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| A nearby masonry yard offers their own compost made of yard waste- mostly leaves and grass clippings- the price is half of similar products that involve much more trucking. I bought 11 yards of the stuff before testing the pH and was alarmed to get readings slightly over 8.
I contacted my local extension and the horticulturist, who I respect, looked into it and said the reading was almost surely a temporary condition and that I could safely use the product without concern of excessive alkalinity. But she was reading from research and I'd like to know if any of you has first hand experience with this issue. Usually I get readings in the 6's with compost I've used but it's usually more aged. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Compost generally has a pH very close to neutral. So I wonder if the stuff ids done cooking. I suggest you let the stuff age a while. |
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- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Sun, Oct 21, 12 at 20:22
| If it wasn't done cooking it would be hot- particularly the 6 yard pile I have that's been sitting for a week. Not steaming. |
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| What was used to test the pH of that compost? Using the very inexpensive pH meters and test kits from the garden centers I usually find they are very innaccurate and give the same readings for vinegar as they do chlorine. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr 5 (My Page) on Mon, Oct 22, 12 at 12:24
| It seems odd that a masonry yard (brick and block dealer?) would be making compost from yard waste. But if the pH is really that high, I wonder if they didn't somehow incorporate some lime, waste concrete dust, etc. into it? |
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- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Mon, Oct 29, 12 at 14:37
| I asked my extension agent, who is an excellent horticulturist, and she went over Cornell's info finding that a pH as high as 8 is within (though on the edge of) the range of expectation for composted yard waste. Apparently the compost, while settled enough not to heat up and without bad odor, is still in transformation to a more neutral pH. While it has a high pH it does not carry any of the long term base boosting capability of something like limestone. I knew this when I submitted this quarry but just wondered if anyone had experienced compost in this condition. I tested the pH with a Cornell kit which I can use with decent accuracy- within a tenth of a point or two. I make dozens of such tests every year and often get the chance to compare mine with laboratory results. |
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