Product Quality testing project for bagged compost

[toxcrusadr]

I've complained before about how many bagged 'compost' products in my area are full of sand and river silt. I'm finally fighting back - with data.

Org. Gardening Mag. did a similar study several years back and found the actual OM content of the products tested varied from 92% all the way down to 7.5%!

My local University soils lab can do the OM analysis for $5. I'm going to buy a couple products each from half a dozen stores, and add in the City's bulk compost made from yard waste, and my own backyard compost. For about $100 we can learn a lot.

Using the bag's weight, price, moisture content and OM content, I will calculate the price per lb. of OM in the product. Should be interesting and fun.

I'm pitching the story to local news outlets. If we can get it published early in the gardening season - as soon as the products hit the shelves - maybe it'll make a difference.

Of course I'll keep you posted.

[farmerlon]

Great idea ... I look forward to seeing the results.

[Halfway]

Great project!

I come across so many folks buying commercial compost that stinks of raw sewage as soon as it rains. And much of the city compost is not nearly finished when offered up for sale.

It has become another "racket" with "green" and "organic" attached to it that totally defeats the purpose.

It's not all bad, but the amount of garbage being sold is sad.

Please keep us posted.

[toxcrusadr]

Halfway, know what you mean, and I earnestly hope 'raw sewage' describes only the smell, not the contents! EPA allows thoroughly digested sludge to be used as 'biosolids', and it can stink to high heaven, but hopefully nothing untreated is going in there. Could be anaerobic cow manure too...bleh.

[Odd Duck]

When I started gardening in TX, I was wishing I could find some composted manure that reeked of manure once wet. I really wanted fresh manure to add to my own compost. I tried one brand of "composted cow manure" (NOT Black Kow brand, let's just say there was tartan involved) and when I opened the bag it was mostly CLAY! The bag was heavy, but I thought that was because it was wet. NOOOOOooooo! It was WORSE clay than what I already had in the ground! I was ticked at the box store where I bought it, but even more so at myself for thinking I could get the cheaper stuff at a box store and have it be any good.

I then purchased Black Kow brand a couple times and it appears to be at least decent - seems to be mostly organic by the feel and smell. I've since found sources for fresh manure to build my own compost - even better, but not necessarily relavant to this discussion. I would buy Black Kow again if I needed finished compost quick and didn't have any ready.

I would personally appreciate it if Black Kow could be one of the brands you test, since it seems to be the only one worth buying from the box stores (where so many peeps get their supplies).

[toxcrusadr]

I am not sure it's available here but if it is I'll certainly try to include it.

I've had that same problem with bags that turned out to be soil - usually river bottom silt, maybe even dredgings, around here. If even 1 out of 5 people took it back to the store and demanded a refund, they'd have to switch products or complain to their suppliers, and things would change.

[applestar]

Tox, I would love it if you could also keep in mind my newfound intuitive conviction that poorly stored bagged compost deteriorates and that distance shipped from the original manufacturing site may be a significant indicator.

[toxcrusadr]

I will be documenting the supplier and location from the info on the bag. I am guessing your theory goes more toward nutrients and biological activity, which (alas) we are not monitoring in this particular study. If this one goes well I may try for that next year. It's more expensive for the lab work, but I may be able to attract a few hundred bucks of funding if I can produce a quality project on this part (which I can, cause I rock! )

[toxcrusadr]

Good news, a local TV news station has agreed to feature this story as part of its ongoing 'Going Green' series. And they're going to pay the expenses! Just waiting to hear from the reporter they're going to assign to it. It's a little early yet anyway, it's snowing here and still winter.

[Odd Duck]

Nice! Good job!

[Halfway]

Good news, a local TV news station has agreed to feature this story as part of its ongoing 'Going Green' series. And they're going to pay the expenses! Just waiting to hear from the reporter they're going to assign to it. It's a little early yet anyway, it's snowing here and still winter.

Outstanding!

[2cents]

Tox
thanks for taking the initiative

[rot]

..
Thanks tox

Keep shaking the tree.

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-organic-fraud-20110311,0,7999938.story

Los Angeles Times, 2011 03 11

Organic fertilizer maker accused of using synthetic chemicals
Kenneth Noel Nelson Jr. is indicted on 28 counts of mail fraud in connection with an alleged years-long scheme to dupe farmers and agriculture product distributors.



By P.J. Huffstutter, Los Angeles Times
March 11, 2011

To organic farmers, Kenneth Noel Nelson Jr. was the man with the golden manure: It was rich with Mother Nature's finest waste, robust for the soil and cheap in price.

But to federal prosecutors in California, Nelson's organic fertilizer empire had developed a stench.

On Thursday a federal grand jury indicted Nelson on 28 counts of mail fraud in connection with an alleged years-long scheme to dupe farmers and agriculture product distributors. The indictment accused Nelson, 57, of selling premium-priced liquid fertilizer touted as made from all-natural products such as fish meal and bird guano that instead was spiked with far cheaper synthetic chemicals

.

.

[toxcrusadr]

rot: Yeesh! Imagine.

all: Picked up 3 bagged composts over the weekend, let the data acquisition begin!

[annastasia76]

I'll keep checking back to see what the results are!!!

[toxcrusadr]

Results rolling in from the first batch of samples, and it's not too impressive. I'll be posting more detail later, but I'm sure you're all dying to know, so, the 5 inexpensive retail products looked like this:

Organic matter (loss on ignition) 3.2 to 15.7%, average 8.4%
Water 28 to 52%, average 38%
Everything else (?????), by subtraction, average 54%.

Now, really good garden soil is about 10% OM. I would have thought compost would be much higher than that, although the mineral fraction will be higher than in uncomposted vegetation after being concentrated in the compost.

I found results online for our city landfill compost. It's 15-19% OM, which still seems low. They do use drywall scrap, so there is going to be significant mineral content there, but the gypsum is actually beneficial for the clay soil here, so they don't get dinged for high mineral content. At least you know what it is, and it's a waste reduction approach.

I am sending another batch of samples including some high dollar products - I got a bag of cotton burr compost that seems very fluffy, and some more expensive mushroom and cow manure from nurseries (egad, 10 bucks a bag! Still pays to make your own). And, my own backyard stuff from last winter's batch. This way there will be something to compare the low quality products with.

Thinking about a 1-pg fact sheet to put out at our city compost demo trailer at the Earth Day celebration.

[cynthia_h]

Thanks for the update; will be looking forward to more info as it becomes available!

Great idea on the handout for Earth Day. Will you have results that soon?

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[toxcrusadr]

It only takes a couple days for the lab to email me the results, so the hardest part will be deciding what to write and what it should look like.

[rot]

Now, really good garden soil is about 10% OM.

I've heard there's no point to more than 5%.

Anyone want to explain how much and what for and maybe where they got that number from would be helpful to the edumacation of this dweeb.

thanks in advance
..

[swickstrum]

Tox,

This is a great project! I can't wait to hear what the results of your homegrown compost will be.

By the way, when you say that the "Everything Else" category averages out to be 54%, what do you think falls into that category? I'm not sure I would even have a guess at what could make that up.

[toxcrusadr]

Just got the comprehensive analysis on 12 samples this morning - not only moisture and OM but also NPK, Ca/Mg/Fe etc., and CN ratio. I'll post some stuff when I have digested it.

swickstrum: the 'other material' category is all mineral matter or 'ash' content, including all minerals incorporated in the original vegetation and any soil or other mineral matter mixed into the ingredients or the compost. They say manure is 'salty' which I assume means that salts are concentrated in cattle poo. Of course urine is salty and that is probably mixed with the manure. Our city landfill mixes shredded scrap drywall into their ingredients, which boosts up the mineral content considerably. But they disclose that information freely, and the other guys do not.

I was surprised at the mineral content of my own compost, since I don't add any soil. But it was lower than all the commercial products.

More coming soon!