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Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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Posted by
KendraSchmidt none (
My Page) on
Mon, Jul 25, 11 at 16:28
| I recently purchased compost and noticed that the compost has dried leaves and rocks in it. Is it okay to use? I've never seen compost with rocks in it. Any ideas? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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| And are the rocks SUPPOSED to be in the compost? I forgot to ask that earlier. Are the leaves supposed to be there as well? |
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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Identifiable leaves in compost can indicate unfinished compost. Rocks, Stones, etc. indicate the person or company selling that compost is not very careful about inputs. Rocks or stones or even large chunks of wood should not be in finished compost, especially if you buy it from someplace.
If this was bagged composat from a garden center I would take it back, if possible, for my money back. |
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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- Posted by pt03 2b Southern Manitob (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 26, 11 at 9:38
| Hi Kendra When you say 'rocks', are you talking like fist size or little pebbly things? I screen my compost through a 5/8ths inch mesh so some small gravel bits do get through. I have had the odd small stone get in during loading but that is usually picked up by the loader from the soil the compost is sitting on. There are also dry leaves blowing around in the fall as you can see in that picture so some materials may get scraped up that way as well. If there is a lot of foreign material, then that is something that ought not happen. Lloyd |
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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| Yes, there are a lot of rocks and the leaves seem only partially broken down. The rocks are larger than a pebble for sure, but smaller than my fist. They're about the size of prunes, apricots and small tangerines. The soil itself doesn't seem very dark, but i know that can vary. There are also pieces of bark in the soil. I'm very worried about using this. |
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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| Industrial composting facilities have to use gravel to make a solid surface to drive heavy equipment on. If they scooped your scoop from the bottom of the pile (which is what guys with loaders typically do), you get a couple rocks. I'm not defending it, just saying they're probably not adding them as ingredients, they're just getting in during handling. Bark and leaves could be sifted out and thrown into your pile to cook awhile. Kinda depends on how much of those un-decomposed browns are there. Occasional bits, no big deal. If it's a lot, it could deplete soil nitrogen. You could always post a picture for us... |
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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- Posted by pt03 2b Southern Manitob (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 26, 11 at 10:57
| What were you intending to use it for Kendra? Like tox said, large amounts of strong carbons worked into a soil may tie up the nitrogen temporarily but if using as a mulch it might be okay. There shouldn't be a lot of rocks, that is just poor compost management. They didn't sell it to you by weight did they? Some guys add sand to get a heavier product. Lloyd |
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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| I was planning to use the compost to start my garden bed. I did buy the compost by weight, I wonder if that's why he added the rocks to the mix? I bought the compost from a local gardener. I'm assuming I should give it back to him and get my compost elsewhere until I start my own? Also, is it normal to see bugs in my new compost? I saw some in the soil that worried me, it was my first time seeing such a thing in my new compost. |
RE: Compost has rocks and leaves in it?
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| Compost piles are active biological communities, so it is common to see insects. Without knowing what they are, it is difficult to know whether you should be worried about them. If you didn't spend a fortune, I'd just chalk it up to experience and move on. But again, we can't see the stuff, and we don't know what you paid for it, so you have to make the decision. |
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