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Home > Archive > UK gardening > September 2006 > Composting Grass Cuttings ??
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Composting Grass Cuttings ??
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| covehithe 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
| My mother has moved house and has a fairly large garden ( grass area
probably at least tennis court size). I have made her 3 wood compost
bins 1 metre square.
Question? I get 5-6 containers full of clippings from the mower, is
this too much to put in compost bin as balance of compost material from
kitchen & garden is much less. I am hoping to utilise the clippings
without having to take them to council waste site, if possible
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| Uncle Marvo 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
| In reply to covehithe (inkyfingers@yahoo.co.uk) who wrote this in
1159346749.069036.212760@d34g2000cwd.googlegroups.com, I, Marvo, say :
> My mother has moved house and has a fairly large garden ( grass area
> probably at least tennis court size). I have made her 3 wood compost
> bins 1 metre square.
>
> Question? I get 5-6 containers full of clippings from the mower, is
> this too much to put in compost bin as balance of compost material
> from kitchen & garden is much less. I am hoping to utilise the
> clippings without having to take them to council waste site, if
> possible
Miles too much. It will just get hot and smell terrible. You can leave the
grass in the open and it will dry out, you can burn it then (if you must).
The best way to get rid of grass cuttings is to mow often (don't let it get
too long) and leave it on the lawn. I know this works, but I bet loads of
people argue!
It's also quicker in the long run because you take the grass box off. I've
done this for years with no ill-effects and it also stops the lawn "burning"
when it's freshly cut.
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| George.com 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
|
"Uncle Marvo" <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> wrote in message
news:4nut0oFbnjljU1@individual.net...
> In reply to covehithe (inkyfingers@yahoo.co.uk) who wrote this in
> 1159346749.069036.212760@d34g2000cwd.googlegroups.com, I, Marvo, say :
>
>
> Miles too much. It will just get hot and smell terrible. You can leave the
> grass in the open and it will dry out, you can burn it then (if you must).
>
> The best way to get rid of grass cuttings is to mow often (don't let it
get
> too long) and leave it on the lawn. I know this works, but I bet loads of
> people argue!
>
> It's also quicker in the long run because you take the grass box off. I've
> done this for years with no ill-effects and it also stops the lawn
"burning"
> when it's freshly cut.
rubbish, it is not too much at all to use in a compost bin. I get near that
from a regular mow in growing season. You are spot on about it going putrid
if left however. This simply means the composter needs to mix carbon in
sufficient quantities with the grass clippings in the form of leaves,
shredded paper, hay, straw or saw dust. I mixed a load of saw dust in with a
weekend mow of 4+ bags worth of grass.
rob
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| Uncle Marvo 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
| In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
efdi0q$vdt$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
> "Uncle Marvo" <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:4nut0oFbnjljU1@individual.net...
>
> rubbish, it is not too much at all to use in a compost bin. I get
> near that from a regular mow in growing season. You are spot on about
> it going putrid if left however. This simply means the composter
> needs to mix carbon in sufficient quantities with the grass clippings
> in the form of leaves, shredded paper, hay, straw or saw dust. I
> mixed a load of saw dust in with a weekend mow of 4+ bags worth of
> grass.
>
It IS too much to use, without the balance. If you have access to sawdust
then all well and good. I don't, nor leaves, shredded paper, hay or straw.
So, you see, it's not rubbish, but then again I did say someone would argue.
Ah well, the diversity of answers ...
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| Broadback 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
| Uncle Marvo wrote:
> In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
> efdi0q$vdt$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
>
> It IS too much to use, without the balance. If you have access to sawdust
> then all well and good. I don't, nor leaves, shredded paper, hay or straw.
>
> So, you see, it's not rubbish, but then again I did say someone would argue.
>
> Ah well, the diversity of answers ...
>
>
>
Kill 2 birds with one stone. Buy a good paper shredder, shred all your
confidential documents and any other paper, then use the shreddings to
mix with the grass.
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| "Broadback" wrote
> Buy a good paper shredder, shred all your
> confidential documents and any other paper, then use the shreddings to
> mix with the grass.
Just don't do what I did and shred your original birth certificate a few
days before you urgently need a new passport!
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| covehithe <inkyfingers@yahoo.co.uk> writes
>My mother has moved house and has a fairly large garden ( grass area
>probably at least tennis court size). I have made her 3 wood compost
>bins 1 metre square.
>
>Question? I get 5-6 containers full of clippings from the mower, is
>this too much to put in compost bin as balance of compost material from
>kitchen & garden is much less. I am hoping to utilise the clippings
>without having to take them to council waste site, if possible
>
Should be OK. Put it in layers of 6inches, with something else in
between - the something else can include paper and cardboard, ideally
shredded, crumpled or torn up, but even flat it will compost eventually.
Use two of your bins for filling, one for using - this spreads the grass
load. When you have emptied the bin you are using, take all the unrotted
stuff from the oldest of the other two bins and heave it into the empty
bin so once again you have two filling and one for use.
--
Kay
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| Sally Thompson 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
| On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:39:34 +0100, Jane wrote
(in article <GxsSg.30740$0i4.11286@newsfe4-win.ntli.net> ):
> "Broadback" wrote
>
> Just don't do what I did and shred your original birth certificate a few
> days before you urgently need a new passport!
Reminds me of many years ago when someone went into a neighbouring office to
take a copy of something, waited patiently and eventually asked where the
copy came out. You've guessed it - he'd fed his document into the shredder
instead of the copier. Was his face red!
--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk
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| Martin Brown 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
|
Uncle Marvo wrote:
> In reply to covehithe (inkyfingers@yahoo.co.uk) who wrote this in
> 1159346749.069036.212760@d34g2000cwd.googlegroups.com, I, Marvo, say :
>
I'd go for 1.5m square at the minimum for that volume of grass. YMMV
[color=darkred]
>
> Miles too much. It will just get hot and smell terrible.
Only if you allow it to get anaerobic and slimy wet.
My compost heap is 2m square and gets about 1 cu m of grassclippings on
it every week throughout the growing season. It gets extremely hot for
a few days and then collapses into nothing. It will destroy hedge
clippings in short order, but works perfectly well with or without
"balancing" N & C content. A hot heap works much quicker.
My instinct is that provided you keep the heap moist enough but not
soggy and don't compress it to an anaerobic sludge it is OK to add huge
amounts of grass at a time. If you can mix in hedge clippings then so
much the better but it isn't essential.
There is a stale smell of short chain fatty acids in the early hot
phase so you don't want it near the house, but it should never small
terrible. I have trouble keeping it wet enough in summer to run fast.
And for a smallish compost heap it makes sense to use a starter culture
like the proprietory Garotta to give the heap some encouragement.
>You can leave the
> grass in the open and it will dry out, you can burn it then (if you must).
>
> The best way to get rid of grass cuttings is to mow often (don't let it get
> too long) and leave it on the lawn. I know this works, but I bet loads of
> people argue!
You can, but the fine grass clippings tread everywhere.
Regards,
Martin Brown
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| George.com 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
|
"Uncle Marvo" <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> wrote in message
news:4nv0pbFc2lf1U1@individual.net...
> In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
> efdi0q$vdt$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
>
> It IS too much to use, without the balance. If you have access to sawdust
> then all well and good. I don't, nor leaves, shredded paper, hay or straw.
>
> So, you see, it's not rubbish, but then again I did say someone would
argue.
>
> Ah well, the diversity of answers ...
rubbish, to some, a good source of organic compost for others. Yes, I agree
with you that it is too much without the balance. You are thr carbon, I am
the nitrogen. Leaves or paper or saw dust shouldn't be too hard to scrounge
in most places. Neighbours have trees in abundance round here and I can get
acres of paper from work. I enjoy a good tongue in cheek argument.
rob
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| Uncle Marvo 2006-09-27, 9:25 am |
| In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
efdnvs$at2$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
[snip]
> rubbish, to some, a good source of organic compost for others. Yes, I
> agree with you that it is too much without the balance. You are thr
> carbon, I am the nitrogen. Leaves or paper or saw dust shouldn't be
> too hard to scrounge in most places. Neighbours have trees in
> abundance round here and I can get acres of paper from work. I enjoy
> a good tongue in cheek argument.
>
Any leaves, paper or sawdust I can scrounge go on the fire. We used to do
paper but, as I am the IT manager [giggles] the office is now paperless so
far as I can make it so. I gave up newspapers when I discovered that the Su
Doku is reproduced the day after on The Times website, so I have a total of
one A4 sheet per day. And that doubles as a shopping list, notepad, and
fuel.
You can't beat a good argument though. What does the panel think about
leaving cuttings (short) on the lawn? It's usually very much one way or the
other.
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| George.com 2006-09-28, 3:25 am |
|
"Uncle Marvo" <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> wrote in message
news:4nvbieFbtrteU1@individual.net...
> In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
> efdnvs$at2$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
>
> [snip]
>
> Any leaves, paper or sawdust I can scrounge go on the fire. We used to do
> paper but, as I am the IT manager [giggles] the office is now paperless so
> far as I can make it so. I gave up newspapers when I discovered that the
Su
> Doku is reproduced the day after on The Times website, so I have a total
of
> one A4 sheet per day. And that doubles as a shopping list, notepad, and
> fuel.
>
> You can't beat a good argument though. What does the panel think about
> leaving cuttings (short) on the lawn? It's usually very much one way or
the
> other.
You must be very cold. Hopefully the guy with the grass isn't as cold and
can get some carbon. I lifted a sack from a local tree miller yesterday, all
free and untreated, he was happy to get rid of it, went in with my grass
today.
Lets argue, as long as you don't call me a red nosed **** like you did to
the clown.
rob
| |
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| Uncle Marvo <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> writes
>
>What does the panel think about leaving cuttings (short) on the lawn?
>It's usually very much one way or the other.
Hardly the "panel" - but we're thrilled with our mulching mower. We also
have a regular one to collect clippings early in the Spring, with the
leaves in Autumn, and when things get out of hand (often!), but normally
the clippings are chopped the size of dust and just disappear - and the
grass looks healthy. The best thing: mowing takes literally half the
time and is infinitely easier without having to empty the heavy bag!
--
Klara, Gatwick basin
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| Uncle Marvo 2006-09-28, 9:25 am |
| In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
effvu0$ck0$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
> "Uncle Marvo" <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:4nvbieFbtrteU1@individual.net...
>
> You must be very cold. Hopefully the guy with the grass isn't as cold
> and can get some carbon. I lifted a sack from a local tree miller
> yesterday, all free and untreated, he was happy to get rid of it,
> went in with my grass today.
>
> Lets argue, as long as you don't call me a red nosed **** like you
> did to the clown.
>
Ho ho.
Well spotted, it wasn't me who thought of "UM", it was someone else :-)
It sort of stuck.
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| George.com 2006-09-28, 9:25 am |
|
"Uncle Marvo" <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> wrote in message
news:4o1fj5Fcfif6U1@individual.net...
> In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
> effvu0$ck0$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
>
> Ho ho.
>
> Well spotted, it wasn't me who thought of "UM", it was someone else :-)
>
> It sort of stuck.
the master of lightning wit, backchat and repartee
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| Uncle Marvo 2006-09-28, 9:25 am |
| In reply to George.com (roblyn@ihug.co.nz) who wrote this in
efg1u4$g74$1@lust.ihug.co.nz, I, Marvo, say :
> "Uncle Marvo" <paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> wrote in message
> news:4o1fj5Fcfif6U1@individual.net...
>
> the master of lightning wit, backchat and repartee
Well, one out of three ain't bad (C) meatloaf.
| |
| Cat(h) 2006-09-28, 9:25 am |
|
covehithe wrote:
> My mother has moved house and has a fairly large garden ( grass area
> probably at least tennis court size). I have made her 3 wood compost
> bins 1 metre square.
>
> Question? I get 5-6 containers full of clippings from the mower, is
> this too much to put in compost bin as balance of compost material from
> kitchen & garden is much less. I am hoping to utilise the clippings
> without having to take them to council waste site, if possible
I use only very little of my lawn clippings in my compost bin - no
particular reason, I simply prefer to use them to mulch my ornamental
(and vegetable!) beds. You just make sure to spread it out to a max
depth of 2 or 3 inches, so avoid ending up with sloppy goop. It is
majorly effective at keeping weeds down, it gets suprisingly quickly
broken down and mixed into soil by the combined action of forraging
birds and worms, and it helps keep moisture into the ground, also. It
works a treat for me.
Another suggestion would be to use a mulching mower to mow the lawn,
and leave the clippings in situ to feed the lawn. The mulching blades
and attachment make sure that the clippings are forced below the top of
the sward, so you're not left with what you might consider unsightly
grass clippings at the surface of the lawn. I can do that with mine,
and do it once in a while.
Cat(h)
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| Janet Baraclough 2006-09-28, 1:25 pm |
| The message <1159447659.562610.274820@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>
from "Cat(h)" <cathy_ie@yahoo.com> contains these words:
> I use only very little of my lawn clippings in my compost bin - no
> particular reason, I simply prefer to use them to mulch my ornamental
> (and vegetable!) beds. You just make sure to spread it out to a max
> depth of 2 or 3 inches, so avoid ending up with sloppy goop. It is
> majorly effective at keeping weeds down, it gets suprisingly quickly
> broken down and mixed into soil by the combined action of forraging
> birds and worms, and it helps keep moisture into the ground, also. It
> works a treat for me.
I do the same. In fact, I take the clippings from at least 4 other
gardens. You can never have too much .
If the OP wants to compost it, though, all he needs do is ad
scrunched up cardboard (from packing boxes) in layers. I've done that
too, and it works.(Part of a research project for HDRA some years back,
called "grassboarding").
Janet
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| The Invalid 2006-09-29, 3:25 am |
| On 27 Sep 2006 01:45:49 -0700, "covehithe" <inkyfingers@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:
>My mother has moved house and has a fairly large garden ( grass area
>probably at least tennis court size). I have made her 3 wood compost
>bins 1 metre square.
>
>Question? I get 5-6 containers full of clippings from the mower, is
>this too much to put in compost bin as balance of compost material from
>kitchen & garden is much less. I am hoping to utilise the clippings
>without having to take them to council waste site, if possible
Mix the grass cuttings with torn up newspaper and it composts fine
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| The Invalid 2006-09-29, 3:25 am |
| On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:36:46 +0100, Broadback <wen@towill.plus.com>
wrote:
>Kill 2 birds with one stone. Buy a good paper shredder, shred all your
> confidential documents and any other paper, then use the shreddings to
>mix with the grass.
Exactly what we do though the shredded paper is then put into the
chicken coop then into the compost bin
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| Janet Tweedy 2006-09-29, 9:25 am |
| In article <4nvbieFbtrteU1@individual.net>, Uncle Marvo
<paul.r@deletethisbitfortescue.org.uk> writes
>You can't beat a good argument though. What does the panel think about
>leaving cuttings (short) on the lawn? It's usually very much one way or the
>other.
>
>
>
I put some of my grass cuttings in the compost, some I mix with stuff to
go in the shredder, some I sue to earth up the potatoes or just chuck
over the vegetable beds. It all rots down. My grass area is about 80 by
100 foot and I don't seem to have piles of smelly grass clippings
everywhere! Besides a garden that size will surely have shrubs etc that
need pruning and trees with leaves etc, all the waste from that can be
mixed in.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk
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