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18 Cargill Place, Richmond - Nelson, NZCALL US: (03) 544 8857 |
What Happens to Your Green Waste?
Home gardeners, landscape gardeners and contractors bring trailers and truckloads to our site for disposal. We mulch the green waste to produce a pure compost, rich in nutrients. It is used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture and agriculture. The compost itself is beneficial for the land in many ways, being a key ingredient in organic farming, as a soil conditioner, a fertiliser, and as a natural pesticide for soil. In ecosystems, compost is used for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction and as a landfill cover.
Composting is a traditional method of recycling waste. The process involves soil micro-organisms breaking down the waste into a nice, sweet smelling crumbly "soil". Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants. |
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Compost is suitable to use as garden mulch. Mulching is important to help improve soil structure, conserve soil moisture and suppress weeds. It conditions the soil by the addition of organic material and recycles waste. |
There is no set recipe when making compost - but there are living micro-organisms involved. When these organisms are provided with ideal conditions they do most of the work. Heat and good aeration are the secret to making compost. In the composting process micro-organisms give off heat which is vital in breaking down organic material.
Using quality compost improves soil structure, fertility and general soil health. Healthy soil is essential for healthy plants and landscapes. Compost can do most of the hard work by increasing the nutrient capacity and water holding of soil, meaning that less water and fertiliser is required for good garden maintenance. This can reduce maintenance costs and makes compost a very cost effective option - for growers, farmers and home gardeners.
As compost can improve soil structure, it can also be used to help problem soils. Using good quality compost on/in sandy soils will improve soil structure and the water retention and nutrient holding capacity of the soil. This means that plants have access to both water and nutrients for longer periods of time, ensuring better plant growth. Improved soil structure also helps to prevent soil erosion, as does the addition of quality compost mulch into the landscape. Compost mulch will also help to control weeds.
How Do We Compost?
Windrow composting is the production of compost by piling organic matter, in long rows (windrows). Windrows are triangular in shape and approximately 4.5 to 5m wide. This method is suited to producing large volumes of compost. These rows are turned regularly to improve porosity and oxygen content, mix in or remove moisture, and redistribute cooler and hotter portions of the pile. Windrow composting is commonly used in large scale composting. This method of the composting process control parameters includes the initial ratios of carbon and nitrogen rich materials. The amount of larger mulched green waste (added to ensure air porosity), the pile size, moisture content, and turning frequency optimises conditions for efficient hot aerobic composting. The temperature of the windrows must be measured and logged constantly to determine the optimum time to turn the windrows for the best compost production.
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Windrow composting is the most common method used to organically produce compost, it is also the most labour-intensive. Windrow composting involves stacking raw materials into long piles that are turned regularly with a front-end loader and bucket. It is important to monitor the piles temperature often to avoid odour problems and ensure that the mulched green waste materials are composting.
Good composting takes time and time produces good compost - produced as nature intended.
There are absolutely no chemicals or fillers added to the compost, you are buying 100% compost, 100% organically produced. |
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We often have free flax plants available. These are in a variety of sizes and species. Please give us a call first.
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(03) 544 8857