Search
Latest topics
» N & C Midwest—May 2024by OhioGardener Today at 2:25 pm
» Birds of the Garden
by Scorpio Rising Today at 2:05 pm
» Ohio Gardener's Greenhouse
by OhioGardener Yesterday at 3:36 pm
» Greetings from Southport NC
by sanderson Yesterday at 4:36 am
» In the news: Biosolids in Texas.
by sanderson Yesterday at 4:19 am
» Rhubarb Rhubarb
by Scorpio Rising 5/5/2024, 7:57 pm
» What Have You Picked From Your Garden Today
by Scorpio Rising 5/5/2024, 7:55 pm
» Complicated mixed up bunny poop!
by jemm 5/5/2024, 7:24 pm
» Mark's first SFG
by markqz 5/4/2024, 12:08 am
» question about the digital tools from the sfg site.
by OhioGardener 5/2/2024, 4:50 pm
» Assistance Needed: Sugar Snap Peas Yellowing and Wilting
by Scorpio Rising 5/1/2024, 8:24 pm
» OMG, GMO from an unexpected place.
by sanderson 5/1/2024, 1:57 am
» N & C Midwest: March and April 2024
by Scorpio Rising 4/29/2024, 1:30 pm
» Lovage, has anyone grown, or used
by OhioGardener 4/29/2024, 12:27 pm
» New to SFG in Arlington, Tx
by sanderson 4/26/2024, 3:13 pm
» Soil Blocks: Tutorial In Photos
by OhioGardener 4/25/2024, 5:20 pm
» Manure tea overwintered outside - is it safe to use?
by Mhpoole 4/24/2024, 7:08 pm
» Advice on my blend
by donnainzone5 4/24/2024, 12:13 pm
» Senseless Banter...
by OhioGardener 4/24/2024, 8:16 am
» What do I do with tomato plants?
by SMEDLEY BUTLER 4/23/2024, 1:36 am
» Kiwi's SFG Adventure
by sanderson 4/22/2024, 2:07 pm
» Sacrificial Tomatoes
by SMEDLEY BUTLER 4/22/2024, 10:36 am
» From the Admin - 4th EDITION of All New Square Foot Gardening is in Progress
by sanderson 4/21/2024, 5:02 pm
» Seedling Identification
by AuntieBeth 4/21/2024, 8:00 am
» Happy Birthday!!
by AtlantaMarie 4/21/2024, 6:56 am
» Three Sisters Thursday
by sanderson 4/20/2024, 5:25 pm
» Recommended store bought compost - Photos of composts
by sanderson 4/20/2024, 3:08 pm
» Compost not hot
by Guinevere 4/19/2024, 11:19 am
» Maybe a silly question but...
by sanderson 4/18/2024, 11:22 pm
» Hi from zone 10B--southern orange county, ca
by sanderson 4/18/2024, 12:25 am
Google
C:N ratio
+3
sanderson
camprn
jimmy cee
7 posters
Page 1 of 1
C:N ratio
Need to clear something in my feeble mind.
C:N ratio 30 - 1
Does this mean like.... 30 parts of leaves to 1 part of (lets say) kitchen scraps
thirty 5 gallon buckets of leaves to 1 bucket of kitchen scraps.
or
does this mean leaves make up 30 parts of carbon and 1 part of nitrogen themselves ?
C:N ratio 30 - 1
Does this mean like.... 30 parts of leaves to 1 part of (lets say) kitchen scraps
thirty 5 gallon buckets of leaves to 1 bucket of kitchen scraps.
or
does this mean leaves make up 30 parts of carbon and 1 part of nitrogen themselves ?
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Re: C:N ratio
Carbon:nitrogen by Cornell Composting.
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/chemistry.html
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/chemistry.html
43 years a gardener and going strong with SFG.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t3574-the-end-of-july-7-weeks-until-frost
There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance. ~ Henry David Thoreau
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t1306-other-gardening-books
Re: C:N ratio
I have camps suggestion printed out in front of me.
Not quite sure why this is happening to me, however I cannot make head or tail of this C:N ratio thing.
I think I have it and then whammo I don't.
Probably the most confusing item I have ever faced in my life.
Gotta be simple and I can't get it...
Maybe the carbon in my brain needs some nitrogen... I'll give it some of this anyway...
Well regardless of the formula it's working great for me, I have one 4 X 6 pile that needs to be screened now.
Not quite sure why this is happening to me, however I cannot make head or tail of this C:N ratio thing.
I think I have it and then whammo I don't.
Probably the most confusing item I have ever faced in my life.
Gotta be simple and I can't get it...
Maybe the carbon in my brain needs some nitrogen... I'll give it some of this anyway...
Well regardless of the formula it's working great for me, I have one 4 X 6 pile that needs to be screened now.
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Re: C:N ratio
Don't know how accurate this compost calculator is, but it is a good reference.
http://www.klickitatcounty.org/solidwaste/fileshtml/organics/compostCalc.htm
http://www.klickitatcounty.org/solidwaste/fileshtml/organics/compostCalc.htm
yolos- Posts : 4152
Join date : 2011-11-20
Age : 74
Location : Brooks, Ga Zone 7B/8A
Re: C:N ratio
Keep mulling it over Jimmy, it will eventually click! Confidence is high.
http://www.compostjunkie.com/composting-carbon-nitrogen-ratio.html
http://www.compostjunkie.com/composting-carbon-nitrogen-ratio.html
43 years a gardener and going strong with SFG.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t3574-the-end-of-july-7-weeks-until-frost
There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance. ~ Henry David Thoreau
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t1306-other-gardening-books
Re: C:N ratio
ok lets put it another way...maybe....
a leaf is composed of elements.... among those elements are
30 parts of carbon and 1 part of nitrogen ???
If I can get this in my noggin the rest will be easy
a leaf is composed of elements.... among those elements are
30 parts of carbon and 1 part of nitrogen ???
If I can get this in my noggin the rest will be easy
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Re: C:N ratio
anotherjimmy cee wrote:ok lets put it another way...maybe....
a leaf is composed of elements.... among those elements are
30 parts of carbon and 1 part of nitrogen ???
If I can get this in my noggin the rest will be easy
The C/N ratio or carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is a ratio of the mass of carbon to the mass of nitrogen in a substance. It can, amongst other things, be used in analysing sediments and compost. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratios are an indicator for nitrogen limitation of plants and other organisms. ...
a substance can be 1 leaf , or a bucket of leaves, or a ton of leaves ?
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Re: C:N ratio
Hey Jimmy
You are getting closer to understanding the C/N ratio. If you are having difficulty understanding this compost terminology then you should check out other places on this site or go to other websites. I finally broke down and got a book on composting and the first thing it address is the components, or ingredients, to a compost pile.
Browns are carbon rich and some examples are leaves, pine needles, paper, etc.
Greens are grass clippings, coffee grounds, kitchen scraps, etc.
Since each component has a different C/N ratio, how to get the "perfect pile" with a 30-40 ratio? Both some websites mentioned before and the book I have tell you how to do it.
You are getting closer to understanding the C/N ratio. If you are having difficulty understanding this compost terminology then you should check out other places on this site or go to other websites. I finally broke down and got a book on composting and the first thing it address is the components, or ingredients, to a compost pile.
Browns are carbon rich and some examples are leaves, pine needles, paper, etc.
Greens are grass clippings, coffee grounds, kitchen scraps, etc.
Since each component has a different C/N ratio, how to get the "perfect pile" with a 30-40 ratio? Both some websites mentioned before and the book I have tell you how to do it.
floyd1440- Posts : 815
Join date : 2011-06-21
Age : 70
Location : Washington, Pa. Zone 6a
Re: C:N ratio
Floydfloyd1440 wrote:Hey Jimmy
You are getting closer to understanding the C/N ratio. If you are having difficulty understanding this compost terminology then you should check out other places on this site or go to other websites. I finally broke down and got a book on composting and the first thing it address is the components, or ingredients, to a compost pile.
Browns are carbon rich and some examples are leaves, pine needles, paper, etc.
Greens are grass clippings, coffee grounds, kitchen scraps, etc.
Since each component has a different C/N ratio, how to get the "perfect pile" with a 30-40 ratio? Both some websites mentioned before and the book I have tell you how to do it.
You answered my simple little question "each component has a different C?N ratio"
Thanks so much, I can go from here now, This was a severe stumbling block in my mind.
Last spring my son showed me all kinds of formulas regarding this.
Being a Chemist he has it all down solidly, however even he could not answer or understand what I was asking so I just dropped it.
I have a library on composting, not 1 book was able to clear this up for me.
Thank you and everyone who tried to help.
I love composting, find it extremely fascinating and want to learn as much as I'm able.
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Re: C:N ratio
Jimmy -- a few more thoughts!
While the 30/1 ratio is a perfect ratio -- from my experience the past 3 years, you certainly won't need to make yourself a perfectionist either. You could weigh things out like you first mentioned but to me that would get tedious really fast. 40/1 works too and other higher ratios also. The higher carbs will take longer to break down. In time it will All break down. Since every ingredient has its own c/n ratio that is a good thing. Then the microbes have a constant source of available food as one source gets used up then on to the next! There are a couple more factors I keep in mind. They are: Variety of ingredients use 5 or more types. Manure or any combinations of manure should not be more than 20% of your pile. Turning the pile or poking holes adds oxygen to keep the microbes alive to do their decomposing work. I use a long heavy rebar to easily poke holes and that worked fine when I didn't feel like turning the pile. The other is chopping ingredients into smaller pieces. This gives greater surface area for the microbes to go to work on. Lastly, is moisture.
My leaves are available in bulk by mid to end of November yet I push to have finished compost by march/april. But it's not all ready. So last year I bought time by doing the Berkely Hot composting method (labor intensive) on a nearly finished batch plus added new stuff to it and had compost in about a month. This let the rest of the compost piles cook in their own time and kept me supplied the rest of the gardening season.
While the 30/1 ratio is a perfect ratio -- from my experience the past 3 years, you certainly won't need to make yourself a perfectionist either. You could weigh things out like you first mentioned but to me that would get tedious really fast. 40/1 works too and other higher ratios also. The higher carbs will take longer to break down. In time it will All break down. Since every ingredient has its own c/n ratio that is a good thing. Then the microbes have a constant source of available food as one source gets used up then on to the next! There are a couple more factors I keep in mind. They are: Variety of ingredients use 5 or more types. Manure or any combinations of manure should not be more than 20% of your pile. Turning the pile or poking holes adds oxygen to keep the microbes alive to do their decomposing work. I use a long heavy rebar to easily poke holes and that worked fine when I didn't feel like turning the pile. The other is chopping ingredients into smaller pieces. This gives greater surface area for the microbes to go to work on. Lastly, is moisture.
My leaves are available in bulk by mid to end of November yet I push to have finished compost by march/april. But it's not all ready. So last year I bought time by doing the Berkely Hot composting method (labor intensive) on a nearly finished batch plus added new stuff to it and had compost in about a month. This let the rest of the compost piles cook in their own time and kept me supplied the rest of the gardening season.
llama momma
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4921
Join date : 2010-08-20
Location : Central Ohio zone 6a
Re: C:N ratio
The upper compost bed in may last picture was aerated every couple of days with an extension prong.
I completely turned that bed about once a week, checking on moisture content, etc.
This pile had last springs fresh cow manure and I cannot believe the worms that live in it.
Not nighcrawlers, just small red worms that are bunched up in balls about as big as a softball.
I've been getting discarded produce from a local grocery store, now before adding I am chopping it all up with a sharpened ice scraper...leaves, fall cuttings, coffee grinds, and more added every couple of days...
When it gets cold out, I'm unhappy about not being able to take care of my compost pile....LOL....
Who cares about the garden ? ...
Whatever I was doing was correct as that pile is now ready to be screened which I'll most likely do when temps moderate a bit.
I am now rebuilding the frame work on the compost piles, all this was just an experiment in the beginning...
Now it's an OBSESSION and all Mel's fault...
I completely turned that bed about once a week, checking on moisture content, etc.
This pile had last springs fresh cow manure and I cannot believe the worms that live in it.
Not nighcrawlers, just small red worms that are bunched up in balls about as big as a softball.
I've been getting discarded produce from a local grocery store, now before adding I am chopping it all up with a sharpened ice scraper...leaves, fall cuttings, coffee grinds, and more added every couple of days...
When it gets cold out, I'm unhappy about not being able to take care of my compost pile....LOL....
Who cares about the garden ? ...
Whatever I was doing was correct as that pile is now ready to be screened which I'll most likely do when temps moderate a bit.
I am now rebuilding the frame work on the compost piles, all this was just an experiment in the beginning...
Now it's an OBSESSION and all Mel's fault...
jimmy cee
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 2215
Join date : 2013-02-16
Age : 88
Location : Hatfield PA. zone 6b
Re: C:N ratio
WOW........I was over collecting an other batch of leaves from his 20 year pile and I dug down a few feet, black gold! I shoveled up a wheel barrow load and have it in buckets inside to dry out.
Think I should get it tested? Anyway if it is as good as it looks, there is something to be said about slow composting too.
Think I should get it tested? Anyway if it is as good as it looks, there is something to be said about slow composting too.
floyd1440- Posts : 815
Join date : 2011-06-21
Age : 70
Location : Washington, Pa. Zone 6a
Re: C:N ratio
About 10 years ago, we owned a home in San Diego County that was a historic adobe farmhouse under huge old oak trees. The property had been one of the original homesteads during the 1860s and was such an unusual one for the area. Those oak trees had 5 to 6 foot diameter trunks which translated into 500 to 600 years of age. The soil there was the most amazing I have ever had the privilege to garden in. It was at least 2 feet deep without a single rock in it. The only real problem was the lack of sunlight.
Those oak trees dropped their leaves all year round, they were always green but at the same time always shedding leaves. We literally had to blow the leaves off of our large brick patio every single week. So a constant thin layer was being laid down.
We had an old water tower building that was 2 stories high and had a flat top where the tank used to be. My husband got up there one day to repair the roof and found 18 inches of pure, amazing soil|leaf mold|compost or whatever it was!
As in nature, it seems that absolutely everything will break down in time and feed the garden. We can work hard and do it quickly (and sometimes we have to do that) or we can be lazy and all we really need to do is pile it up and give it time
Those oak trees dropped their leaves all year round, they were always green but at the same time always shedding leaves. We literally had to blow the leaves off of our large brick patio every single week. So a constant thin layer was being laid down.
We had an old water tower building that was 2 stories high and had a flat top where the tank used to be. My husband got up there one day to repair the roof and found 18 inches of pure, amazing soil|leaf mold|compost or whatever it was!
As in nature, it seems that absolutely everything will break down in time and feed the garden. We can work hard and do it quickly (and sometimes we have to do that) or we can be lazy and all we really need to do is pile it up and give it time
Re: C:N ratio
jimmy cee
I saw this article and thought of you immediately, take a gander let me know what you think!
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/carbonnitrogenratio.html
I saw this article and thought of you immediately, take a gander let me know what you think!
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/carbonnitrogenratio.html
llama momma
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4921
Join date : 2010-08-20
Location : Central Ohio zone 6a
Similar topics
» Ratio
» Compost bins: Open vs. closed
» Grass Clippings Ratio
» NPK ratio of my fertilizer
» Ratio of components in soil mix.
» Compost bins: Open vs. closed
» Grass Clippings Ratio
» NPK ratio of my fertilizer
» Ratio of components in soil mix.
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
|
|