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[HongKongaTron]

I got some AF AK-47s goin out shortly and was wondering....

Would shredded newspaper make an alright soil amendment? I've heard of farmers doing this...jus' curious..Tryin to stay low budget.

Thanx,

Hong

 

[steve green]

im not to sure about shredded paper-i would be scared of mold myself-or the ink from the paper some how affecting the health of my plants.
you can get some cheap amendments still, go pick up some worm castings at walmart,i hear they got them now-ium ssure there not the best ,but verycheap and could help ya.home depot also has a bunch of stuff u can get on low budget to add to your mix.

 

[HeadyPete]

buy a bag of cow manure - it's cheap.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

I've heard of growers using newspaper to help the soil retain moisture, but not as a fertiliser as far as I know. It works to help hold moisture because of the organic based fibers that make up paper, I've never done it myself, but I understand the idea.

 

[Fast_Pine]

doesent alot of wood material in the planting hole rob nitro?

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Yep, I would agree FP

 

[Fast_Pine]

Yeah, I remember a fiew years back funds were super tight an I was trying like hell to get my hands on any kind of free organic material I could..Was offered a bunch of sawdust....Spent a afternoon collecting it up, only to find out it was bad to put in the soil....

 

[Guest]

Im with BC and FP, makes a decent mulch,(better unshredded) and will help to retain a little soil moisture, but for ammendments, spend another 50 cents and get a cheap bag of compost.

s b

 

[DangerP]

Shredded paper is awesome for your compost heap. It adds a lot of carbon, which is necessary to get things going. I've never added it directly to the soil, though. I bet if you mixed it in with your soil in the fall so that it could break down during the winter it would help, but I'm not sure it would make much of a difference if you put it in at the beginning of the season. Sawdust is the same way, but it has to be untreated wood. No finished wood, certainly no plywood, and never ever ever pressure treated wood. Really helps with the compost, though.

Since I compost everything I can for my vegetable garden I have a shredder I use just for that. I only use unbleached paper, like grocery bags, and never cardboard since it's full of adhesive. I think it helps things a lot.

 

[little j]

being a fisherman, when i collect worms i put them in shredded newspaper. holds moisture great and the worms love eating it. 50-50 dirt and newspaper. as far as fertilizer. i dont think so but what the worms eat they must crap also. worms love eating newspaper. little j.

 

[steve green]

i had no idea newspaper was good.. interesting
thnks guys
also hongkonatron you could go get some FREE used coffee grinds
if u go to a starbucks-probably any coffee place too)just ask them they will usually be happy to give it away-especially if you bring something to take it in

 

[HeadyPete]

Here's some more info:

The Starbucks coffee compost test
Lab report: Those free grounds really are good for your soil

Used coffee grounds make good soil amendments. That’s the buzz among gardeners lately. But what do your coffeepot’s leftovers really add to the soil?

To find out, Sunset sent a batch of Starbucks’ used coffee grounds — the company gives them away for free — to a soil lab for analysis. Turns out the grounds provide generous amounts of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper.

They also release nitrogen into the soil as they degrade. And they’re slightly acidic — a boon in the Western climate.

Dig or till them into the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

FULL REPORT

The following information was developed for Sunset by Soil and Plant Laboratory Inc., Bellevue, WA.

Summary: Use of Starbucks coffee grounds in amending mineral soils up to 35 percent by volume coffee grounds will improve soil structure over the short-term and over the long-term. Use of the coffee grounds at the specified incorporation rates (rototilled into a 6- to 8-inch depth) will substantially improve availabilities of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and copper and will probably negate the need for chemical sources of these plant essential elements.

The nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium “guaranteed analyses” would be as follows for the coffee grounds:

Nitrogen: 2.28 percent
Phosphorus: 0.06 percent
Potassium: 0.6 percent

Available nutrient levels: The pH or reaction of the coffee grounds is considered slightly acidic and in a favorable range at 6.2 on the pH scale.

Salinity (ECe) is a measurement of total soluble salts and is considered slightly elevated at 3.7 dS/m. The primary water-soluble salts in this product are potassium, magnesium, sodium and chloride. The potentially problematic ions in sodium and chloride are each sufficiently low as to be inconsequential in terms of creating problems for plants.

The availabilities of nitrogen, calcium, zinc, manganese and iron are quite low and in some cases deficient. Thus, the coffee grounds will not supply appreciable amounts of these essential plant elements when used as a mineral soil amendment.

However, the availabilities of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and copper are each sufficiently high that there will be a very positive impact on improving availabilities of these elements where the coffee grounds are used as a mineral soil amendment. The coffee grounds will negate the need for additional sources of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and copper when blended with mineral soils.

In summary, the available plant essential elements which will be substantially improved where the coffee grounds are used as a soil amendment, include phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and copper.

Total nutrient levels: Each cubic yard of these coffee grounds contains a total of 10.31 lbs. nitrogen, of which 0.01 lb. (0.09%) are available. Thus, even though available nitrogen is considered deficient in this product, there still remains over 10 lbs. of total nitrogen per cubic yard of coffee grounds. Thus, nitrogen is primarily bound in the organic fraction and is unavailable to plants until soil microorganisms degrade the organic fraction. Through this process, the nitrogen is converted to plant available forms. Over the long term the coffee grounds will act like a slow release fertilizer providing long-term nitrogen input which can then be utilized by plants.

Nearly all potassium and all magnesium are in the available forms. This means that immediate availability improvements for these two elements will take place when the coffee grounds are blended with mineral soils. About half of the copper and calcium are in their immediately available forms.

All other plant essential elements are primarily bound in the organic fraction and will thus be subject to slow release over time as soil microbes continue to degrade the organic fraction.

Physical properties: Virtually all particles passed the 1 millimeter (mm) screen resulting in a product which is very fine textured. Each cubic yard of the coffee grounds will supply an excellent amount of organic matter, measured at 442 lbs. organic matter per cubic yard. At the use rates indicated in this report, the input of organic matter will be substantial and will result in considerable short-term and long-term improvement of mineral soil structure.

Carbon/nitrogen ratio: On the basis of dry matter bulk density (452 lbs. per cubic yard), organic matter content (97.7%) and total nitrogen (2.28%), the estimated carbon/nitrogen ratio is about 24:1. This means that there is more than sufficient nitrogen present in the coffee grounds to provide for the nitrogen demand of the soil microorganisms as they degrade the organic fraction.

Use rate: Based on the overall chemistry and physical properties of the coffee grounds, they can be utilized at rates similar to other organic amendments when used in amending mineral soils. These data indicate that 25-35 percent by volume coffee grounds can be blended with mineral soils of any type to improve structure of those soils.

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/garden/edible/article/0,20633,1208232,00.html

 

[fishheadbob]

Don't bother to shred it, it's a great mulch.
I used to keep my worms in a mix of newspaper, coffe grounds, and dirt. fat worms.

 

[Mayor Uhana]

fishheadbob is right. unshreaded newspaper and cardboard make great mulch. laying it on the surface of your soil will keep weeds out, and moisture in, while attracting worms and other beneficial organisms to the ground. if you want to put some more nutes in the grounds, sprinkle your coffee grinds, manuer, leaf mold of any other compost you can find over the ground, then lay down your newspaper (8 sheets deep or so), then plant your babies right through the paper.

this is called the no-dig method of gardening, and no tilling or digging is required. the fact is, that when you dig up and move around the soil, you are disturbing the living creatures and bacteria in the ground. give it a try and google "no-dig" gardening if you need more info.