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60. COMPOSTING
101
Ellen Book,
Master Gardener
UF/IFAS Extension
Miami-Dade County
Master Gardener
Link to slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/GoogleIFAS
The chat box
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86. Fill out the evaluation
at the end of the
program for a voucher
80-gallon capacity
Size:
32” diameter X 32” tall
87. Sheet Composting Top-dressing on
the soil surface like a garden lasagna
right onto a future growing space.
Trench Composting - composting
directly in the soil
Cold Bin Composting Fill your
compost bin halfway with browns and
bury kitchen scraps
Bokashi Bucket anaerobic bacteria
(grass-like inoculated bran, rice, dried
leaves sprinkled over scraps). 10
days to ferment & “pickle” waste,
forming an acidic organic matter that
must be dug into the soil or added to
a compost pile.
TYPES OF COMPOSTING
106. “The secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing –
and the key to our planet’s future : Don’t dismiss soil:
its unknowable wonders could ensure the survival of our
species”
by George Monbiot in The Guardian, 5/7/2022
I
107.
108.
109.
110.
111. AS PILE TEMPERATURES &
TIME IS NEEDED FOR VARIOUS
MICROORGANISMS TO COLONIZE
112. Left: (1 year old) Last year’s material all garden stuff, grass & leaves,
kitchen: banana peels veg. trimmings from the pile’s top.
Middle: (2 years old) bottom of this year’s pile put into bags
Right: (3 years old) Finished product from the bags to be used in the
garden & greenhouse this year
GUESS WHERE THIS
COMPOST WAS MADE?
128. Vermi-Composting Definitions
• Vermiculture – Work farming process of
culturing worms to decompose organic food
waste, turning it into nutrient rich material
• Casting – Worm waste, digested food
• Omnivores – Animals that eat plants and
animals
• Hermaphrodites – Animals with male and
female sex organs.
http://clipart-library.com/
130. Contains
• 5Xs the available nitrogen
• 7Xs the available potash
• 50% more calcium
than 6” of good top soil
• Water soluble nutrient immediately available for
plant intake.
Will not burn root system
unlike fresh raw manures
Red Wigglers
UF/IFAS
133. 1) I'm having problems with
my compost system and I'm not
sure of the cause. What should
I do first?
a. Add water
b. Add browns/carbon rich
material
c. Turn the compost
134. 1) I'm having problems with
my compost system and I'm not
sure of the cause. What should
I do first?
a. Add water
b. Add browns/carbon rich
material
c. Turn the compost
135. 2) My compost smells bad and
I turned it yesterday. What can I
do?
a. Add bulky browns/carbon-rich
material
b. Add greens/nitrogen-rich
material
c. Add water
136. 2) My compost smells bad and
I turned it yesterday. What can I
do?
a. Add bulky browns/carbon-rich
material
b. Add greens/nitrogen-rich
material
c. Add water
137. 3) My pile won't heat up, but I have
the proper volume of material
(approximately 1 cubic yard), enough
oxygen (aeration), and a good balance
of carbon to nitrogen (approximately
30:1). What can I do?
a. Add lime
b. Add moisture
c. Add potting soil
d. Add clean wood ash
e. All of the above
138. 3) My pile won't heat up, but I have
the proper volume of material
(approximately 1 cubic yard),
enough oxygen (aeration), and a
good balance of carbon to
nitrogen (approximately 30:1).
What can I do?
b. Add moisture
139. 4) What can I do about flies in my
compost?
a. Spray with pesticide
b. Create a separate pile for kitchen
scraps
c. No need to act
140. 4) What can I do about flies in
my compost?
a. Spray with pesticide
b. Create a separate pile for
kitchen scraps
c. No need to act
141. 5) How can I compost in my
high-rise condominium or
apartment?
a. With a compost bin
b. With worms
c. With the in-sink disposal
142. 5) How can I compost in my
high-rise condominium or
apartment?
a. With a compost bin
b. With worms
c. With the in-sink disposal
143. 6) What is the optimal size of a
composting system?
a. The bigger, the better
b. Long and narrow
c. About 3 feet high by 3 feet long
by 3 feet wide
144. 6) What is the optimal size of a
composting system?
a. The bigger, the better
b. Long and narrow
c. About 3 feet high by 3 feet long
by 3 feet wide
145. 7) What can be used as a catalyst or
inoculant to get my compost pile
started?
a. Finished compost
b. Large pieces left over from screening
compost
c. Small amount of organic top soil from
the yard
d. Commercially prepared inoculant
e. All of the above
146. 7) What can be used as a catalyst or
inoculant to get my compost pile
started?
a. Finished compost
b. Large pieces left over from screening
compost
c. Small amount of organic top soil from
the yard
d. Commercially prepared inoculant
e. All of the above
147. 8) How do I get rid of fire ants
in my compost pile?
a. Leave the pile alone
b. Water and turn the pile
c. Spray the pile with pesticide
148. 8) How do I get rid of fire ants
in my compost pile?
a. Leave the pile alone
b. Water and turn the pile
c. Spray the pile with pesticide
149. 9) When is the compost
finished?
a. After 6-8 weeks
b. When the compost appears dark,
crumbly, and looks and smells like
soil
c. When the pile temperature
exceeds 131 degrees F
150. 9) When is the compost
finished?
a. After 6-8 weeks
b. When the compost appears dark,
crumbly, and looks and smells like
soil
c. When the pile temperature
exceeds 131 degrees F
151. 10) What determines how long it takes for
organic material to become useful
compost?
a. Size of materials place into composting
system
b. Carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of materials
place into composting system
c. Level of management/attention paid to the
composting process
d. Intended use for finished compost
e. All of the above
152. 10) What determines how long it takes for
organic material to become useful
compost?
a. Size of materials place into composting
system
b. Carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of materials
place into composting system
c. Level of management/attention paid to the
composting process
d. Intended use for finished compost
e. All of the above
153. 11) Must I cover the compost bin?
a. Yes
b. No
154. 11) Must I cover the compost bin?
a. Yes
b. No
155. 12) What items may harm my worms if
added to my vermi-composting system?
a. Alcohol or vinegar
b. Coffee grinds
c. Oranges or other citrus
d. All of the above
156. 12) What items may harm my worms if
added to my vermi-composting system?
a. Alcohol or vinegar
b. Coffee grinds
c. Oranges or other citrus
d. All of the above
157. 13) It I can't compost it, what can I do with
it?
a. Reduce
b. Reuse
c. Recycle
d. All of the above
158. 13) It I can't compost it, what can I do with
it?
a. Reduce
b. Reuse
c. Recycle
d. All of the above
159. 14) Must I use a manufactured composting
bin?
a. Yes
b. No
160. 14) Must I use a manufactured composting
bin?
a. Yes
b. No
161. 15) What is the lowest-cost backyard
composting system?
a. Pile, trench, and sheet composting
b. Manufactured bins
c. Self-made bins
162. 15) What is the lowest-cost backyard
composting system?
a. Pile, trench, and sheet composting
b. Manufactured bins
c. Self-made bins
163. 16) What best accelerates the
decomposition of oak leaves?
a. Water the pile
b. Turn the pile twice a week
c. Shred leaves before adding to the compost
d. All of the above
164. 16) What best accelerates the
decomposition of oak leaves?
a. Water the pile
b. Turn the pile twice a week
c. Shred leaves before adding to the compost
d. All of the above
165. 17) How can I accelerate the compost
decomposition process?
a. Active management of the compost system
b. Building a bigger pile
c. Adding a compost starter/inoculant/catalyst
d. None of the above
166. 17) How can I accelerate the compost
decomposition process?
a. Active management of the compost system
b. Building a bigger pile
c. Adding a compost starter/inoculant/catalyst
d. None of the above
167. 18) How much time does it take to make
compost?
a. One hour per day
b. One hour per week
c. One hour per month
d. As little or as much time as I want
168. 18) How much time does it take to make
compost?
a. One hour per day
b. One hour per week
c. One hour per month
d. As little or as much time as I want
169. 19) Hot composting and vermi-composting
are compatible?
a. True
b. False
170. 19) Hot composting and vermi-composting
are compatible?
a. True
b. False
173. Evaluation
& Voucher
Link to slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/GoogleIFAS
Vouchers will be accepted
When supply arrives…
The link will be up until
Monday at 8:00am.
Vasquez,Laura A
lavasquez@ufl.edu
Urban Horticulture Agent and
Master Gardener Coordinator
Copy this link to evaluation AND
composter voucher from chat.
