Here is one solution to our water shortage.   Use more mulch around plants and in your garden.   Mulch slows the evaporation of water and discourages the growth of undesirable plants.   The least expensive mulch is compost.   Compost can help control erosion and condition the soil.   You can make your own compost or we can do it as a community.   An added bonus is that we will not be filling our landfill garbage dumps with leaves and grass clippings.   I have had a compost bin in my backyard for many years.   If done correctly, it does not have a bad odor or attract pests of any kind.

Anytime is a great time to put those grass clippings and leaves to work.   Here in Texas the Live Oak leaves come down in the spring, the other trees shed their leaves in the fall.   From Spring to Fall you are mowing the grass.   Don't let Duncan Disposal haul away this good, natural material.   There are several web sites that explain the process of composting in great detail.  

Environmental BULLETIN: GI-36
TNRCC Environmental Information Line 1-800-64-TEXAS

What is mulch?

Mulch is a material that is used to protect the soil or inhibit weed growth by covering the ground.   Good mulches, including wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, and compost, can benefit your lawn and garden by preventing erosion, suppressing weeds, retaining soil moisture, moderating soil temperatures, and adding nutrients as they break down slowly.

How to use mulch

• Put a 3 - to 6 - inch layer of mulch around your trees, shrubs, and garden plants.
• Create a self-mulching lawn!   Wait to mow until your grass is between 2 and 4 inches high.   Then mow off only the top one-third of the grass, and don't rake up the clippings.   This way, the clippings will feed your soil and won't smother your grass.
• If you have too many clippings, rake them into mulch layers around trees and shrubbery.

What is compost?

Compost forms when you mix things like leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, and used tea bags and the mixture breaks down.   It eventually forms humus, which you can use to build your soil.   Compost has many of the nutrients that plants need.   It can be used as a mulch or mixed into the soil.

How to use your compost

• To plant a lawn or garden, mix 1 to 2 inches of compost into the top 6 inches of soil.
• To maintain a lawn or garden, sprinkle a half-inch layer of sifted compost on it once each year and water it in.   (Sift your compost through a 3/8-inch mesh screen.)
• Mix 3 to 4 inches of compost into the top 8 to 10 inches of soil for intensive gardening.
• Use compost as about one-third of a potting soil mix to add nutrients and to control fungus.

Composting basics

• Composting works best when you have a mixture with about the same amount of "fresh" materials as you have "dried-out" materials.   Vegetable and fruit scraps, green grass clippings, and manure are "fresh".   Dead leaves, dry hay, wood shavings, and lint are "dried out".
• The compost pile should remain moist throughout, like a wrung-out sponge, but not soaked.
• Composting goes faster when you break everything into small pieces and mix it all together.   Try chopping or mashing your food scraps and mowing your leaves.
• A pile that is composting can get at least as hot as the hot water in your house.   Temperatures this high (140° or even higher) can kill weed seeds and germs that cause disease.   You can help your pile stay hot by putting it in a bin or covering it with a tarp.   You can even use a special compost thermometer to follow the temperature of your pile.

Materials to avoid

• Meat, bones, fish, dairy products, grease and oil: they cause odors and attract rodents.
• Pet droppings: they can harbor diseases.
• Weeds with seeds or runners: you could wind up spreading them with your compost if your compost pile does not get hot enough.
• Diseased and insect infested plants: the diseases and pests could spread if these are not well composted at a temperature around 140°
• Shavings and sawdust from treated wood, and other materials containing strong preservatives or other toxins.
• Ashes: they slow the composting process

Troubleshooting

• A bad odor means your compost has too much "fresh" material, or it is too wet.   If you want to stop the odor fast, bury the compost, or cover it for a few months and start another pile.   If the odor isn't too bad, turn the pile, and add dry leaves or other "dried-out" materials.
• If material is not breaking down and your pile is dry, turn it and add water until the whole pile is moist.
• If material is not breaking down and your pile is damp and sweet-smelling, add more "fresh" materials, such as green grass clippings.
• If your pile is not warm enough, or is warm only deep in its center, move it into a container
• If your pile has flies, roaches, ants, or maggots, bury food materials well under a layer of leaves, and be sure the pile is moist but not soaking.   Any other insects in your pile are probably harmless composters.
• If your pile has fire ants and it is dry, turn it (carefully!) and add water.   Another alternative is to use a low-toxicity bait formulation near, but not in the pile.

Compost variations

Containers. Compost piles can be kept in a bin to help retain moisture and heat, keep out pests, and keep your yard tidy.   Containers can be made with lumber, pallets, concrete blocks, wire fencing, or other materials,   See "(Containing compost: Building a Bin or Box for Your Backyard Compost," (TNRCC Pub. No GI-50) for simple instructions

Worm composting Redworms (also called "red-wigglers") and brown-nose worms can be used to compost food scraps and paper, even in an apartment.   Worm composting is the best way to compost paper.   The TNRCC's environmental bulletin, "Worm Composting" (Pub. No. GI-219), explains how to compost with worms.

Burying problem materials Smelly food scraps and insect infested garden plants can be mixed with soil and buried at least 8 inches deep in unused garden space.   If the material stays moist, it will compost within a year without producing an odor or spreading diseases or pests.

Additional information

• To order this and other publications about composting and yard care from the TNRCC, call 1-800-64-TEXAS.
• Contact your city's recycling coordinator or your county extension agent.

Send e-mail to the Master Composter!