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Questions tagged [carbon-nitrogen-ratio]

Ratio of carbon to nitrogen, typically in a compost heap.

C:N ratio or the Carbon:Nitrogen ratio (i.e. the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, by mass) is an important measure in composting. This ratio is an indicator of nitrogen limitation or over-supply.

Compost should ideally have a C:N ratio of about 20:1 to 30:1.

Add finely chopped woody material to increase the carbon content. Add leaves and composted manure to increase the nitrogen content.

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What's the best way to increase the carbon content of compost heap in a grassy garden?

I've a small compost heap (1.2m x 1.2m x 0.8m), which is mostly formed of grass clippings. Thanks to this answer to another composting question, I now understand the C:N ratio. Unfortunately, there isn't a good source of carbon in my mostly-lawn…
Paul Turner
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Is spent cat litter an appropriate source of nitrogen for compost?

Is spent cat litter an appropriate source of nitrogen for compost? The cat litter used is made of recycled paper pellets so is rich in carbon. It doesn't contain the cat faeces because that is fished out once or twice daily with a net to make the…
Lisa
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What are good sources for large quantities of "greens" for my compost?

I have a compost pile that has a lot of "browns" in it, dead leaves and wood shavings mostly. Can anyone recommend sources for large quantities of "greens"? I've been putting in my kitchen scraps but it doesn't seem like much compared to what I…
Abe Miessler
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How can the "soils" be improved on coral atolls.

My Parents are currently living on a small pacific coral atoll. Coral atolls, for the most part don't have much soil. Mostly they just have coral sands. These "soils" are very well drained (and they get hot during the day), and highly alkaline, with…
naught101
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What's the best C:N ratio when vermicomposting?

I know that for 'regular' composting without worms you need a carbon-nitrogen ratio of something between 25:1 and 30:1. Is the same true for vermicomposting? I'm not sure if it matters, but I'm using tiger worms in a closed worm bin. EDIT: I tried…
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How much nitrogen per bale in a straw bale garden?

I recently read a NY Times article about straw bale gardening. It says that you should add about 2 1/2 cups of 20% N fertilizer or three pounds of blood meal and feather meal per bale. Add water, wait for the temperature to decrease, and then…
Abe
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What is an accurate method to measure the C:N ratio of Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste?

In a container gardening situation without soil to bury Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste, it seems viable to add to a tumble composter. What is an accurate method to compute C:N of Bokashi? Assume for this question that the Bokashi method is…
Samuel Russell
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Compost won't heat up

I bought a composting bin with thermal-insulated walls, mainly for composting kitchen waste: However, according to its thermometer, the temperature never rises over ~20 celsius. Youtube videos say that the carbon-nitrogen ratio should be 4:1, so I…
Mr. Engineer
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Does nitrogen-rich material become carbon-rich after drying?

So my compost is very nitrogen-rich since my yard is mostly lawn and grass clippings are nitrogen-heavy. I read that hay, on the other hand, is carbon-rich. Since hay is just grass dried in the sun, am I correct that nitrogen actually becomes carbon…
Mr. Engineer
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What is the carbon content of tree seeds and would they be suitable to balance nitrogen rich compost?

On top of my garage was a full 2 inches of densely composted material that I presume has built up over many years. Right above the garage are 2 trees that seem to shed hundreds of thousands of tiny seeds. I need carbon matter to balance all the…
Michael Sherpa
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Ammonia smell in compost

I've got a pile of hot compost going which consists primarily of: Straw (about 75% by volume) Kitchen Scraps Rabbit Manure Fall leaves and grass clippings At the moment it's giving off a pretty decent ammonia odor when I turn it. In fact the straw…
But those new buttons though..
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