It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:53 am

All times are UTC - 6 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: New to composting
PostPosted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:37 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:24 pm
Posts: 19
Location: McKinney,TEXAS
I have 3 piles working (3x3x3) and using everything HG's book says is OK in the piles. I'm using horse manure from the farm next door (hay and sawdust) in it too. Question: Horse apples from Bois D' arc tree are falling, can I chop 'em up and toss them in too?


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:24 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:33 am
Posts: 764
Location: Plano & land at Dodd City,TEXAS
I built a HUGE compost bin out of fallen bois d'arc trees & limbs. I've tossed in a ton of horse apples so I hope this is OK!

Patty

_________________
Plano Patty & Jim


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:17 am 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 8:15 am
Posts: 964
Location: Odenville,Alabama
Horse manure is best composted in an hot active aerobic method, mixed with good carbon materials like leaves, hay, straw, or sawdust bedding from barns.

I use horse manure and bedding a lot in my active compost piles on my organic farm. I also apply dry molasses tea as a biostimulant to speed up decomposition and speed up break down of weed seeds in the horse manure. After 1-2 months, I use my compost in my no-till garden beds or my lawn, or I sell it to customers.

Happy Gardening!

_________________
The entire Kingdom of God can be totally explained as an Organic Garden (Mark 4:26)
William Cureton


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:09 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2003 3:45 pm
Posts: 2884
Location: San Antonio,TEXAS
Captain Compost is not from around here. This is a picture of the "horse apples" that drop from the "bowdark" tree.

Image

_________________
David Hall
Moderator
Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:26 am 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator

Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 8:15 am
Posts: 964
Location: Odenville,Alabama
That's a cool photo!
I've never seen those before.

Happy Gardening!

_________________
The entire Kingdom of God can be totally explained as an Organic Garden (Mark 4:26)
William Cureton


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Composting Horse Apples
PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:45 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:27 pm
Posts: 11
Location: Rockport,TEXAS
Horse Apple - also called Osage Orange, Bois d'arc and Hedge Apple.
Maclura pomifera - member of the Mulberry family.
A deciduous native in Texas too, which I composted successfully in Florida,
but don't have any here in Rockport.
As I remember, the hard fruits didn't compost well at all, unless they
were split open, but decomposed fine in smaller chips. But the juice
inside the fruit made a sticky mess in my hammermill - and the juice is
poisonous.
Huge roaches were a problem in my Florida compost piles until adding
horse apple. Afterward, almost no roaches to be seen in the vicinity.
I found it best to just pile the fruit until they begin to rot down well,
then add them to the CENTER of the pile machete-chopped on the
layer, to ensure good heating. Saved a lot of effort and cleanup.
If you don't screen a pile while turning it (to find sprouts), you can
expend considerable effort extracting tough roots out of your pile later.
A compost containment made from this wood is TOUGH and will last a LONG time.
Quite a history of early-year U.S. settling, regarding this tree.
If you tossed in a large quantity of 'apples', and notice a lot of seedlings
coming up (not likely heat will be sufficient to sterilize all the seeds if
they were piled together and just covered) suggest you dismantle the pile
before the roots intertwine. Tough thorns on even small plants.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by eWeblife