Although, I’m not denying the fact that technical explanations such as those are necessary as well, but it would be nice to hear or read something more of layman’s approach on the subject. Well that’s something that this article would like to do, anyhow.

Compost is an organic substance that is added to the soil which functions more than just being a fertilizer. It is a mulch, a soil conditioner, and something that will help the soil give the best nutrients and minerals your plants need. With compost, the soil also is able to hold more water, which is also beneficial to your plants.

There are several composting methods which you can employ or use. The so called “no-turn” composting method seems to be the easiest.

Like what the title of the method indicates, you don’t need to turn the pile of compost at least once every week to quicken the process of decomposition. In this “no-turn” technique, all you need to do is add a lot of coarse materials to your compost.

Adding a lot of straw would do just fine. What the straw does is to create air pockets and allow the pile to be aerated. You can expect your compost to be developed at the same rate as when you employ the traditional “turn-over” composting technique.

When you use this composting technique, be sure to get your compost from the bottom of the pile. Just add new organic materials on the top keeping in mind adding coarse materials as well.

If the only available composting materials in your yard are piles and piles of leaves, then don’t worry. Creating composts from leaves alone can be done. You just need a couple of things, and some very simple techniques. Select a place where you will make your compost pile.

For the leaves, the place ideal would be a well shaded area which will help keep the pile damp or moist. Also keep in mind that the pile should not be packed tightly. Keep it loose to allow the air to circulate.

In four or six months, the compost from leaves should be finished and ready to be applied to the soil. Take a mental note, however, that the compost created from the leaves does not contain enough nutrients and microorganism to function as a fertilizer. The finished compost, however, is great as soil conditioner.

When composting, you will need materials rich in carbon and nitrogen namely fruits and vegetable scraps and other table scraps except left over bones because they attract a number of pests and animals.

Other products include eggshells, grass or shrub clippings, pine needles, seaweed and kelp, coffee grounds, wood ash, tea leaves, cardboard and shredded paper, corn stalks, wood chips, and sawdust.

To discourage fruit flies and other pests from grouping together on your pile, it would be best to cover the pile or add lime or calcium over the top or whenever you add new materials to your compost. The lime and calcium also help neutralize the odors from your pile.

I hope you were able to have a simplified view of the composting and got some useful and simple tips from the article. Just remember that composting is difficult only if you want it to be.

* 1 can of beer
* 1 can of cola (any kind, NOT diet)
* 1 box or cup of apple juice
* 1 cup lemon scented liquid soap
* 1 cup ammonia
* 1 cup liquid lawn fertilizer

Mix together all ingredients. If you buy liquid lawn fertilizer with a hose sprayer attachment, you can use the attachment with any 1 liter bottle to make a 50 gallon sprayer. Spray your lawn and garden with the above mixture every 3 weeks, early in the day. For houseplants, mix 4 shot glasses of the above mixture to 1 gallon of water and add 1/4 tsp knox gelatin.

Non-Flowering Houseplant Fertilizer:

* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tbsp Epsom salts
* 1/2 tsp saltpeter
* 1/4 tsp ammonia
* 1 gallon water
* Add 5 tbsp black coffee for acid loving plants

Water your plants with this mixture once a month.

Spring Lawn Feeding:

* 1 cup Epsom salts
* 1 cup ammonia

To use with a hose sprayer, mix with enough water to equal 1 quart total volume and pour into the sprayer container. Fertilizes 2,500 square feet of lawn.

Fall Lawn Feeding:

* 2 cups Epsom salts
* 3 tbsp baking powder

To use with a hose sprayer, mix with enough water to equal 1 quart total volume and pour into the sprayer container. Fertilizes 1,500 square feet of lawn.

Fertilizer for azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and hollies:

* 4 cups coffee grounds
* 1 cup bonemeal
* 1 cup wood ash

Mix well. Scatter evenly over ground shaded by the plant. Use 1 pound of fertilizer for each 1 foot of the diameter.

Garden vegetable and flower fertilizer:

* 1 part dried poultry manure or 5 parts dried horse manure
* 1 part bonemeal
* 1 part wood ash

Mix well and spread over garden soil before planting.

TIPS!

Composting

Don’t send all your kitchen scraps to the landfill. Re-use food scraps by making your own compost. Compost containers can be purchased through a good garden catalog, or you can try your hand at making your own!

What does green living mean? How can we make a difference in our environment without jumping off the deep end?

Green living means taking responsibility for the environment whether you currently define that environment as your own body, your home, the community or the greater global earth. One concept that has taken root in the green living community is zero waste. Zero waste is an idea that incorporates technological advances to attempt to decrease, diminish or totally get rid of waste products by reusing and composting.

Unfortunately most of our society is built around the idea of use and dispose. Entire industries are built on the concept. Our current monetary system is built on the concept. It is central to our societys culture. In fact it is central to most societys culture.

What does green living mean? Green living also means sustainability. Sustainability is the concept that people can meet their needs today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet future needs.

Green living means using products in the home that are safe for the environment, both your body and the community as they become waste products. Green living also means decreasing the use of natural and produced resources such as electricity and water. People who are green living also have an awareness of the earth and the processes you impact with your living and waste products.

What does green living mean? Green living also means decreasing the ecological footprint or evidence of your presence in hopes of preserving the earth for future generations. What we take from the earth we must give back in the way of something productive as opposed to filling the landfills with garbage.

Although there are radical believers green living doesnt mean living in a camp site and running around in sheeps clothing but instead it is an ecologically sound way of living that answers the need for future generations resources and doesnt abuse the earth and animals today. Green living is a state of mind because everything you do is put through the test of how it impacts the environment.

Are you part of the problem or the solution? You cant be both or neither. You are one or the other. The question is which one?

Small changes in your habits will make toddler home safety easy and decrease the number of accidents that happen in the home and on the road.

Steps to living green should be done using small steps and incorporating more as you move along in the process. There are certain areas of your living that have a larger impact than others on green living. For instance, installing solar panels on a poorly insulated home makes no sense!

Your first small steps to living green include shutting off the lights and fans, or anything else that is electric, as you leave a room. This will cut back on the amount of electricity that you use personally, which impacts the output of waste material from the generation of electricity. During particularly hot and cold months the drain on electrical resources is tremendous. If everyone shut off the lights and fans when they left the room the drain would be significantly decreased.

Another option to decrease electricity use is to decrease or increase your thermostat by one degree depending if you are heating or cooling your home. Youll find that you will adjust to the temperature difference quickly and youll save money each month. You can increase the efficiency of the building in which you live that will also decrease your energy use. Insulate and seal around windows, doors, and at all attic and basement penetrations.

There are more steps to living green and decreasing your electrical expenditure. You can contact an Energy Star Home Energy Rater to have your home analyzed. Some energy companies will also come to your home to do this for you. When you purchase new equipment for your home such as a refrigerator or hot water heater be sure they are Energy Star certified.

Next in your steps to living green quest consider recycling your paper goods, aluminum and any other product that your waste management company recycles. There are some cities which have easily accessible aluminum recycle plants that pay for the aluminum. This is a great side business for the little people in your home, and it helps to encourage your neighbors to join the recycle movement.

Begin to compost your vegetable material in your steps to living green. This provides you with great fertilizer for your garden and potted plants. Youll produce less garbage and have a garden that is the envy of your neighbors. Remember that you can not compost animal by-products such as meat, and dairy. Composting material belongs only to the vegetable and fruit crowd.

Another small step to living green is to increase your water efficiency. Try taking shorter showers and reserve that long shower for the day you take over your bosss job. Be diligent and repair leaky faucets and toilets. A small leak adds up over a short period of time. Youll also save money on your water bills. Try using a rain barrel to collect rain water for watering your garden and flowers.

There are many more steps to living green that will impact your home life, before you even consider impacting your community on a larger scale. These are some great small ideas to get you started in your steps to living green.

It is an interesting cycle. If you just take a moment to take a deeper look into a pile of decaying things, you will see that some things that are slowly becoming part of the land. And you also see some offspring that are growing from the process.

That’s life. And that’s how your life is also going to be. If you are in touch with nature, you will see such cycles as miracles, and something to be joyful about.

Compost is also more than just a using fertilizer on soil. This actually means that the cycle of life goes on. You can gather decaying leaves of plants and other manures and things that can be found in your garden for this purpose. You will then use all the materials to form your very own compost.

This process is actually practiced by many farmers in all parts of the world. But ordinary gardeners or people who love nature and things that revolve in it can also benefit from this.

The organic residue that you collect when you gather different materials from the land that is converted into something black, somewhat fragrant, and crumbly (decomposing) is what will be the compost.

The idea here is to arrange the materials so that the soil bacteria and fungi can survive and also multiply as they all break down. The bacteria act as the converters of all raw materials so that they must be in a workable environment with proper moisture, food and air.

If you haven’t made yours, but is interested in starting a compost, you can begin by gathering the green and dry elements that you can see around your garden. You must think what you can feed the bacteria for it to thrive.

For such, you can tap on the grass clippings, the green weeds, as well as the vines of pea and leaves of lettuce. What do they have in common? They contain sugar elements as well as proteins and they all can decompose fast.

Dry leaves and other small twigs must be mixed with the greens when decomposing. These materials take a lot of time in order to decompose because they contain little nitrogen. That is why they must not be left alone in the process.

You can also build a compost pile by mixing a fertilizer, then adding manure and garden soil between every layer of your gathered waste material.

You need not be a pro to be able to come up with your own version of this tool. All you’ve got to have is a big heart for nature and you are set to go.

What you have to remember is that you are doing the environment a great favor by being involved in such a process. Not everyone loves to garden, having said that, it is also true that not everyone will love the idea of making compost.

Practice will make everything perfect. This is also true with the idea of composting. Through time, you will be able to develop your own techniques. And hopefully, you will be able to share with others what a gem you have found in this kind of process.