grass clippings pile - help !

[roosky]

Hi,

I've been building up a pile consisting purely of grass clippings, as I read (somewhere, can't find it now !) that it was a quick way to make a "hot" heap for composting. It's now pretty hot, and I'm scared it might go on fire ! What's the best thing to do - put water on it ? should I be turning it yet ?

[cynthia_h]

Spread it out first. Let it cool off. Fast composting is always a trade-off between time and temp. If you don't have one yet, invest in a compost thermometer so that you can monitor the temp in the center of the pile.

Then mix "browns" in with the grass clippings as you rebuild the pile. If the pile is more than about 1.25m in each direction, start a second pile.

Sounds like you'll have compost fairly soon, but we want your house to be safe, too....

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[farmerlon]

A pile that is 100% grass/hay will typically compress down into an almost-solid mass in a short amount of time. It gets choked for air, and becomes anaerobic or "sour". Once that happens, you loose the benefits of the aerobic composting process.
For the purpose of composting, I would combine the grass with other materials, instead of trying to process the grass alone.

[rot]

..
In addition to the previous, the more diverse the ingredients in you bio-remediation (compost) pile, the more diverse the nutrients you produce.

I know it's cool to get all that heat but your feeding the soil that feeds your plants. You want a balanced diet.

to sense
..

[smokensqueal]

You will not start a fire with grass clippings alone on a pile. The pile will just get soggy warm and start smelling like rot. And because there is little to no air in the pile it will not catch fire but pack down to mush. 99.9% of the time a home composter won't even if they try get their compost pile hot enough to catch fire. But remember it's not about how hot you get it because once it get's to hot you start killing the beneficials in the pile and it will start to slow down.

[farmerlon]

You will not start a fire with grass clippings alone on a pile.

I guess that's true for the size of most "home" grass piles.

I suppose it's all a matter of volume ... I know of farm hay barns and grass roll stacks that have caught fire when the grass/hay was put up too wet.

[roosky]

Thanks for all the suggestions and helpful comments, people ! We've been out turning the piles today, and adding lots of chippings. The oldest one is now smelling a bit, but hopefully the turning and adding stuff will help sort that.
We're real rookies at this lark, so all help will be gratefully received. How long do we leave the piles now, before turning them again ? Do we still need to water regularly ?

[cynthia_h]

If you're trying to hurry the process along, a compost thermometer will be a true asset. Keep monitoring the temperature and, when it drops below approx. 125 ...°F (53 ...°C), turn the pile again. This re-invigorates the materials by adding a new supply of oxygen.

It may be necessary to water the pile *if* the temperature stagnates, either going up or coming back down. The classic analogy is that a compost pile should be as damp as a "wrung sponge." Not dripping, but not so dry that the pile can't operate due to dryness.

Take a look around the Compost Forum for other discussions re. how wet "wet" is, if this isn't helpful to you.

Personally, I'm envious; due to the location of my pile and my physical inability to turn it very often (long-term after-effects of a car accident), mine always operates at a low temp. Very slow, but very dependable. But did I say v-e-r-y sloooow? Yes. Sloooow. *sigh*

Cynthia

[sld1390]

try shedding some cardboard or plain newspaper and mix a lil in it. or ashes from a wood only burning fireplace.