Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling

The presence of ants could indicate the bin is too dry. This can be addressed by considering the materials used for composting. I believe ants can benefit compost by making air tunnels as they burrow, and by processing some of the materials. To deter the ants, I hear spraying with cold water...

Probably doesn't apply to many people here, but I add old compost to the chickens dust bathing areas - they love it. If I have a pot of something that has died or similar (think basil or coriander that's gone past its best) the pot goes into their run and they will spend hours poking through it...

"Am I right in thinking that a predominantly Nitrogen based fertilizer would be best?"Yes, but that's about all I know. Plus "Lawn Sand" to kill the moss, if that troubles you?If your lawn is less than 6 months old you need to be careful of any selective herbicide/weedkiller you use - beware...

I very rarely feed any established shrubs, I'm more likely to be cutting them back hard to stop the place turning into a jungle. Having said that I do sometime scatter a good quantity of chicken pellets around in early spring.Other than that I do feed plants that require different soil...

Sorry. I should have read your post properly. You can get manure. All sorted

Thanks for all your comments. I have had a lot of seeds germinate and grow in it (50% compost and 50% sand for better drainage). But the more I look at it the less I like it. I think it's even a bit smelly (stagnant water smell). Today I have been pricking my seedlings out into another compost...

Compost is "like peat"Top Soil if just soil - but good quality.If you are top dressing around your plants sounds like you are looking for some "humus" to provide water retention and improve the health of you soil, so you are looking for Garden compost, Well rotted manure, Mushroom compost,...

Would just like to add... what I do with my garden waste is - er - put it in the compost bin!! I thought that was what compost bins were for....... The compost bin, BTW, was supplied FREE by the council, but I had to buy a base. (About £6.00)

Aye, it should be OK, but it might come with a bit of resin and be a bit acidic, so I wouldn't put it around anything too delicate, but established shrubs will be fine.

Lav is my all time fave plant. I grow tons of it and i just leave it alone and cut it back in spring which produces more. In my experience I always plant it alongside mint and Rosemary as they seem to feed off each other and im no expert but am told im very green fingered. The only Lav i cant...

Thanks for that, Kristen, I appreciate your answer.

I use veg peelings and tea bags and throw it all in. I dont think that i would want to wee in it though lol

"I won't bother with the cardboard idea then."You could keep the cardboard for a surface mulch though.

Personally I would spread it over the allotment as I would use some proprietary compost for Toms etc. grown in containers in the greenhouse.

Sorry. Should have said that the sub-heading is "soot":dh:

Hi Moon, You lucky so and so you! Well composted leaf mould is golddust our ways. I don`t know if you can use it neat to grow tomatoes in-not well up on food growing yet, but you could certainly mix it in.

"even the expensive stuff looks and feels very hard and non absorbent these days."Now you mention it "it ain't the same as when I were a lad" but I've been pleased with the Arthur Bowers - nice and open. But I used to add some JI#3 in with the Peat Compost we used to use way-back-then, and I...

Quote from Dave "Can't be a real gardener Robert. You're wearing gloves :lollol:" Yes. most times I do now after plunging my hand in the frosty soil to pull a parsnip and getting dirt right up my fingernails. I can tell you it hurt for a day or two :grn:

Dont quite do the same thing.here'sthe linkand here's the wordy bit:"Perlite A naturally occurring non-toxic, natural volcanic rock which is heated to a high temperature to produce a lightweight micro-porous structure.Recommended Uses: Rooting cuttings and pricking out....

Add my vote to the "Use the compost for some other crop which is not in the same family" (so that rules out Tomatoes and so on too)The fact that everything was healthy doesn't mean that there won't be some bugs that "got started" and will multiply. There is also the selective-feeding of each...