5 Composting Facts for Your Lawn and Garden
The average household in the United States generates 650 pounds of compostable materials each year. That's a whole lot of trash, isn't it? In order to reduce waste, composting is a fantastic way to recycle your garbage can's contents into something beneficial. Composting can help lawn and garden areas look lush and healthy, whether it's yours or your client's.
Many people are often afraid of composting because of the unknowns involved. With that in mind, we've compiled five helpful facts about compost — one of the best ways to incorporate organic lawn care into your life.
1. Compost isn’t Limited to Food Scraps
Often, images of old apple cores and potato peels come to mind when thinking about compost. However, there are actually a plethora of items you can compost - and they aren't just food-related. Here are some items that are compostable:
As a lawn maintenance professional, you obviously have your fill of l eft over clippings from mowing lawns, and you may even be wondering how to get rid of your autumn leaves. The rest of the materials are probably sitting in your trash can.
2. Composting is Low Maintenance
Composting has the tendency to strike fear in the hearts of those unfamiliar with this practice. Just as maintaining your mower or lawn mowing on hilly terrain can eventually become old hat, it still requires a learning curve. Composting can also become part of your routine — as long as you're dedicated to learning about it. In reality, it's easy. You just need to keep an eye on the compost moisture level, aerate the pile in order to introduce air into the process, and monitor the temperature. Compost piles normally thrive at 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
3. Compost is Comprised of Only Four Ingredients
You may have seen that brown and dry materials (such as sawdust), as well as green and colorful supplies (like citrus rinds) were on the list of what you can compost. That's because compost needs to have carbon (for energy), nitrogen (to grow and reproduce more organisms to oxide the carbon), oxygen (through aerating), and water. With those four ingredients, your compost pile will thrive!
4. Composting Improves Soil
Compost definitely helps your dirt- but it does more than add nutrients. It actually treats volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, cleaning any contaminated soil and overall improving the soil and your plants. Plus, it can help eliminate the need for fertilizer or pesticides and suppresses plant diseases with its natural powers.
5. Composting Saves Money
You don't need to invest any dollars into your compost scraps because they're already coming from your home- and would otherwise end up in the trash. Not only is composting inexpensive, but as we previously stated, it eliminates the need for fertilizer, which can be a hefty expense. Garbage collection bills and waste can be reduced greatly, keeping your money in your wallet instead of spending it on fertilizer. What's not to love about composting? It lessens environmental impact, creates healthy soil for grass, plants, and trees, and saves you money in the long run. Whether you're around mowers all day long or run a lawn maintenance company from your office, you probably have all of the ingredients needed to start a compost pile. Soon, your green grass and vibrant flowers could be the talk of the town - and you can spill the dirt on your four simple ingredients.
