Home Page
   Articles
       links
About Us    
Traders        
Recipes            
Latest Articles
Acidic compost
Page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Grow Your Own
Author 
 Message
Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 15 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

To be honest while looking up details of wood ash use the main thing I learnt was not to trust what's said as it often seemed contradictory or wrong.

I listened to the Gardener's Question Time on iPlayer and they did say several times wood ash contained lime. (It wasn't Bob though).

As I'm on acidic soil now and tend to have my compost heap on the ground I'll be growing on I just add everything to it to balance things out.

Going back to the original post, if you don't need huge amounts I'd just buy a bag of peat and compost the other items in the one big heap. After all, peat is still used for burning and in many potting composts so if you're raising fruit and veg in it I wouldn't worry too much.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45375
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 15 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Mistress Rose wrote:
I am sorry, but potassium nitrate is not stable with water. Both potassium and nitrates are the among the most soluble of salts. Potassium carbonate will be less water soluble as carbonates (e. g. calcium carbonate) are less soluble or even sparingly soluble.

These days calcium carbonate may be used for 'liming', and although it is not that soluble it is a safe, although limited use method. Calcium carbonate can also cause 'chlorosis' where the plant doesn't produce chlorophyll. We live on chalk, and so can't grow some things, and have to be aware others may need something like sequestrine to grow well.

The urine used would depend upon the use to which it was to be put. Saltpetre may have been preferred from women, but for dyeing the urine from boys was the best. The worst was from men who had been to the pub for some reason.


it wasnt they were women it was that they sneakily went in church during prayers and the earth floor did not get leached by rain chaps went outside and the salts/urea was lost.

pig pens were still on the top of the list but folk hid the best manure if the knew the king's petermen were collecting in their area.

as a slight aside the petermen were less popular than tax collectors with folk who grew their food but had little cash and were protected with some very draconian penalties for obstructing their work.

ed re the dye trades the best urine was from the chamber pots of posh houses where folk ate meat and drank wine ,stong ale and spirits ie plenty of urea and low volume,the poor ate turnips and drank weak beer ie low urea /high volume.
there was quite a well developed trade from rich areas to the places where folk had woad houses etc and the servants could earn a few extra pence a month selling the masters wee to the chaps with barrels.

Last edited by dpack on Wed Oct 21, 15 2:38 pm; edited 1 time in total

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 15 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Good to know that even in the good old days defence spending was more important than feeding the poor.
Shows nothing much has changed.

wellington womble



Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 15 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It wasn't even really a practical question. I was just idly wondering whether it would work. I have lots of other Practical Things to be getting on with.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 15 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Umbellicaria lichens, those black flappy things that grow on rocks, give a nice purple dye when, according to one of my books, they are soaked with "urine from a male child, preferably collected upon first arising."

Passed some lichens on to a friend. Who simply used ammonia as the extracting liquidt.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45375
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 15 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

i forgot to mention that for dye stuffs "stale"is the correct state ie the urea has converted back to ammonia

i can understand why dyers were often banned from towns

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Oct 22, 15 5:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes, stale urine is used in a woad or indigo dye bath. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I wouldn't go to a town where they had woad dyers, but she was rather 'nice' in her tastes.

I have used a woad bath with ammonia, and even that stinks. In that case it is the ammonia that is important. In general it is the urea that acts a mordant I think.

Urine in general can be used to soften and finish cloth. I understand that this was used on Harris tweed in the past. Not sure about now.

alison
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Thu Oct 22, 15 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I believe urine was also used to bleach linens, and keep them nice and white.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Oct 23, 15 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

In the past urine was used quite frequently in dyeing, washing and other things. If you were lucky it was used in the last but one rinse I suppose.

dan1



Joined: 23 Jun 2010
Posts: 102
Location: Bristolish
PostPosted: Thu Nov 05, 15 9:38 am    Post subject: Re: Acidic compost Reply with quote
    

wellington womble wrote:
If I have a compost heap just for acidic kitchen waste (coffee grounds, tea bags, citrus etc) will it make acidic compost? Or is that too basic (no pun intended!)


Are you looking for advice on what to do about too acid compost and how to alkalise it, or exploring whether you can manufacture your own acid (ericaceous) compost?

I've been composting my tea-leaves (i'm a loose leaf snob) for years in a separate container and putting them on my blueberries. They're alive but I've never checked to see if the resulting mulch is acidic.

wellington womble



Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands
PostPosted: Thu Nov 05, 15 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It was merely idle wondering. I do have some blueberries, so I wondered if maintaining separate compost for them would be worthwhile, but it isn't a huge problem.

My main problem with compost is I simply can't get enough of it. There is no way I can make enough for the garden, and I have totally failed to find a suitable animal to graze or someone to deliver piles of manure. Must have another think about that.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Thu Nov 05, 15 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

wellington womble wrote:

My main problem with compost is I simply can't get enough of it. There is no way I can make enough for the garden, and I have totally failed to find a suitable animal to graze or someone to deliver piles of manure. Must have another think about that.


How strict are UK laws when it comes to something like this?
https://humanurehandbook.com/

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 15 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

You can buy manure from some sewage farms; the best I think is sterilised, which smells less, but not sure if it is sold for gardens. I think they mainly sell to farmers, and only to ones that aren't in sensitive areas for water supplies.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 15 9:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Mistress Rose wrote:
You can buy manure from some sewage farms; the best I think is sterilised, which smells less, but not sure if it is sold for gardens. I think they mainly sell to farmers, and only to ones that aren't in sensitive areas for water supplies.
Municipal Sewerage sludge has a lot of other contaminants like heavy metals that I wouldn't want on my land.
In answer to slims question I don't think there's anything stopping individuals or households composting their own & using it in their garden but problems arise when it's used on crops that might be eaten by others.
A bit like home slaughter (AFAIA).
You can kill your own pig (humanely) & feed it to your kids but if you invite your next door neighbour around for a roast it has to be killed in a licensed abattoir.

Slim



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6533
Location: New England (In the US of A)
PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 15 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Interesting. Here the only problem comes when money changes hands, so you can't sell your pork to your neighbor. It's often been gotten around by selling shares of ownership to your neighbors, and then they come by to collect their share after slaughter (as that part was there's from the get go to do with what they pleased - we just ignore the part that it was still attached to the rest of the pig while being raised!).

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Grow Your Own All times are GMT
Page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4
Page 4 of 4
View Latest Posts View Latest Posts

 

Archive
Powered by php-BB © 2001, 2005 php-BB Group
Style by marsjupiter.com, released under GNU (GNU/GPL) license.
Copyright © 2004 marsjupiter.com