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derffie_gw

Brewery waste and compost

Derffie
9 years ago

I'm new to composting and am helping start our community garden's compost pile. So far, so good. Temps are about 120 degrees. I read that brewery waste can be used to make compost. Made my way over to a local brewery all too happy to get rid of spent hops and wheat. After I threw some of that into the pile I came across an article mentioning that some brewery waste can be allelopathic. Does anyone have any experience using brewery waste in compost?
Thanks!

Comments (13)

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    I came across an article mentioning that some brewery waste can be allelopathic

    Didn't the article specify WHAT waste?

  • Derffie
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Just says "some spent grains" may be allelopathic

  • glib
    9 years ago

    Maybe spent corn (maize) which prevents seed germination. But brewery waste is so hot and so green, it decomposes very quickly in the presence of any browns. If I remember correctly, composted pine needles have the same effect, until fully composted. They are much worse, because they decompose slowly.

  • Kimmsr
    9 years ago

    I can find nothing that indicates brewery waste might be allelopathic when composted, only that this high protein material needs a lot of other high carbon material to offset that. What is the source of this article?

  • Derffie
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is from vermiposters.com:

    've spent some time playing with different sorts of feed stock from New Belgium Brewery over the years and would always advise do some pre-composting with it for safety by getting the volatility out of the feedstock and homogenize it. Add the carbon source to it and hot compost it through two cycles for several weeks and layer the compost on worm beds about an inch or two thick and observe. Let us know what happens. The spent grains by the way have allelopathic properties so careful where you pile them as not much will grow there for a while. I might also suggest to do some sprout testing of the finished casting with cucurbit species at least to make sure it does not still have those adverse affects. If you choose not to go through all of this with just the sediment than top-dress the lawn and garden with it. No-tilling advised.

  • glib
    9 years ago

    It does mention sprouting. It should have no effect on transplants.

  • davids10 z7a nv.
    9 years ago

    the most intensive tests have shown the allelopathic is pretty much an urban legend-the simple explanation is root and nutrient competition-as for brewers waste as mulch-its such a great environment for pathogens and bacteria that it is certainly the best idea to compost first or spread it in the fall and let it winter in.

  • Kimmsr
    9 years ago

    davids 10, where can those reports be found? I have looked for that kind of information and have not found it, yet.

  • davids10 z7a nv.
    9 years ago

    google corn as allelopath-many articles-the basic conclusion is that there are always so many factors that it is almost impossible to say that one thing is the cause-right now i have corn interplanted with squash, beans, tomatoes and peppers-everything is flourishing-i am sceptical of anything which is a sometime thing-allelopathy either stops germination every time or it doesnt exist-i go with the latter

    This post was edited by davids10 on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 18:57

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    9 years ago

    The local sod farm put several semi-sized truck loads of brewery waste on one of their fields to increase the organic content of a somewhat sandy patch. The new grass grew as well as anywhere else as far as I could tell, so IME the allelopathic qualities are minimal, at least for grass. The corn that is there now does just fine, but it's been a couple of years since the brewery waste was spread.

  • toxcrusadr
    9 years ago

    I've seen corn gluten sold as a weed control for lawns, but I have to wonder if those proteins (gluten is protein, right?) are still active after the cooking process that takes place at the brewery. Generally it is hot enough to denature proteins, which they want to do to get them to settle out.

    Microbreweries usually don't use corn and rice anyway, they tend to make proper beer with malted barley and wheat. :-]

  • Kimmsr
    9 years ago

    What I have seen about the potential allelopathic properties of some grains is that if seeds are planted in crop residue there is a reduction in seed germination, something well known for many years. Most plants that demonstrate allelopathic properties do that while they are growing and that property suppresses growth of competing plants. Buckwheat does have allelopathic properties but you can, as I have, till that in and reseed right away with no problem with seed germination.
    Most of the literature I have read indicates the growth suppression properties observed may be from planting too son after tilling in crop residue rather then from a growth suppressing properties of the crop.