Compost Bio-Reactor How-to (from Cornell)

Read the full post here.

I found this one and thought it tied right in with my other articles on composting.

Building a Two-Can Bioreactor

Purpose

Two-can bioreactors are designed to be used as small-scall indoor composting units for families, and for composting as an educational tool in the classroom.
Materials

• 32-gallon plastic garbage can
• 20-gallon plastic garbage can
• drill
• brick
• spigot (optional)
• duct tape (optional)
• insulation (optional)

Construction

1. Using a drill, make 15 to 20 holes (0.5" to 1" diameter) through the bottom of the 20-gallon can. Next drill three rows of holes through the sides of this can, six to eight inches apart with four to five inches between rows, ending about two inches below where the can expands at the top.
2. Place a brick or some other object in the bottom of the 32-gallon can. This is to separate the leachate from the compost and allow for its measurement and addition back into the compost pile. The leachate, often referred to as "compost tea," is rich in nutrients which may be in a form readily usable by plants. If not used right away on growing plants, pour the leachate back into the compost. Excessive leachate can be responsible for foul smells. If your sytem produces enough leachage to cause odor problems, your initialscompost mixture was probably too wet.
3. Variations on the design:
   • Add insulation to the barrels (inner and outer) with duct tape.
   • Include a spigot to draw off the leachate.
   • Add a layer of old compost, wood chips, or soil inside the outer barrel. This will allow the leachate to be absorbed and may cause fewer leachate/odor issues.

Note: A system of 10-gallon plastic garbage cans that can fit inside 20-gallon cans can be substituted if space is a problem. The smaller system may operate at lower temperatures. This should not affect the final product; it will just take longer before the product can be used.
The composting process in the cans will take from three to five weeks. After this period, you can transfer the compost to other containers or an outdoor pile for several weeks of curing while starting up a new batch of compost in the 2-can system.

Credits

The Cornell Composting Website was developed by Tom Richard, Nancy Trautmann, Marianne Krasny, Sue Fredenburg and Chris Stuart.

Establish Your Winter Annual Flowers

Now that your flowers are in the ground, you need to ensure they grow and root in for the winter.

If you haven't planted your flowers yet, find this flower planting task list. 

Anyhow, here is your next task list:

• Water your flowers every other day or so for the first few weeks.
• Thereafter, water deeply a couple of times per week.
• When they were first installed, we put down some fertilizer, if you didn't, do it.
• Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer every two weeks, beginning two weeks out.  Any liquid dissolvable fertilizer labeled for 'Flowers' will do.  Follow label instructions.
• Ensure flowers stay mulched until the fill in the gaps.  Thereafter mulch will be unnecessary, and also impossible to put down.
• Weed by hand once a week.  Eventually, once flowers have filled in well, this will not be such a big chore.  Something you can do while fetching the mail.
• I just throw the dead weeds on the driveway to shrivel and die.
• Dead head faded and dead blooms.

That pretty much sums up the maintenance side.

--A.J.

Other Resource Articles:

• Winter Flowers: Down and dirty how-to

• Summer Flower Color Installation Examples -- Slide Show

• Gardening Resources & Websites

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Also, please comment below.

Winter Flowers: Down and dirty how-to

So you're behind the power curve getting your winter seasonal flowers planted. You're not alone. Here is a down and dirty how-to punch list:

Get these:

1. Flats of winter flowers. Check for nice root balls at the nursery
2. Bags of mulch chips. Color and style purely a matter of taste
3. Plenty of compost. Buy the cheap 'humus' 40 lbs. bags, or make your own
4. Generic 10-10-10 fertilizer
   

Do this:

• (Existing beds) Take out any previous flowers
• (New beds) Spade the existing soil (dig shovel the full blade depth into the soil, and turn over the entire contents.)
• Spread a thick layer of compost on top
• Spade the compost into the previously spaded soil.
• You can either chop up the soil with the side of the shovel blade, or
• ... till with a small garden tiller.
• Work soil until you can plant flower pots by hand
• Sprinkle a few handfuls of the 10-10-10 fertilizer on top
• Set out your garden flowers
• Using your fingers or a garden trowel, plant the flowers
• Be sure to remove from pots (you'd be surprised)
• Cover the root balls, and gently compress around root ball into soil
• Spread a layer of chip mulch (color and type purely a matter of taste)
• Water in well.

Check here for steps to Grow and Establish your flowers

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visit our site:  Proudlandlandscape.com

Latest News in Corn Sugar False Advertising Case - US Consumers and Sugar Farmers Win Big as Federal Judge Rules Against Corn Processors

According to U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall, who issued two opinions comprising her ruling last Friday, “Plaintiffs have met their burden in showing a reasonable probability of success on their argument that the statements are false.” The judge also ruled that the challenged statements in CRA's (Corn Refiners Association’s) multi-million dollar campaign “constitute ‘commercial speech.’”

Um ya think? Does this look like a commercial to you? . . . Read the whole story here

propoganda video -- http://youtu.be/Fyj2N-AspqU


http://youtu.be/Fyj2N-AspqU

Winter insects in the Atlanta landscape

Although it is winter and the mosquitos are (mostly) gone., there are still other insects to be on the look out for, particularly in shrubs and trees.  Here's a list:

Shrubs:

• Southern red mite (azalea, camellia, holly) – Spray for these pests
• Armored scales (boxwood, camellia, holly, gardenia, etc.) - Treat with dormant oil

Trees

• Bagworms - Prune them out
• Maple borers - Prune out infected small branches with these pests.
• Lecanium scale - Treat with dormant oils
• Spruce spider mite - Spray for these pests
• Twig pruners and twig girdlers - Prune and destroy dead branches.  Destroy any fallen branches to prevent reemergence.
   

The key it to be vigilant throughout the winter.  If you notice browning or odd performance in your landscape plants, have a close look.  Inspect branches as well as tops and bottoms of leaves.
Check out our Resource Page for additional gardening and lawn info.
Leave your comments or ask any question below.
Abdurrahim is the lead designer at metro-Atlanta based, award-winning Proudland Landscape, LLC.
You can contact him with question via email at arjalal@proudlandlandscape.com.
Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Proudland.
Also, check our Facebook fan page facebook.com/ProudLandscape

Yard of the Month

Yard of the Month.

Fescue Lawn Grass Overseeding: PART 3 -- Atlanta & N. Georgia gardens

close up of grass blades with dew
  www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/

September & October are the ideal time of year for overseeding fescue turf grass lawns in Atlanta and North Georgia gardens. We have been reviewing the lawn analysis and seeding preparation steps needed to have a bang up overseeding season. This article will list the steps for actually executing the overseeding.

1. Aeration: core aeration is an important step in the process, skipping this is possible, but will compromise your success. Your options in this regard are to rent a machine, or hire a professional lawn care service. In either event, the lawn area should be ran over with the machine multiple times in varying directions.
2. Amendments: If you haven't applied your soil test recommended amendment in the preparation phase, apply them now in the recommend rates. Do not apply any fertilizer amendments at this point.
3. Seeding: Now apply the fescue turf grass seed at a rate of 5 lbs per 1000 square feet of existing lawn. For especially bare areas, increase this rate to 8 lbs. Remember, we are using 100% weed free grass seed. If you cannot find this, seriously consider hiring a professional lawn care company, as you do not want to actively be planting weeds.
4. Mulching: Mulch your newly overseeded lawn with clean wheat straw at a rate of 1 bale per 1000 square feet. This may seem a bit thin, but will be adequate for overseeding of established fescue stands.
5. Water: Water in your newly seeded grass. Check out Georgia's new watering rules. The objective is to keep the seed bed continually moist for the next two weeks without causing any runoff. This generally means watering every morning for no more that 15 minutes. Continue watering in this fashion for two to four weeks. Afterwards, observe normal watering rates of 1 inch per week (you will need to measure this).
6. Fertilizer: Apply the soil test recommended fertilizer recommendations 30 days after your initial seed application.

• Check back for follow up information on caring for and growing your newly established fescue lawn grass seed.
• Check out our Resource Page for additional gardening and lawn info.
• Leave your comments or ask any question below.

Abdurrahim is the lead designer at metro-Atlanta based, award-winning Proudland Landscape, LLC.
You can contact him with question via email at arjalal@proudlandlandscape.com.
Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Proudland.
Also, check our Facebook fan page facebook.com/ProudLandscape