to add them all at one time. Bury food scraps 6-12” into the center to prevent flies.

Dixieline Lumber offers these quality products to ensure your composting is a success!

for turning and stirring:

for composting:

Waste Disposal and Composters

Planting and Growing Your Bare Root Tree

unilogadmin — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 00:28:37 +0000

Selection
Choose a variety that stands a good chance of performing well in your area – check the information for each variety, remembering that the San Diego area has a multitude of microclimates. How much heat do you get? How much winter chill do you get? How heavy is your soil? Does your tree need a pollinizer? Does your planting site have enough sun?

Planting

In virtually every soil, including sand and clay, bare root trees are best planted in your native soil. Less is more when it comes to amending your soil.

You want your tree’s roots to reach far into the surrounding soil, and if you have added too much the roots will tend to grow only in the richest soil right around the trunk.

A tree planted from bare root will grow into a more vigorous, strongly rooted tree that will reach for its own water and nutrients more aggressively than a spring or summer planted container tree. Root Zone is an excellent product to add into your soil for encouraging root growth, as it will “enliven” your soil via living mycrohizzal organisms. Avoid adding fruit fertilizer until you see plump, developing buds already forming on your tree.

The soil at planting time should be moist and crumbly, not saturated. Saturated soil is indicated by water standing for more than three hours after a rain.

Dig a hole three times larger than the root’s spread, and break up all clumps. Set aside the dirt from the top 3” as you are digging – you will place this back on top once the tree has been planted in the hole, mimicking the natural layers of the soil.

Place some dirt back into the hole and tamp it down. Place your tree in the hole and shake it gently while adding soil so that the soil will fall in between the roots. Gently tamp it down.

The soil surface should be slightly higher than or level with, the native soil when you are finished. If settling creates a basin, fill it with soil. The graft should face north to avoid sunburning and be 2-6” above ground.

Stake your tree to keep the roots from breaking off as the tree rocks in the wind. A four foot stake driven two feet deep is usually sufficient. Smaller semi-dwarf varieties may need substantial staking their entire lives.

Watering
Begin watering the tree when the soil a few inches down begins to dry. During the growing season, water deeply as needed, usually at 3-4 week intervals (sandy soils may require more frequent watering). Once established, some trees in this area will require little or no irrigation, although a post-harvest drenching can increase next year’s bloom. Infrequent, deep waterings are much better for your tree than frequent, shallow watering.

DIY San Diego Blog

Composting 101

Composting 101

Recommended Compostable Materials

Dixieline Lumber offers these quality products to ensure your composting is a success!

Shovels from Ames, True Temper, Razor-Back and UnionTools

Spading Fork from True Temper

Waste Disposal and Composters

Planting and Growing Your Bare Root Tree