Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of waste that you produce, and it has many other benefits as well. Here are just a few of them:
- It helps to improve your soil fertility.
- It reduces the need for fertilizer, and it helps to reduce water consumption.
- It reduces the amount of noise that you make when you throw things away, and it prevents pests and diseases from spreading.
- It’s a good way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that you produce.
Perhaps you’ve wondered if composting corn cobs and strawberries would benefit your soil. Well, keep on reading to find out.
Can You Compost Corn Cob?
Corn is a crop that can be easily grown and takes around 90 to 120 days. It will yield faster if you use fertilizers. Harvesting your corn is a messy process. In case you are curious to know if composting corn cobs is the right way to dispose of them or not, then you are at the right place. You will also learn the various other parts of corn that can be composted and the time taken for the process to complete.
After harvesting, one of the simplest ways that you can use to clean the mess that has been created is by composting it. The majority of the time, the mess is compostable since it is waste food. You can dispose of the undesired corn cobs by composting them.
Are Corn Cobs Good For Compost?
Corn cobs are perfect for composting. This is because they are food waste and don’t have any odor. Hence they can decompose very easily and quickly. Since they are not sugary in taste, they do not attract fruit flies or some other pests. However, they take more time to compost than other materials like garden waste, leftover food, and vegetables.
Rotten corn cobs can also be composted. Since they are in the process of turning bad, their decomposition takes place faster.
Are Corn Cobs Good For Plants?
After you have finished the process of composition, you can use it as a fertilizer for your plants. There are so many benefits of using corn cob as compost. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Better Plant Health
Plants get a lot of gains from the nitrogen that is added by the corn cobs to the soil. The fertilizers that are made with the help of corn cobs can be used in farms and gardens and offer benefits to a diverse range of plants.
- Aeration
The process of breakdown is aided by adding aeration. Corn cobs are perfect for use because of their air pockets. When the compost materials add additional elements like moisture, high heat, and bacteria, it becomes ready to use in a short period.
- Good Source Of Carbon
Carbon is required for the healthy growth of plants and soils. As we know, too much carbon can harm plants, so there is a need for balance and corn cob composting offers the perfect balance of nitrogen and carbon.
- Bulk To Soil
Corn cobs serve as the perfect bulk material for your soil because they have a greater mass and are heavier than any other ingredients used for composting.
- Feeding Of Bacteria
Bacteria need to be fed, and corn cobs do this as they add lignin and some other compounds that are used for feeding the bacteria.
How Can You Compost Corn Cobs?
The steps that are used for composting corn cobs are given below:
1. Selection of bin and location – In the first step, you have to select the ideal compost bins for yourself and the ideal compost location. Make sure never to go over the bottom of the pile to prevent roasting. You must also build it in an area with a lot of fresh air and sunlight.
2. Chopping – You have to chop the corn cubs to reduce their size at this stage. They will break down easily if their size is small, and the nutrients also get released more quickly into the soil. You can make the decomposition happen rapidly by cutting the corn cobs into smaller pieces.
3. Addition of materials – The compost pile should have a proper balance of brown and green organic materials. To get the best results, the ratio of brown and green components should be 4:1. Some of the green material components are fresh leaves, kitchen waste, grass clipping, etc. Brown material components include shredded leaves, corn cobs, wood chips, etc.
4. Spraying water – In this step, you must spray water on the composed file. Make sure not to put too much water, as that will lead to the drowning of microorganisms in your compost. If a situation like this occurs, your composition will be useless.
5. Composed turn – Compost turning is a very important process as it increases the heat and helps speedy decomposition by bringing fresh air to the pile.
6. Feeding – When your compost is dry, crumbly, brown, and not emitting heat, you can feed it to your garden. When the growing season starts, you can compost (4 to 6 inches) of compost to the containers and flowerbeds.
How long does it take corn cobs to decompose?
Corn cobs take two months to decompose in a compost bin, whereas they take 15-18 years to decompose in a landfill. This variation in breakdown time is caused due to different gases.
Half of the gas in the landfill is carbon dioxide, and the remaining half is methane. Methane is produced by the anaerobic breakdown of the corn cobs. The compost pile goes through decomposition in an aerobic manner, which releases carbon dioxide.
Are Corn Husks Green Or Brown Compost?
Corn husks are both green and brown. They are green when you get them fresh from your garden or the farmers’ market. This can be simply tossed in your pile of compost.
You don’t necessarily need fresh corn husks; even brown ones can be converted into compost. Both of them go into the compost pile and can break down at a faster pace as compared to corn cobs.
Can Cooked Corn Cobs Be Composted?
Yes, composting of cooked corn cobs can be done. They are easier to compost than uncooked ones because they retain moisture after being cooked.
Can You Compost Strawberries?
Yes, strawberries can be composted. Strawberries can rot very easily and quickly in a compost heap. Strawberries are “green”( even though their color is red), so in case you want to get rid of them, then you must add them to the ” Browns” like straw, egg boxes, straw, etc. This can help it make use of the excess moisture.
Are Strawberries Good For Composting?
Yes, strawberries are good for composting. They can disintegrate readily and swiftly. Make sure that you combine your strawberries with items that can absorb moisture if your strawberries are not rotten because strawberries release moisture. It supplies carbon and other crucial nutrients to the soil, and is an amazing way to add vital nutrients to your compost.
How Long Does It Take For Strawberries To Decompose?
Strawberries tend to decompose quickly as compared to other fruits. If the composting pile is ideal, it can decompose in less than a month or a few weeks.
How Can You Compost Strawberries?
Some points need to be kept in mind while composting strawberries so that it can be done easily.
- Add cardboard or leaves – Always make sure that you put leaves or cardboard in the compost pile because strawberries, including the rotten ones, have a lot of moisture in them. By adding cardboard or leaves, the extra moisture can get absorbed, and the perfect level of moisture can be maintained.
- Add browns – Since strawberries are “green”, they tend to rot quickly; hence you should add some “browns” to them to help them absorb the excess moisture.
- Piling – Strawberries offer a lot of nitrogen to the compost pile; hence it’s best to dump them on the layer of nitrogen to get the finest result.
- Don’t use pesticides – It’s important to ensure that the strawberries you add are not sprayed with pesticides or insecticides, as they will lead to the death of vital microorganisms in the soil.
FAQ’s
Can you put strawberry stems in the compost?
Yes, you can compost strawberry plants, but removing the runners is important as these new runners would want to grow into a plant and take the place of the parent plant instead of using your compost heap.
Can you compost Corn husks?
Yes, corn husks can be composted, and their breakdown time is different compared to the breakdown time of corn cobs. This happens due to the husks’ texture.
What can you do with leftover corn cobs?
The leftover corn cob can be used for creating a golden broth which you can use for a variety of things. It is perfect for stews, sauces, polenta, and many more.
You can also use it as a replacement for the meat-based broth to make your food vegan or vegetarian. You can also drink it directly since it has a sweet flavour.
Conclusion
Both corn cobs and strawberries offer a variety of benefits. Their compost provides the plants with many important nutrients.
Even the part that most people consider to be a waste can turn out to be very useful. So next time when you have leftovers of corn cobs or strawberries, make sure to utilise them to the best of your abilities.
