What Makes a Good Compost?

Compost quality can be hard to judge. Part of the quality is what you see and what you feel and smell.

It should smell good. A good quality compost should smell good. It should not have any off odors. No smell of rotten eggs, no smell of ammonia.

Compost should look and smell good.

It should look good. It should be dark brown when moist. It should be ALL brown and not some of it brown and some of it not. It should be consistently brown throughout. You should not be able to discern or see any of the products used to make the compost. Leaves and stems should not be discernable. It should be screened so that larger materials have been filtered out. Some composts are screened with multiple screens to include 1/2 inch and smaller particles (1/2 inch minus). Some are screened even smaller than that... 3/8 inch minus or even 1/4 inch. Screening depends on its use. If it is used on let's say a golf course on greens then large paricles of compost will interfere with the roll of a golf ball when grass is cut at 3/8 or 1/4 inch.

It should be cool. Good quality compost has matured to the point where it no longer produces alot of heat. Compost that is still hot has not finished composting and is immature. Part of the compost process is setting it aside to "cure" after the composting process has completed.

Compost also has qualities that you cannot see.
Pathogens. Generally speaking, commercial composts usually have fewer pathogens that can affect human health than homemade composts. Commercial operations can spend time monitoring and managing a compost pile more effectively than a gardener. Good commercial operations monitor the temperature and moisture contents (and even the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels) so they know when to turn the pile for better aeration, better temperature control and more even processing of the compost. Techniques like in-vessel composting and windrows can generally make a product that has fewer human pathogens in it than static piles that are not monitored carefully.

Chemistry. Even though not considered a fertilizer by law, composts contain plant nutrients. They will add "fertilizer" to a garden. They add lots of other things as well. Trace minerals are present along with organic acids that improve soil chemistry. It is always a good idea to ask for compost test results. All commercial compost operations have them. They should provide a copy if you ask them about it.

There are potentially some things in compost that we need to take a close look at. Salts. All composts will have salt in them. Fertilizers are salts. Some salts are good and some are not as good. Major salts that can be problems for us in our soils are salts of sodium, chloride, sulfates and boron. Salt levels should not be excessive and the salts that concern us should be minimized. I will give more information on these in future postings. Composts that come from large urban centers can contain heavy metals. In commercial composts the level of heavy metals allowed in commercial composts is highly regulated and monitored. They are not in non commercial composts.

Biosolids. Some composts contain biosolids. Biosolids is the preferred name to sludge. This is becoming more and more common as our federal and municipal governments are trying to find an alternative to placing them in landfills. This will become even more common in the future. The use of biosolids is highly regulated in the commercial compost industry with federal limits established by the federal government. I will be discussing this important issue in future postings.

In short, you should and must know what is in your compost before applying it to your gardens. Ask for reports on what is in the compost you are purchasing. Make sure that the facility is submitting samples regularly to compost testing facilities.

Figs Dropping From Tree

Q. We planted a fig tree a couple of years ago. Year before last it produced a couple of figs. Last year there were perhaps a dozen figs which never got larger than a small grape. These did not emerge until November and never grew to full size. The tree was fertilized with 16-16-16 commercial fertilizer, and had plenty of water. Can you tell us why the fruit did not mature and what we might do to have a better result this next season?

A. The usual problem is not watering at the right time and keeping the soil moist during production of fruit. We can get two good crops of figs here. The first one is called the Briba crop and is borne on last year’s wood (2013 growth).

This is the Briba crop. Notice how the figs are developing on older, brown wood from last year. You can see the new growth pushing from the terminal bud, is green and about two inches long.

            The second crop is the Main crop and grows on the current season wood (2014 growth). If the tree is pruned or last years wood is killed by freezing weather, you will only get a main crop.

This picture shows you the larger Briba crop still developing at the bottom on older wood. Above these fruit are smaller fruit still developing on this years growth, the main crop. The Briba crop will be harvested while the main crop is still developing.

            The main crop occurs when it gets hot and if the tree is not getting enough water the figs will get button sized, get hard and drop off. There is a potential third crop in about September and October but the weather does not stay warm enough in the fall for it to mature.

            This third crop will get button sized and will fail to develop due to winter weather coming in. That third crop may form without the summer crop if the tree is not getting enough water. Then in the fall it is getting enough and tries to set fruit but it is too late and fails.

Although this is another readers picture, this is what this reader is probably talking about. Late season figs never get to ripen. However, if you keep the soil moist during the summer months, the first two crops will ripen.

            I would mulch around the tree with about four inches of wood mulch and cover the soil to a distance of about six feet from the trunk. Water in a basin around the trunk about six feet in diameter.

            The basin should be able to hold at least two inches of water but four would be better. Fill the basin with water each time you irrigate. Water once a week now, twice a week in May, three times a week in June, drop it to twice a week in September and once a week mid October.

            Once the leaves fall off in winter you can water about every 10 to 14 days. Fertilize once in February with a fruit tree fertilizer or four fertilizer stakes per tree, one in each quadrant of the irrigation basin.

What To Do to Fruit Trees Now

Q. What should we be doing to our fruit trees right now?

A. You should be finishing your winter pruning now. Bloom on some fruit trees started early this year and if you haven’t finished it you can still go ahead while it is in bloom. Be careful of the bees.

            Hold off on pruning grapes until later in February when the chance of freezing temperatures has passed.

            Fertilize your fruit trees now if you haven’t. Use a balanced fruit tree fertilizer high in phosphorus. If you miss this application you can use three or four liquid applications to the leaves (spray) a week apart in the coming weeks.

            If you suspect you will have yellowing due to an iron deficiency, apply the iron chelate EDDHA to the base of the tree with your irrigation water. Trees susceptible to iron problems include peach, nectarine, plums, apricots, almonds, apples and pears.

            Before or immediately after bloom, but not during bloom, apply dormant oil to limbs and trunk making sure you spray the undersides of the leaves, not just the tops.

            Irrigations should be once a week as soon as you see new growth. Newly planted trees can receive 5 to 10 gallons. Trees that are up to ten years old should receive 20 to 30 gallons each time you irrigate. Irrigations should be applied to at least half of the area under the canopy.

            Prepare for thinning fruit trees of excess fruit in about a month. Summer pruning will occur in about April. Watch for my postings on future activities and when to do them.

Potted Meyer Lemon Flower Drop

Q. You helped me before with my Meyer Lemon, so I hope you have an answer for this one.

My tree is in a huge pot. It is about 4 years old.

            Last Spring, it had massive flowers (yum) and a lot of little green buds followed. Then every single one of those buds turned black and dropped off.  Not one remained.

I want to figure out why and change what I am doing so this never happens again.

            The plant is fertilized with granular fertilizer 2x a year -- early spring and late summer. It gets moisture and hasn't dried out.  However the leaves could look more beautifully green.

Sometimes, some of them curl and are not quite bright green.

            I do not know if the two issues are related, but I sure hope you have a suggestion.

A. Sounds like you had post bloom fruit drop. Fruit drop can also occur during summer months and just before harvest. The usual reasons for post bloom fruit drop is usually some sort of stress.

            Four years is getting up there for being in the same pot without repotting. You might consider repotting and adding some new soil to the mix.

Meyer lemon flowers

            I know you said it had adequate water but if it went through just a few hours of drought during or just after pollination, fruit drop may occur. If we have some freezing weather during or just after flowering, that can cause the fruit to abort too.We had some on January 6 and 8 in parts of the valley.

            When watering, make sure about 20% of the water that you apply runs out the bottom of the container each time you water. This is important for flushing salts from the soil.

            Another possibility in containers is overheating them. If in direct sunlight and the outside of the container gets too hot and transmits this heat to the soil, this can cause stress and cause fruit drop.

            Proper fertilization is important. Over fertilizing fruit trees, excess nitrogen, can cause fruit drop. And finally less commonly some insects such as scale or mealybug infestations can cause fruit drop as well.

            What to do? Make sure your container, the soil volume, is big enough to handle wide swings in temperature and water. Monitor both closely. You might find a houseplant moisture meter to be helpful.

             Keep the outside of a plant container out of the hot sun. Double potting a container is  helpful to keep the soil temperature down. Watch for freezing temperatures at bloom time and cover the plant.

            Water the soil just before the heat of the day. Wet soil heats up more slowly than dry soil. If we have any frost during bloom it will affect fruit production.

UK Overtakes France in Xtremehort Blog Pageviews!

Of course since this is posted from the US so the number of views from the US is first. But I was shocked France was second for so long in the total number of pageviews for this blog! I saw UK creeping up on France and knew it would happen sooner or later. UK is now second!

I wonder if my relatives in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Sheffield had anything to do with this....

Rule Britannia!

What To Do To Peach Trees in Late January and February

Q. Could you direct me to or post a list of things I should be doing to my peach tree now? 

A. I will post the answer on my blog for others but right now you should be finishing up your pruning, fertilizing and begin irrigating once a week if you have surface mulch under the tree.

Peach trees in early bloom this January. Normal bloom date is February 1, consistently, year after year. The warming spell in January kicked everything into high gear early.

Let it finish blooming and then apply dormant oil to the entire tree to suffocate pests that are now coming out to attack leaves and fruit. Dormant oil is NOT dormant spray for disease control.

In about one month you will look for peach twig borer damage to new shoots and applying Bt spray to control these moths and “worms” that attack new growth and later your peach fruits. Watch for the posting on my blog with more detail and pictures.

Frickin' Cold in Northwest Ontario

I wanted to post an email from a reader who happened to run across this blog.

Great Price on EDDHA Iron for Yellow Plants

I found this 5 lb bag of Iron EDDHA chelate (FeEDDHA) for a great price at ViraGrow for less than $60 for this bag locally.

Chaste Tree with Black Unhealthy Appearance on Trunk

Q. I have two chaste trees in my back yard and for a couple of years now there is a black appearance taking over the trees.

Eliminating Flowers and Fruit on Ornamental Plants

Q. Last year I bought a house with a 6 foot privacy fence consisting of Texas privets and was unable to enjoy my patio in the spring due to severe allergies. Is there a product available that would prevent the shrubs from pollinating and flowering

A. This is the first I have heard of this plant causing allergy problems so I had to check around. And sure enough, there are some people who have an allergic reaction to the pollen or flowers.

      There are chemical sprays such as Monterey Florel Brand Growth Regulator and their Fruit Eliminator but the problem is the dosage and the label. And it does not necessarily eliminate the flowers since you have to spray the open flowers to cause the fruit to abort. Normally sprays like this are applied early when the plant is in flower. However many plants are not on the label so the rates are not known and legally not permitted.

            The other thing is to give it a butch haircut when the flowers come out. You can use a hedge shears. Eventually though this type of pruning will not be good for the plant over time. I think you can get this product at ViraGrow in Las Vegas.

Q and A's on this product and Label

Monterey's Florel Fruit Eliminator

Monthly Weather and ET Report from the UNCE Orchard

We had freezing temperatures at night on January 6 and 8th. Winds did not compound the problem. Humidity dropped to single digits twice during the month. No major rainfall events. ET was about 2. 4 inches during the month of January. Generally speaking, irrigation should have added about 2 inches of water in January, 2014.

The UNCE Orchard is located at 36 degrees North Latitude and 2000 ft (666 meters) elevation in the Mojave Desert.

The soil temperature was reset from 6 inch depth to 2 inch depth on January 21. This is why the range became so scattered starting January 21. If this scattering continues we will reset it a bit deeper. This temperature is used to estimate seeding dates for direct seeding into the raised beds.

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar Re-Posted as PDF

I made some changes in the one I posted earlier and embedded it from Scribd as a pdf document. Please let me know if you have trouble downloading it by posting here on the blog. This has been put together for elevations of about 500 ft (160m) to 3000 ft (1000m) elevations at 36 degrees N. Latitude in a desert environment.

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar for 36 N Latitude 2000 ft Elevation (Las Vegas)

Vegetable and Herb Planting Calendar click here for pdf

Garden Soil Not Ruined with Cat Problems

Q. I have cats that use my raised beds instead of their litter box. I planned on using chicken wire to help keep them out in the spring. Is my soil is ruined because of their urine and excrement? Does the ammonia from the urine alter the pH?

Garden Placement is Very Important in the Desert

Q. I have planter boxes which get hours and hours of direct sun. I've tried everything from corn, to edamame, grapes, peppers, tomatillo, and many others. I have even put up shading but either there is too much sun or maybe I over water. I'd like to start now and get a jump on summer.

How Much Compost to Add to Garden Depends on Soil

Q. I am starting a new garden spot. How much compost should I add to the soil?

A. If this is a new spot of raw desert soil or fill, the first year incorporate about 12 cubic yards of compost into 1000 square feet of growing area to a depth of 12 inches. The second year of growing incorporate half of that; the third year, half of what you applied the second year.

If desert soil has never had compost added to it or it was never in any kind of agricultural production then the first application will be very heavy. The second year not as much is needed and the third year the amount added is even less.

            Each year afterwards add 2 yards per 1000 square feet to maintain soil organic matter and production levels. Why so much? You can visit my blog and learn why.

            I would recommend growing in beds clearly identified for your garden. The areas between the beds are designated for foot traffic.

When compost is added at the rate of 12 cubic yards for every 1000 square feet it doesn't seem like much when it is incorporated to a depth of 12 inches.

            Raised beds do not require hard construction sidewalls. Constructing hard sidewalls gives you about six inches of extra growing space around the edge of the beds. Constructed beds should be 12 to 18 inches tall and three to four feet wide. Foot access should be provided on all sides of the bed.

            Raised beds will stay in place without hard sidewalls if constructed properly. You can see beds like these on the UNCE Orchard in North Las Vegas.

             

The second year about half of the compost is added to the raised beds that was added the first year to build soil organic matter. Raised beds do not need constructed hard sidewalls. Mulch is put down the center aisle for walking.

            Drip irrigation is best. Drip emitters should be about 12 inches apart for most crops. Crops that require closer spacing (onions, garlic, beets, and carrots) may require emitters closer than this. All emitters should release water at the same rate and pressure.

            Space tubing one foot apart lengthwise down the beds. A 3 - 4 foot wide bed would have three in each bed. The four foot wide would accommodate three as well but spaced further apart.

            Mulching vegetables during the summer heat helps. Use straw or a light topdressing (3/8 inch minus) of screened compost.

After amending the soil and building the raised beds, the drip irrigation is installed. This is drip tubing with emitters spaced every 12 inches along the tubing.

            If rabbits are a problem, fence the area with 2 ft. wide chicken wire, one inch hex, buried on the bottom edge one inch deep. Fertilize vegetables lightly once a month. Use a high phosphorus fertilizer at planting time. Irrigate daily during the summer months. Remove weeds daily when they are small.

Improving Peach Production on Peach Cocktail Tree

Q. I planted a peach tree that has 3 varieties of peach grafted into the same tree. I can’t remember the names of the peaches. In either case, my tree bore no fruit last spring. What can I do to get fruit this season?

Methods to Use to Increase the Size of Grape Berries

Q. A few months ago you had an article about grapes not growing to normal size. You stated the soil in Southern Nevada lacked a certain hormone that the grapes required. My Thompson vines grow like weeds but the fruit is the size of peas.

A. The hormone is not in the soil but manufactured by the plant. Purchasing and applying this hormone is one of three methods that can be used to encourage larger berries.

            The application of this hormone to grapes is permitted for organic production in most cases. However, there are two other methods that will enlarge berry size without the application of this hormone.

            These other two methods follow the same principle used for producing larger fruit in tree crops: remove fruit from the plant so the remaining fruit becomes larger. This totally organic practice is called “thinning”.

Pinching the bottom third off of the bunch

            When berry clusters or bunches first emerge in March or early April, thin or remove bunches so only large ones remain spaced no closer than a foot apart. Remove small bunches totally.

            Second, when grape individual berries are about the size of a BB, pinch off the bottom third of the bunch. Bunches of grapes are normally triangular in outline. Pinching the bottom third of the bunch produces a harvestable bunch that is round in outline with much larger berries.

            After those practices have been followed, you can use a plant hormone called gibberellin to increase the berry size artificially. This is not a natural process but you are basically giving the berries a "kick in the pants" to get them to elongate more than they would normally.

            Warning. Don’t expect gibberellin alone to do the work for you. You must also thin out your grape bunches.

Improving Size and Quality of Seedless Grapes