At AA Tex Lawn, we try to be good stewards with our resources. We look for ways we can keep our operating costs down, as well as help our planet. One way we do this is by contracting with a local tree company to recycle our landscape waste in mulch and compost. Not only does this keep the tree branches, dirt, leaves, etc from going to the landfill, but turns this waste material into something usable. The tub grinder is an impressive piece of equipment. Check out the video of the tub grinder at work on our pile of debris:
After a couple of months this compost is a rich soil amendment or mulch to put in plant beds. Here's how composting works:
Composting is a way to speed up the decomposition (or break down) of organic matter. By putting carbon rich materials like fallen leaves, wood chips and straw in a pile with nitrogen rich materials like fresh grass clippings and vegetable and plant waste, you create a mix of materials that bacteria and other microorganisms will feed upon. These organisms break down these materials into rich mulching and soil amendments much quicker than they would decompose naturally. The process creates heat which also helps with the break-down process (and also kills any weed seeds that may be left from the grass clippings).
Composting needs several things to work efficiently. You need the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen. The materials you put in the compost pile need to be small to provide more surface area to help the material break down quicker. Because of the energy produced by the microorganisms, the compost pile needs to be turned and watered frequently to keep the heat from building up. Watering also facilitates the break-down process.
A compost pile can spontaneously combust when materials self heat to a temperature high enough to cause them to ignite. As strange as this sounds, we actually had this happen to our pile this summer. There is nothing like walking out to a huge smoking mound of (what looks like) dirt! This is not something that usually affects a home compost pile as they are smaller, allowing more airflow with less dry pockets in the pile. Spontaneous combustion is more prevalent in larger piles that are not turned often. We turn ours every 1 to 2 months now. To be safe, if you are thinking of starting a compost bin at your house, locate it away from buildings and flammable structures. (It will also help control critters that are attracted to the organic material.) Be sure to turn it periodically to accelerate the decomposition process and let air into the pile. Also water it to encourage break down.
In a relatively short time, your compost will be ready to use and great for your soil! Although the grinding process is not cheap, we're excited to have this organic material to add to our plant beds and sell at our facility. And we get the added bonus of knowing we're doing something good for our Earth.
The AA Tex Lawn Team
