If your compost is
intended for use as mulch around perennial beds or to be screened
and broadcast atop lawns, then having a nitrogen-poor product is of
little consequence. But if your compost is headed for the vegetable
garden or will be used to grow the largest possible prized flowers
then perhaps newsprint could be recycled in another way.
Cardboard, especially corrugated material, is superior to newsprint
for compost making because its biodegradable glues contain
significant amounts of nitrogen. Worms love to consume cardboard
mulch. Like other forms of paper, cardboard should be shredded,
ground or chopped as finely as possible, and thoroughly mixed with
other materials when composted._
__Pet wastes_ may contain disease organisms that infect humans.
Though municipal composting systems can safely eliminate such
diseases, home composting of dog and cat manure may be risky if the
compost is intended for food gardening.
_Phosphate rock._ If your garden soil is deficient in phosphorus,
adding rock phosphate to the compost pile may accelerate its
availability in the garden, far more effectively than adding
phosphate to soil. If the vegetation in your vicinity comes from
soils similarly deficient in phosphorus, adding phosphate rock will
support a healthier decomposition ecology and improve the quality of
your compost. Five to ten pounds of rock phosphate added to a cubic
yard of uncomposted organic matter is about the right amount.
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