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RE: [compost_tea] Shredded Paper.



What if cardboard was to be pre-soaked (more or less re-pulped) and then added directly to the compost tea brewing process?

Thoughts?

 

 

Brett Kacalek

Earthworks Landscape Service, Inc.

                    ~and~

Earthworks Ponds & Watergardens

503-651-POND (7663)

www.Earthworks-Landscape.com

 

-----Original Message-----
From: soilfoodweb@aol.com [mailto:soilfoodweb@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 4:06 PM
To: compost_tea@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Shredded Paper.

 

Hi Bill -

Paper is cellulose for the most part, and depending on the quality of the paper, there may be some materials that help the paper have a finish, make it glossy, stick, etc.  Those are the materials you need to ask questions about - the glues, tackifiers, dyes, and inks.  The paper itself is plant material, and fairly recalcitrant, hard-to-break-down carbon-containing material.

Most inks used in this century are soy-based inks, but even as recently as the 1980's, some inks were heavy-metal based.  Don't use paper with ink that you are not certain is safe around your plants, or in your compost bins. 

Cardboard is less-refined paper, usually thicker, longer fiber, and several layers, glued together with a material on which certain bacteria and fungi grow quite well. 

Addition of paper and cardboard usually help fungi, and often some very beneficial fungi, grow.  Whether you layer the cardboard down as sheets to help block sunlight getting to weed seed, or you shred the paper and cardboard to allow more rapid decomposition (if you have bacteria and fungi in your soil or compost), fungi will eventually be the majority of the organisms selected. 

If you aren't careful about aeration, the fungi you grow might be Fusarium, maybe Pythium, or other disease fungus.  So, make sure you are getting good earthworm or microarthropod numbers in the material to build air passageways and maintain aeration.  If you keep things well-aerated, if moisture isn't too high, or too low, paper and cardboard can make great food resources for beneficial fungi.

We find that addition of paper and cardboard to wormbins (not-too-wet-worm bins), help very beneficial fungi grow quite well. 

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
www.soilfoodweb.com
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