too much nitrogen in compost

Having too much carbon materials will drastically slow down the process of the materials breaking down. That's a balanced diet for them. Wood chips can help build structure, while other “browns” like paper and cardboard can help absorb excess liquid released from the breakdown process. Many compost amendments make big promises, but are little more than hot greens or bacteria in a bag. Microorganisms that digest compost need about 30 parts of carbon for every part of nitrogen they consume. If you have too much nitrogen, nitrogen will be lost in the form of ammonia (which will also lead to an unpleasant smell). Grass clippings: nitrogen — they can be added as is too. Too much carbonaceous material in the compost pile and decomposition will be slowed … too much nitrogen-rich material and the composting process will either become too hot or too soggy and microbe activity will slow or cease until the material naturally become more suitable for their life. If the C:N ratio is too high (excess carbon), decomposition slows down. ; Plant heavy nitrogen feeding plants – tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cabbage and spinach are examples of plants that thrive off nitrogen and will suck the nitrogen dry. The rate at which composting occurs depends on physical as well as chemical factors. If there's too much nitrogen, the microorganisms can't use it all and the excess is lost in the form of smelly ammonia gas. Too much may cause an acidic compost. As detailed in this article , this type of compost has N=0.5% and P=0.27%. The higher nitrogen can be beneficial, but the higher phosphorus levels can create problems in garden. For the same input material, vermicompost compared to bin compost, will have higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium. The compost you prepare at home, where very likely you use a brown and green vegetable material, has a way lower N-P-K and, more importantly, more nitrogen than phosphorus. For starting seeds, you should never use 100% compost because it holds too much water and has a high mineral salt content, which prevents seeds … Compost Physics. – bin compost is 1.4-1-1.3 – vermicompost is 1.8-3.8-1.3. Scientists (yes, there are compost scientists) have determined that the fastest way to produce fertile, sweet-smelling compost is to maintain a C:N ratio somewhere around 25 to 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen, or 25-30:1. Add sawdust or fine woodchips to your soil – the carbon in the sawdust/woodchips love nitrogen and will help absorb and soak up and excess nitrogen. Carbon rich materials can provide other functions for the compost heap. Nitrogen – These materials are known as the “greens” in your compost bin and include things like grass clippings, kitchen scraps and coffee grounds. Nitrogen loss due to excess nitrogen in the pile (a low C:N ratio) can be over 60%. Amendments. It is okay to leave it as is. 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