Going Organic

Insect control spray
Compost
Natural Cleaners
Trees

Insect control spray

Cornell has developed an organic spray that can be used year round to control small insects such as aphids, scale, and mites plus it will smother fungal spores to control blackspot and powdery mildew on ornamental plants and fruit trees. The basic recipe calls for horticultural grade oil mixed with baking soda or potassium bicarbonate and water to be sprayed on the plants until they drip slightly. Spray when temperature is above 32 degrees, the weather is dry and the next night won't fall below freezing. Also, wait until moisture from heavy dew or melting frost has evaporated to begin spraying. Spray twice before the leaves appear in spring. I usually prune then spray the roses about mid February then again in two weeks.

There are several brands of horticultural oil available but the basic recipe is:
2- 4 T Horticultural Oil (Ultrafine, Sunspray, Volk Oil) [ the final concentration should be ~ 2%]
4 tsp of baking soda or potassium bicarbonate
1 T liquid soap like Dr Bronner’s, dish liquid, or Murphy’s oil soap but only if the oil lacks emulsifiers
Add to 1 gallon of water and spray twigs LIGHTLY, but covering all surfaces.

This can be used in summer also but never on a hot day.

Nicole Nelson

Compost

The reason we need to add compost to soil is to create organic humus. Good soil is equal parts of three mineral classes distinguished by size; large sand, thru silt, to small clay. These give soil its texture and are about 90% of the soil’s solids. Organics give it structure even at only 5-10% of the content they are both the glue holding the aggregates or soil crumbs together and the living creatures that churn and loosen soil so air and water move freely through it.

The basics of composting are simple but it is a bit of an art to get one to heat fast and finish quickly. These hot piles are active composting. However there is evidence that a slow pile produces more humus, which is the goal, so passive composting is another option. The passive pile done faster with specific worn bins using Eisenia fetida or red worms.

Active Composting
Making a compost pile heat up is a balancing act between adding 'brown' leaves with 'green' kitchen waste and garden trimmings with enough water to wet everything. The pile is effectively built out of just two elements, browns are carbon rich and greens are nitrogen rich. It is the balance between these two in the presence of fungi, and bacteria that begins an exothermic reaction to heat the pile that both kills off the organisms and produces the final decomposition. When chopped yard and kitchen scraps are layered and mixed with manures or dirt to achieve a C:N ratio that is close to 30:1 the pile will get hot. Remember things rot wherever they are, a managed aerobic compost pile is usually just to make it go faster and smell good while it is happening.

Passive Composting
Again the pile should be somewhat balanced with ingredients and well wetted so the organisms can get on with living in the pile. Here the pile may get warm at first but it basically sits and the soil organisms complete the process. This can take years depending on many factors. If the pile is sort of balanced C:N and kept moist it will mostly finish in a year. The more a pile is turned the faster it will decompose into usable compost even if but large pieces remain. This is still usable if dug into a bed, where it will soon finish composting in place. This pile may not produce the pretty even sized result but it does make high quality humus, however without the high heat weed seeds are not killed and will sprout.

A rule of thumb on building the correct C:N ratio is make roughly 1/4 - 1/2 of the pile green nitrogen materials and 1/2 - 3/4 brown carbon materials.

Green ingredients include grass clippings, weeds, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, seeds, fallen fruit, fresh soft green prunings, rinsed seaweed, & animal manure (sheep, poultry, horse, rabbit & cow)

Brown ingredients include dead leaves, straw, hay, wood shavings or chips, egg cartons, shredded office paper, newspaper & brown paper bags.

Particle size also affects the availability of carbon and nitrogen. To build an active hot pile all material must be shredded or chopped as small as possible. Leaves can be shredded with a lawn mower. Paper can be run through a shredder. Plant stems and twigs should be snipped into pieces. Large wood chips, for example, provide a good bulking agent that helps to ensure aeration so the pile remains aerobic. But they provide less available carbon per mass than they would in the form of wood shavings or sawdust so they compost slower but need less green material to balance.

Compost Mix Calculator will help in getting the right ingredients together
http://www.klickitatcounty.org/solidwaste/fileshtml/organics/compostCalcAbout.htm
C : N ratios are provided for many materials and manures here if you want to calculate your own mix http://www.compostguide.com/

Monitoring the active pile
Ideally use a thermometer with readings from 0 degrees to 200 degrees F that is long enough to read the internal temperature. This determines when to turn the pile. If you have layered the carbon to nitrogen to the ideal 30:1 the pile will shortly begin to heat up. There will be a steady rise in temperature for a day or two. Normally the pile will continue to rise until it reaches 120 to 149 degrees F. Keep on monitoring the temperature. If it stays up, fine. If it drops, turn the pile. Once it no longer rises in temp after being turned it is complete. Note this is predicated several factors. First being able to balance the 'browns' to the 'greens' and well moistened. Plus reducing the particle sizes being added. If possible all material should be run through a chipper to mix and reduce the size. This makes turning much easier, too.

Since you can never know the actual contents smell and temperature are a good gauge of your composts activity level.
1 - If it smells fresh like turned soil it is working properly. Whether active or passive it should never smell bad.
2 - If you get it to wet it will begin to decompose anaerobically and produce hydrogen sulfide, the rotten egg smell. The best thing is to turn it and get air in. Possibly layer in fresh dry ingredients to absorb excess moisture.
3 - If the pile has an ammonia odor, you have too much green material (grass clippings, food scraps, green plant material) and not enough brown (dry leaves, woody prunings, pine needles, dried out plants, saw dust). Add more brown material or a shovel of soil and turn it.
4 - If it just sits &/or you see ants then the pile must be to dry even for passive composting. Everything should be moist but there should be nothing dripping. If you piled it to dry, its own heat dried it or the summer weather dried it then you must turn it rewetting the layers as you go.
5 - If it just sits there and won’t heat up despite being moist you have to many browns. Too much carbon prevents the pile from heating. Go to a coffee shop and get some coffee grounds, any grain, seed or meal is a good source of nitrogen. Add some grass clippings in thin layers or get a neighbor to donate kitchen scraps.

What can be added with PROPER handling only are;
Some thought is needed before adding these to compost so they are best avoided.
Meat and dairy products are high in fat. They can cause an unpleasant odor or attract vermin if added to a passive pile or poorly-managed, active compost pile. For a hot, well-turned, enclosed compost pile, meat and dairy wastes are not a problem. However, it is better to run the wastes through a blender or food processor to reduce their size and speed their decomposition.
Fat, oil, & grease, known as FOG, can be added in very small amounts.
Fat, oil, and grease have a high C/N ratio (90:1), if applied to compost they may affect the availability of N, due to N immobilization during its decomposition by nitrifying bacteria. The same is true of any high carbon ingredient like wood chips. So FOG is best added in small quantities when turning the pile.
Wood ashes - highly alkaline (high pH) so are good for sandy, acidic soils (low pH) like the Pacific Northwest. However, the fine particle size of ash tends to plug the pores of clay soils leading to water penetration and drainage problems.

What should NEVER be added are;
Feces either from your pet or human - They carry diseases and parasites, as well as cause an unpleasant odor
Diseased garden plants - They can infect the compost pile and influence the finished product.
Invasive weeds - Spores and seeds of invasive weeds (buttercups, morning glory, quack grass) can survive the decomposition process and spread to your desired plants when you use the finished compost.
Glossy, colored paper - The inks are toxic to the soil microorganisms.
Pesticide-treated plant material - These are harmful to the compost foodweb organisms, and pesticides may survive into the finished compost.
Eucalyptus leaves and bark - allelopathic effects impact nutrient cycling and prevents some seed germination.
Treated lumber - Will not break down.
Poison Ivy - It is a potent source of urushiol even after a year and a half (to sensitive individuals).
Walnut shells - Juglone, a naturally occurring chemical released by all parts of black walnut trees, can have a toxic effect on many vegetables and landscape plants.

Compost invertebrates
During the early stages of the composting process, flies bring bacteria that are useful to the decomposition. Flies lay eggs in compost then the flies & their larvae feed on the decaying vegetation until it heats up. Flies do not survive thermophilic temperatures the bacterial and fungal digestion creates. If flies become a problem cover food scraps with a little soil from the garden.

Slugs and snails generally feed on living plant material but will attack fresh garbage and plant debris and will therefore appear in the compost heap. (Better there where you can find and kill them than in the garden. If slugs are a problem dump them in soapy water til dead then compost them. Soap is a phosphorus source so will not stop the composting.) In small-scale backyard compost piles, soil invertebrates aid the decomposition process. The compost should have many kinds of worms, including earthworms, nematodes, red worms and possibly white potworms. They invade the pile from the soil or through drain holes if you have an enclosed bin. Besides worms you will see many other creatures like sow bugs or springtails. All the creatures that move in are there because they like dead stuff. Bugs, big and little, are what make the decomposition happen. Together with bacteria, fungi, and other microbes, these organisms make up an energy pyramid with primary, secondary, and tertiary level consumers. The base of the pyramid, or energy source, is made up of organic matter that they chew into ever-smaller pieces until it is all reduced to crumbly black compost.

Compost uses
Use compost as a mulch or top dressing. Work it into new beds and amend holes dug for new plants. Mix it with vermiculite and sand to make your own potting mix.
Try to make compost tea to supply beneficial organisms to the soil. http://www.simplici-tea.com/

Compost Informational Sites (including bin designs)
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_homepage.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/com-fact/0001.html
http://www.primalseeds.org/compost.html

Invertebrates of the Soil & Compost Pile
http://www.css.cornell.edu/compost/invertebrates.html
http://www.digitalseed.com/composter/whatiscompost.html
http://www.allthingsorganic.com/How_To/12.asp

Finding Free compost ingredients
http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Free-Compost-Ingredients

Garbage can piles for small spaces
The ideal size of a compost pile is more than the typical 30 gal garbage can but this will work when space is tight. Compost needs air or it will go anaerobic and smell like rotting eggs due to hydrogen sulfide production. So you need air holes punched in the sides. Drill three rows of holes a few inches apart all around the sides of the garbage can. Then drill a few holes in the base of the garbage can. The bottom holes allow the drainage of excess moisture and let the worms in. A second can, if space allows, would allow you to turn the contents by forking them into it.
[If you do not want to make holes in the can: Add 1 cup of ammonium nitrate and about 1/4 cup of hydrated lime (the lime will counteract the acidity that occurs with the anaerobic conditions within the can) while layering in the moist material. Then add at least another quart of water, close the can tightly and set aside for six months to a year. You should not have to turn the mixture or add water after closing it. If possible, set the can in a sunny spot where it can absorb heat. Warning, this will smell!]

Natural Cleaners

Many normal household items make effective general-purpose cleaners with no "mystery" ingredients. These include:

General-purpose cleaner: 1:1 vinegar:water mix in a spray bottle

Furniture polish: 1C olive oil, 1/2C lemon juice; 1 cloth to apply, 2nd cloth to wipe dry

Kitchen cleaner: 1gal hot water, 1/2C vinegar, 1/4C baking soda

Microwave cleaner: few tablespoons baking soda, water - boil in microwave few minutes, wipe down

Dishwasher: 1C baking soda, run rinse cycle

Glass cleaner: 1C isopropyl alcohol, 1C water, 1tablespoon vinegar

Trees

What do trees and urban green spots do for us? Trees and under plantings provide shade preventing the dark asphalt from absorbing and storing summer heat. Without tree shade a city shows a much higher average temperature compared to the forest. This is the "Heat Island" effect from loss of shade and evaporation.
A simple study can be done comparing the local air temperature in places with no trees like an asphalt parking lot, a parking lot with islands of tree shaded asphalt and a wooded location with no near asphalt. The results show that 5 hours after sunset a mall parking lot "is about 24.0 °C but only 18.1 °C for the tree island" in the parking lot. "A nearby forest was 17.1 °C." The urban trees are able to keep asphalt from heating up in the day and radiating the heat at night. This means the asphalt last longer, it releases fewer volatile pollutants, and does not add to global warming. Trees reduce glare and they block the noise that barren urban landscapes produce.
http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/land/heatisl/heatisl.htm
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/uf/techguide/values.htm
http://www.seattle.gov/environment/documents/UrbanTreeBenefits.pdf

The shrub and tree leaves screen air borne particulates such as dust, ash, pollen and smoke cleaning the air. These are washed to the soil where they join the detritus and decompose to simple inorganics. The common beneficial soil microorganisms do the actual work. These organisms are in symbiotic relationships with the trees so if the trees are gone so are most of the beneficial soil microbes. Pollution removed by tree & shrub cover varied among cities. However the total annual air pollution removal by US urban trees is estimated at 711,000 metric tons ($3.8 billion dollar value).
The ground that has a healthy soil cultures is spongy and holds water so it reduces erosion from runoff.
http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/14743

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