CPR for compost?

[Rick7805]

I've been working away for 4 months and my brother has been coming round to cut the lawn for me while I was away but, being an idiot he's just dumped the grass cuttings into my compost. End result is a pile of brown, slimy yuck. Is there any way I can revive it or should I just dump it all and start again?

[ElizabethB]

Hi Rick - welcome to the forum.

Spread out the grass clippings so they can dry. Add browns and mix it well. Mulched leaves will be difficult to find at this time of year. See if you can get your hands on cured horse or cow manure. Mix it up and you will be back in business.

Good luck

[rainbowgardener]

But just to be clear, the horse manure despite it's color is very "green" that is nitrogen rich. What you need right now as Elizabeth said, is "browns" which are carbon rich. Fall leaves are a good source when they are available. When I run out of them, I buy a bale of straw and feed it into the compost pile a bit at a time, as I add greens. Other browns would include sawdust, shredded paper, etc. Check out the greens/ browns sticky at the top of the composting forum.

[toxcrusadr]

You may not be able to un-clump those slimy grass clumps all at once, but mix in browns, pile it up, and after a week or two, turn it and mix it again. At that time you can assess whether it still needs browns - is the smell any better? If not add more while turning. Eventually it will all become compost.