Compost Happens!

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Compost Happens! presented byBill
Garlette william.garlette_at_cox.net nnmastergardener
s.org
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• Just Say No To Garden and Lawn Drugs

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• Outline
• Overview
• Virginia Techs new interdisciplinary offering -
  Organic Horticulture and Landscape Systems
• A Bit on Soil Biology and Healthy Soil
• Composting and Compost Use
• Vermicomposting

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Compost Happens! presented byBill
Garlette william.garlette_at_cox.net nnmastergardener
s.org
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• Up Front Slides
• The First Priority How???
• Balance
• Healthy Plants
• Healthy Soil
• Biologically Active Soil

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• Up Front Slides
• The First Priority How???
• Compost
• Insect Diversity
• Plant Diversity
• Obey the Seven Organic Rules
• And

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• 95 of Pest and Disease Control is attributable
  to plant health.
• 99 of Plant Health is dependent on healthy
  soil.
• 100 of Soil Health is dependent on good organic
  content and biological diversity.
• 100 of Soil Health problems are due to
  chemicals, pesticides and other man-made
  interference.

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Seven Organic Rules

• Always use the best adapted varieties for each
  environment.
• Plant in the preferred season.
• Balance the mineral content of the soil.
• Build and maintain the soil organic content
  humus.
• Do nothing to harm the beneficial soil life.
• Consider troublesome insects and diseases as
  symptoms of one of the above rules having been
  violated
• Be patient. Mother Nature gives birth, but
  Father Time controls the cycles
• - from Lessons in Nature by Malcolm Beck

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Remember

• Soil is at the root of all your plant problems!

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And

• Feed the Soil and Itll Feed the Plants!

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Its Alive!!!

• Just like Plants and Animals The Soil is Alive!
  We Have to Treat It the Same As Other Living
  Things

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What We Dread

• Germs Disease
• Bugs
• Weeds

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The Outcome

• If we win the war to control Nature, we WILL be
  on the losing side!

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Principals of Organic Horticulture

• We focus on pollution of the
• Atmosphere - Air
• Hydrosphere - Water
• Biosphere Flora Fauna, Us
• But not the Lithosphere The Soil

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Principals of Organic Horticulture Figure Out
The Fertilizer

• Whats This Good For?
• 10-10-10

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Principals of Organic Horticulture Figure Out
The Fertilizer

• And This?
• 3-36-9

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The Questions

• Can You Figure Out What Vitamins, Minerals,
  Nutrients You Should Take For A Week?
• Would You Want a Weeks Worth of Meals for
  Sunday Dinner?

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Here Are The Basic Plant Needs

• Carbon (C) Iron (Fe)
• Hydrogen (H) Boron (B)
• Oxygen (O) Zinc (Zn)
• Nitrogen (N) Copper (Cu)
• Phosphorus (P) Manganese (Mn)
• Potassium (K) Molybdenum (Mo)
• Magnesium (Mg) Chlorine (Cl)
• Calcium (Ca) Cobalt (Co)
• Sulfur (S)
• 17 Basic needs

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Dont Forget,Those Are Just The Elementals.Then
You Have

• Amino Acids
• Humic Fulvic Acids
• Photosynthetic Sugars
• Mycorrhizal Fungi
• And Lots More Stuff In The Plant Soil Food Web

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Principals of Organic Horticulture

• But This One Tells The Tale!!
• Importance of Proper Mineral Balance If One is
  Out of Balance, It Effects Others in a
  Detrimental Manner

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Principals of Organic Horticulture

• How did plants survive B.C. (Before Chemicals)?

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Principals of Organic Horticulture

• The Soil Food Web is comprised of microorganisms
  that provide nutrients and health to the plants
  as well as the soil.

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Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of
Soil Organisms
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Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of
Soil Organisms
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Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of
Soil Organisms

• Fill a Swimming Pool with Salt
• Osmotic Shock

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Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of
Soil Organisms

• Just Say No To Garden and Lawn Drugs
• Osmotic Shock

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Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of
Soil Organisms

• Soil Soil microbes Plants
  Herbivores Carnivores Omnivores
• Everybody Feeds the Soil

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Principals of Organic Horticulture Function of
Soil Organisms

• If the microbes in the soil are disrupted and the
  nutrient cycle is out of balance then we have the
  recipe for Pest, Weeds and Pathogens.

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Principals of Organic HorticultureCaring For The
Soil As A Living System

• Three Aspects of Soil Health Fertility
• Physical
• Chemical Organic Chemistry cations anions
• Biological
• Requirements of a Living System
• Food
• Air
• Water
• Shelter Soil structure Conservation
• Living Organism - Biota

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Principals of Organic HorticultureCaring For The
Soil As A Living System

• The Organic Matter Cycle
• The Soil Food Web

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Principals of Organic Horticulture Feeding the
Soil a Balanced Diet

• Compost
• Cover Crops
• Organic Mulches
• Other Organic Residues
• Lime, Other Natural Minerals and Organic Nutrients

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Questions?
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Compost Happens
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Dont Do This At Home!
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Do This, Instead
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Why Compost

• Healthier Soil Plants
• More Soil Biology
• No Chemistry 501
• Less Icides (Pest, Herb, Fung)
• Less Chemical Fertilizers
• Less Chemical Stink
• Less

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Why CompostBottom Line

• Cheap
• Simple
• No Chemicals which Kill the Soil Organisms
• Better Plant and Water Quality

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What is Composting?
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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What Are The Types Of Composting?
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Yard Waste (Thermal), Worm, Biosolids Compost
Tea
Worm Your Way Into Composting!

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Compost Can Be Used To

• Add Beneficial Organisms
• Add Nutrients
• Help Sandy Soil Hold Moisture
• Loosen Heavy Clay Soils
• Make Potting Soil
• Mulch

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Excellent Compost Materials
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Excellent Compost Materials

• GREENIES
• (Nitrogen)
• Coffee GroundsCover CropsSeaweedVegetable
  scrapsEgg shellsFruitWeedsGrass clippings
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"BROWNIES (Carbon) HayLeavesStrawNutshellsSh
redded paperPine needlesSaw dustGarden
stalks 60
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• Other Excellent Sources
• Of
• Compost

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My Friend Flicka
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Elsie the Cow
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Bugs Bunny
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And all the Friends of the Colonel
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• Dont Use

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Rin Tin Tins Residue
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Sylvesters Exhaust
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Or Little Johnnys John Quests

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More Problem Stuff

• Disease insect infested plants
• Noxious weeds
• Meat scraps
• Dairy products
• Cooking oils grease