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Looking to start a compost

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  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Koen:
    Hmmm there are usually worms under deep piles of leaves maybe its too cold. You need to go to a forested area and look for these places where the leaves collect, there is usually black earth immediately under the leaves (created by the worms) on top of what ever soil clay or otherwise. Earth worms don't much like hard pan clay no deep leaves though unless there is that decent layer of top soil or humus , go to another area

    Even hard dried out soil will have earth worms if you dig up a spade or two failing that you are very welcome to come and get some from one of my compost areas in the garden when I get back from safari sometime after Jan 2014.

    I once unearthed (in a pile of leaves) a whole lot of salamanders, warty and crocodilian with bright red bellies. Another time a nest of freshly hatched bamboo vipers, they are incredibly cute and behave exactly like an adult all jerky and stiff striking left right and centre, they aren't born very green. Another time (you can see I rootle about in compost heaps a lot facinating places) there was a beutiful shrews nest with tiny tiny shrews.

    Actualy I use the soil created under the heaps to top dress pot plants, I love gardening it keeps me fit and the gardener fat. Not. She does all the hard manual labour I sort of direct showing by example.
    Whereabouts do you live? haha ... I tried going to one of the smaller reservoirs on the island last time and all I found were potato bugs, and millipedes. Cool! I always wanted to go on a safari. Yeah, I was gonna ask to see if you could help with my worm situation (hahaha that doesn't sound right). Anyways, yeah that would be great. In the meantime, I'll try digging somewhere else.

  2. #12

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    What's wrong with millipedes and cockroaches? They are also highly efficient compost makers

    jayinhongkong likes this.

  3. #13

    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by flymantang:
    Whereabouts do you live? haha ...
    Here.


    There are plenty of earth worms. Though as jay said the ones you actualy want are not the deep earth dwelers but the red thin ones that live just under the leaf litter these are the best at composting. So don't dig just rootle.

    I just learnt that worm casts, basicaly earth worm poo is extremely good fertiliser especialy from the larger giant deep soil living ones. They eat (process) earth, minerals etc crushing it up very fine, dissolving it, just right for plant roots to be able to absorb to the max. You see piles of it near their holes, large lumps as big as your fist. I will get a few sacks of it when it gets warmer and see if it's any good.

  4. #14

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    Please don't disturb local soil structure in the country parks--it's illegal and leads to erosion. If everyone did that we'd be in deep sh*t!

    Worm castings are dirt cheap on Taobao and are absolutely excellent for your plants. They're even good for certain skin conditions!

    chingleutsch likes this.

  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by jayinhongkong:
    Remember to keep meat/animal products out of your worm bin!
    Why is that? (I dont know much about composting, so this is most likely a basic/dumb question).

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by jayinhongkong:
    Please don't disturb local soil structure in the country parks--it's illegal and leads to erosion. If everyone did that we'd be in deep sh*t!

    Worm castings are dirt cheap on Taobao and are absolutely excellent for your plants. They're even good for certain skin conditions!
    I know that country parks are off limits and I myself wouldn't go damaging the habitat there even if it was legal. It was just around some jogging trails.

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    Why is that? (I dont know much about composting, so this is most likely a basic/dumb question).
    Once you put meat in ur compost, you will start attracting flies, cockroaches, and little rodents to your place. Not something you want.

  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by flymantang:
    Once you put meat in ur compost, you will start attracting flies, cockroaches, and little rodents to your place. Not something you want.
    OK, makes sense but wouldn't rotting vegetables (sans meat) do the same?

  9. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    OK, makes sense but wouldn't rotting vegetables (sans meat) do the same?
    No, but you attract other bugs. Cockroaches will come for carbohydrate and rats will come for anything edible. If you have a really hot, active compost going then you can throw in meat/bone chips/whatever and they will get digested quickly. A healthy, active compost will keep itself clean with heat and bacteria. Nature's beautiful.

    http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...460014950.html
    Last edited by jayinhongkong; 18-12-2013 at 11:10 PM.