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My field is surrounded with wine fields and my neighbors prune their wine field every spring which makes so much grape sticks available for me. Sticks are about 1ft-3ft long and thinner than my finger.

I don't have any other organic material available to put in compost pile.

I would like to know if grape sticks can be composted alone and how much time it will take to compost?

yusuf şahin
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2 Answers2

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Nearly everything organic can be composted, given enough time. With woody items alone, the thicker the material the longer it takes, likely years. You might consider Hugelkultur for a more immediate use of this material.

DCookie
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  • I have been building Hugelkultur for years and did not even know it. The wood does gradually disappear.. – blacksmith37 Apr 23 '20 at 21:32
  • in an arid climate hugels can take a long time to do much. if you do choose to go this route put the sticks down and make sure the whole bed is down low enough to attract and store moisture from the surrouding area. in less arid places you can put the hugel at grade or even perch it above grade. – flowerbug Apr 25 '20 at 13:49
  • As i understand that grape sticks has high carbon content and less nitrogen content, it seems hugelkultur option is best way to go. – yusuf şahin Apr 30 '20 at 13:19
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Using just wood that is mostly carbon and not enough nitrogen to get a formal compost process going in a heap that you plan on turning.

Without any other organic materials available I would leave them on the ground to dry out completely before burying them otherwise they can regrow.

As a mulching material they may actually be worth more in an arid climate above the ground (to protect the soil from the sun and drying breezes).

It depends a lot upon what you might do with the material later or if you can just leave it be.

flowerbug
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  • They are collected in piles near fields and i think they are all dead parts or they die easily when they are in a pile, because i never saw new growths inside piles. But last years piles still seems solid after staying 1 year outside inside the pile. Leaving them on the ground is an option but as it is hard material i am afraid it will make processing soil hard for vegetables. – yusuf şahin Apr 30 '20 at 13:26
  • if they have been above ground and dried out for a year they should be dead enough to bury (to use in a hugel). – flowerbug Apr 30 '20 at 23:44