County or University Extension Center horticultur- ists will provide answers to problems or questions. University Extension Master Composters will help solve problems. All of the above will speak to groups, schools, or organizations, and some conduct workshops regularly. All provide detailed literature on request. Call City Public Works Departments to learn what they plan or are doing to help deal with yard wastes. The Compqster Project is a traveling composting demonstration unit available to do presentations to all age groups and to attend events, meetings, fairs or schools. Call 1-816-756-5686 or 1-816- 931-0742. Developed by EPA Region VH Waste Management Division 726 Minnesota Avenue Kansas CRy, KB 66101 Phone 1-91*551-7055 . Toll-free 1-80Q-22M425 a:^; Professional Lawn Care Association of Mid-America Dennis Magnello, University of Missouri Extension Horticulturist U.S. Environmental Protection Agency April 1992 Region 7 ' THERE l§ NOQlfiCK FtKFOR OUR WASTE D1LEWIA, BiJT WE AIL CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROBLEM. WORKI&& TOGETHER, - WE CAMHELP SOLVE IT! GOOD NEWS! LAWN CARE PROFESSIONALS TURF SPECIALISTS AND HORTICULTURIST! AGREE: "GRASSGYGLING" can produce a healthy, deep rooted, vigorous lawn and help to: •reeycte valuable nutrients to the soil; • reduce watering requirements; tSsave 7 hours per season of yard work; tS reduce need for pesticides; t/use less fertilizer; •protect against thatch buildup; sf encourage beneficial organisms to keep soil healthy and naturally aerated; v* reduce methane gas formation In landfills, an leachaie to pollute water. Making your own valuable compost from leaves an green plant material can solve most of the yard wasi problem. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER ------- Simply let short grass clippings drop to the soil instead of raking or bagging. GRASSCYCLING saves time ana energy and recycles nutrients back to the lawn. The average householder can save 25 to 30 minutes with each mowing and produce a better lawn by following these expert tips: Q Use low rates of fertil iz:er in the spring and early summer, with higher rates applied twice in the fall. Slow-release fertilizers are best, particularly in the spring and sumrfier. Q Keep mower set high. Bluegrass, ryegrassand fescue should be cut at 3 to 4 inches; zoysia at 2- 1/2 to 3 inches. Mow frequently. Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time. Sea- sonal growth rates require a 5 to 10 day mowing cycle. Q Keep mower blades sharp. Q Use pesticides only as needed, and then only according to label directions, or use common al- ternatives. Q If you are using a professional lawn care serv- ice, askthemnotto bag your grass (mostservices prefer to grasscycle). Q Remember, a quality lawn requires proper mowing, watering, fertilizing and core aeration. Thateh and Clippings stolonsand rhizomes. Properlydone, GRASSCY- CLING can decrease thatch by encouraging a healthier population of earthworms and other beneficial organisms. Most mowers can be used for GRASSCYCLING by removing the bag. (CAUTION: the opening should be securely blocked to prevent material? from being thrown out!) Others may require an at tachment available from the dealer. Mowers tha can switch from mulching to bagging have advan tages over mulch only or bag only models. Mulch ing blade kits can also be purchased at a reason able cost. Grass clippings treated with herbicides should b< composted several weeks before use as garder mulch. Composting decomposes pesticide; quickly. What is it? Mulch is organic matter such as leaves wood chips or yard wastes that is spread on thi soil surface. It keeps soil temperature more even protects from soil erosion, conserves moisture and slowly breaks down to become compos) Mulch provides ideal conditions for earthworm! and beneficial microorganisms necessary for so health. On paths, thickwood chips, bark or other materis will keep down weeds and provide good walk ways. Thick layers of mulch arouna trees am bushes or other woody plants to the drip lim conserve moisture and provide protection. Flow ers and vegetables are best mulched with leave: in thick layers. These can be turned under ii annual beds when the bed is cultivated in the fal Leaf Mulching Most leaves can be mulch-mowed by cross mowini over them. This breaks much of the leaf structur down, allowing it to join the grass clippings at th soil line, protecting, adding humus, and returns nutrients to soil. GRASSCYCLING and mulct- mowing leaves can answer the greatest part c - yard waste concerns. - ------- Composting is a natural way of returning nutrients and humus to the soil through the biotogical action of microorganisms - bacteria and fungi - thatdigest organic materials, breaking them down into hu- mus and releasing nutrients. sting yard waste a! home provides a free source of valuable, fertilizer and soil conditioner and saves landfill space. Grass, leaves, dead plant matter and woody prun- ings and garden debris may be composted. amounts of Choose a sun and shade. Choose a composting unit: 10 feet (1/5 or 1/4 of a roll) of chicken wire, snowfence, or otherfencing that can be secured into a cylindrical pen. (Share a roll with friends or neighbors.) No enclosure is needed if space is not a concern. A bin may be fashioned of wood or old pallets, so it can be opened at one side, or turning units can be constructed with bins adjacent to each other. MOTE: Aeration Is ntetssaiy for rapid odor-fre© de- composition; therefore, It's advantageous to construct bint with material that allows a constant air flow. Forfastcompost-readyinafewweeks-mixabout three parts of leaves with one part manure or grass.and add a small amount of soil for "starter." Add enough water to keep the mix as moist as a damp sponge (so a couple of drops can be squeezed out of a handful). NOTE: Leaves alone will compost very slowly without a nitrogen source such as grass or manure, but with correct moisture and a little soil, they will decompose enough te be used as mulch in a few weeks. In adding plants, cuttings, prunings or woody waste, material should be choppecfor shredded as m uch as possible. Such materials will compost more slowly (see Woody Wastes). Decomposing creates heat. Temperature on the interior of a unit about 3X3X3 will rise to 130 degrees or more in as little as three or four days. When it drops, the pile may be turned, so the outer layer is on the inside. With the fence enclosure unit, the easy way is to unfasten or simply lift the cage off, set it up. again alongside the heap, and move the material back into the cage by the garden forkful, fluffing it to achieve maximum aeration, and checking for moisture level. If more leaves or plant debris are available, they can be incorporated at this stage. Noticeable odor is almost always caused by too much moisture, too little air, or too much grass in comparison to leaves or other carbon sources. Compost is ready when ingredients have broken down into fine particles, unrecognizable as leaves or plant matter. It can be mixed with garden soil at a rate of about one pound per square foot. NOTE: Kitchen scraps and food wastes (except for vegetabletrimmlngs)shouldnotbe composted In back- pests. Some community ordinances prohibit food wastes In composting. ------- In addition to composting and grasscycling, there are other things homeowners can do to improve the beauty and usefulness of their landscapes while reducing energy and water consumption. Plant native or locally adapted trees, shrubs and ground covers. Wildflowers and native grasses can be used to beautify hard- to- maintain hillsides and ditches. Plant trees that provide shade for your home and lawn during the hottest part of the day. . Information and advice on related subjects is available at public libraries or from County or University extension horticulturists. Professional services and other private enter- prises are already offering choices to fill the needs of those who wish not to deal with yard wastes themselves. Most lawn-care services recommend and offer "GRASSCYCLING." Some offer on-site composting services as well. Others offer yard waste collection for a fee and take the materials to large-scale composting sites or deliver it to farms for land spreading ana tilling-in. The following chart is a guide to more efficient composting: GRASSGYCLING AND COMPOSTING provide .relatively easy answers to yard waste disposal problems, but woody, brushy wastes from tree trimmings and other sources may challenge the imagination. ; Some businesses are providing chipping or shred- ding services to households. Others wilfdo collec- tion of woody wastes seasonally or occasionally. Shredders are available from tool and equipment rentals. Neighborhood associations or groups of neigh- bors or friends may buy good quality chippers cooperatively, or rent suitable equipment for a weekend, sharing the cost. ;SYiPTOi PROBLEM SOLUTION The compost has a bad odor. The center of the pile is dry. The compost is damp and warm In the middle but no where else. The heap Is damp and sweet-smell- ing, but sail will not heat up. Not enough air. Not enough water. Too entail. , Lack of nitrogen. Turn It. Moisten materials while turning the pile. Collect mere material and mix In the old ingredient! Mix In a nitro- gen source Ilk®- grass, manure, blood meal or ammonium sutfate. Yard waste takes up 20% of scarce and expensive landfill space and, under anaerobic conditions, contaminates groundwater and forms methane. Moveover, thousands of tons of topsoil pour daily out the mouth of the Mississippi. We can no longer afford to send valuable organic materials to landfills when we need them to.nejp restore humus and nutrients to the earth to rebuild soil/ " ' For these reasons, states across the country have banned, or are considering banning yard wastes from landfills. ------- |