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Composting straw?
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Posted by
subk3 7a/TN (
My Page) on
Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 17:21
| I'm changing the bedding material I use for my horses, and in one of the many "manure threads" I found this: "You can bet the bedding is pine shavings. That's why fresh horse manure is nothing close to as valuable as it was when horses were bedded in hay or straw." So, why does straw bedding result in better compost when mixed with manure than pine shavings? What's better about it? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Composting straw?
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- Posted by pt03 2b Southern Manitob (My Page) on
Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 22:38
| Straw from cereal grains would have more nutrients than from wood shavings. On the downside there is a potential for herbicide residues on the straw. Lloyd |
RE: Composting straw?
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| Wood shavings, chips, sawdust has a Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of around 400/500 to 1 while straw has a C/N ratio of about 80 to 1. That means less manure is needed to digest the straw than the wood shavings. |
RE: Composting straw?
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| Will the pH of the compost be different/affected? Does straw tie up the nitrogen the same way as with pine shavings? |
RE: Composting straw?
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- Posted by pt03 2b Southern Manitob (My Page) on
Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 16:19
| Mature compost tends to revert to a neutral Ph from what I've read. There may be differences during the active phase, that I don't know. Straw will tie up nitrogen in the same way, which would be worse depends on a lot of variables. Too many to come up with a definitive answer. Kind of weaselly but if anyone comes up with a black or white answer they are probably wrong. Lloyd |
RE: Composting straw?
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| The only thing you have to worry about as far as pH is whether the horse owner uses lime to control odors in the barn. It can and does lead to very high pH manure. |
RE: Composting straw?
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| I think the person you quoted was wrong. Carbon is carbon. I'm not sure what he/she means by 'valuable,' but before animal manure is used in gardening, it should be fully composted. And once it is, it doesn't matter where the carbon came from. |
RE: Composting straw?
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- Posted by lonmower zone8 Western Oregon (My Page) on
Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 18:04
Carbon is Carbon
Hay/Straw is not Pure Carbon
Pine shavings are not Pure Carbon (either)
Hay is not Straw
Straws/Hays are not created equal If I had fresh horse manure, I would prefer it to be mixed with saw dust. I have no scientific data to prove why. Only 7 years of composting experience...which in "compost speak" is but a blink of the eye |
RE: Composting straw?
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| What's wrong with kim's point? |
RE: Composting straw?
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- Posted by pt03 2b Southern Manitob (My Page) on
Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 19:44
| If I had to choose my favourite C material it would be fall leaves for their micro-nutrients. Second choice would be straws from cereal grains and my last choice would be paper or wood due to their lack of other nutrients. Carbon may very well be carbon but the addition of other nutrients would be beneficial IMO. Composts made with mainly wood and paper are not the best nutrient wise. Lloyd |
Some Science (Anyone?)
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- Posted by lonmower zone8 Western Oregon (My Page) on
Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 20:09
| from 1959...just up the road from me Oregon State University...Go Beavers! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Sawdust Mulch Effects
RE: Composting straw?
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| Anybody know why mushroom growers will take horse manure with straw bedding but won't take manure with pine bedding? |
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