Central solutions are exemplified by low-cost composting without forced aeration, and technologically more advanced systems with forced aeration and temperature feedback. Central composting plants are capable of handling more than 100,000 tons of biodegradable waste per year, but typically the plant size is about 10,000 to 30,000 tons per year. Biodegradable wastes must be separated prior to composting: Only pure food waste, garden waste, wood chips, and to some extent paper are suitable for producing good-quality compost.

Composting Equipment

The composting plants consist of some or all of the following technical units: bag openers, magnetic and/or ballistic separators, screeners (sieves), shredders, mixing and homogenization equipment, turning equipment, irrigation systems, aeration systems, draining systems, bio-filters, scrubbers, control systems, and steering systems. The composting process occurs when biodegradable waste is piled together with a structure allowing for oxygen diffusion and with a dry matter content suiting microbial growth.

Biodegradable wastes must be separated prior to composting: Only pure food waste, garden waste, wood chips, and to some extent paper are suitable for producing good-quality compost. The temperature of the biomass increases due to the microbial activity and the insulation properties of the piled material. The temperature often reaches 65 to 75 degrees C within few days and then declines slowly. This high temperature hastens the elimination of pathogens and weed seeds.

Composting Methodologies

The methodology of composting can be categorized into three major segments—anaerobic composting, aerobic composting, and vermicomposting. In anaerobic composting, the organic matter is decomposed in the absence of air. Organic matter may be collected in pits and covered with a thick layer of soil and left undisturbed six to eight months. The compost so formed may not be completely converted and may include aggregated masses.

Aerobic composting is the process by which organic wastes are converted into compost or manure in presence of air and can be of different types. The most common is the Heap Method, where organic matter needs to be divided into three different types and to be placed in a heap one over the other, covered by a thin layer of soil or dry leaves. This heap needs to be mixed every week, and it takes about three weeks for conversion to take place. The process is same in the Pit Method, but carried out specially constructed pits. Mixing has to be done every 15 days, and there is no fixed time in which the compost may be ready.

Berkley Method uses a labor-intensive technique and has precise requirements of the material to be composted. Easily biodegradable materials, such as grass, vegetable matter, etc., are mixed with animal matter in the ratio of 2:1. Compost is usually ready in 15 days.

Vermicomposting involves use of earthworms as natural and versatile bioreactors for the process of conversion. It is carried out in specially designed pits where earthworm culture also needs to be done. Vermicomposting is a precision-based option and requires overseeing of work by an expert. It is also a more expensive option (O&M costs especially are high).

The post The Basics of Composting first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

As the renewable energy movement becomes truly mainstream, everyday people are beginning to turn their backs on the excesses of 19^th and 20^th century consumption and to instead look forwards and embrace an ecosystem of which we are not the master – but rather just another essential component.

One way in which you can do so is to take a stand against the decimation of bee populations in a constructive manner – by creating a bee-friendly garden. Patterns and techniques of crop farming have left the insects in increasingly hostile territory, with bee numbers falling dramatically enough to hit the headlines. But it’s possible even for individuals to make a difference just by the flowers and plants they choose to put in their garden.

Bees are crazy for the kinds of wildflowers that have been torn up by industrial-level farming, and a good variety of local, colorful blooms can brighten your days while providing a delicious stopping point for the stripy critters. Even just allowing your garden to grow naturally – without clamping down on weeds and dandelions – can make it a more inviting environment for the right kinds of insects.

While it’s okay to use a smattering of non-native plants in your garden, this should always be done in sensitivity to the surrounding area, as unwelcome plant-life can create environmental imbalances. If in doubt, stay local – and consult this new chart from Budget Direct, which lists some of the best choices you can make for the bees in your garden, wherever you are in the world.

The post Bring New Life to Your Garden by Making it Bee-friendly first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

Eco-friendly landscape designs not only provide a conducive living environment but also can influence the social, aesthetic and environmental qualities of the overall housing areas. It also helps you manage your time, money and efforts. Eco friendly landscape design helps to nurture the ecosystem, reduce pollution and also maintain healthy surroundings.

Best sustainable landscaping design ideas

Xeriscaping your landscape

Xeriscaping is a method of landscaping which eliminates the need for irrigation. In simpler words, it is using drought plants and grass to design your exterior living areas. In this, you use agriculture which needs little or no water other than what is provided by the climate of the place.edru9

Adopting this method does not mean turning your landscape into the barren land, it is merely the use of Drought-tolerant plants, Sand, Permeable hardscapes, Mulch etc. this method helps you conserve water that would otherwise be used up in maintaining huge green lands with grass. People have been using this method since 1981.

Despite Earth being 71% water only 2.5% of it is freshwater that is fit for usage. Since converting saltwater to freshwater is possible but it is not a viable solution as too many resources are needed. Thus, we need to conserve water and use it carefully.

2. Install Solar Lights on your Lawn

Installing solar lights lower your electricity bill to a great extent. Moreover, it will let you show off the beauty of your landscapes even at night at a very minimal cost. Instead of connecting the lights in your lawn to a power source, you must install solar panels that convert and store the solar energy into electricity during the day and use the same energy to light up your lawn at night.

Solar lights, unlike regular garden lights do not require to be wired. This makes them highly portable and less messy. Solar lights use batteries instead, eliminating the need of sockets, wires and other electrical components.

Solar panels are a one-time investment with a great resale value. It is environmentally beneficial and needs very less to no maintenance. It is an energy-independent source which will help you add beauty to your lawn and at the same time not be harmful to the environment.

3. Rock Garden for landscape

Rock gardens are a unique way to design a landscape. Carefully and creatively arranging rocks in a certain pattern will help you get a very beautiful and unusual landscape. The best part of having a rock garden is that you hardly need to do any work to maintain it. They are visually very appealing and need little or no water.

Rock gardens are very long-lasting as they can withstand harsh and extreme weather conditions and thus look great all year long. It also increases the value of your property as it gives an illusion of free space as they don’t need much greenery and plants

4. Wildlife Garden

A wildlife garden is a garden that is sustainable and habitable for wildlife and domesticated animals. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals and so on.

Building a wildlife garden is also better as it helps you reduce your cost for fertilizers and get access to natural chemical-free fertilizers. Wildlife gardening also allows us to connect to nature and provide a sense of peacefulness. It also gives you a sense of well-being and improved mental resilience.

5. Adding a Compost Station

Compost is a waste management facility where solid waste is managed and processed using composting technologies. This processed waste can be reintroduced into the environment. Waste like autumn leaves, grass clipping and yard trimmings can be dumped into the composting pit.

People misjudge the compost station as they think it would look like a pile of garbage on their lawn, but that is not the case. In fact, it is one of the most thoughtful ways to reduce waste in your home. You can make a homemade compost station and manage it pretty well using attractive wooden bins, beautiful flowers and other garden ornaments.

6. Vertical Garden

This method is the best way to make your lawn look beautiful even in a small space. All you need to build this is a vertical wall, it can even be built on a fence.

A vertical garden is a garden in which the plants are supported to grow along vertical, often tiered surfaces, especially fences, posts, trellises, and walls, rather than along the ground. these gardens help save space and also cleans the air we breathe.

It can be made very attractive with the use of gardening ornaments like plant pots etc. since they take up lesser space than traditional vegetable or herb gardens, they use significantly less amount of water. There are some vegetables that work better with vertical gardening than others too. Vertical gardening has become very popular in overpopulated cities due to the lack of space to have an on-ground garden or a lawn.

7. Permeable Hardscapes on Landscape

Permeable hardscapes are an attractive way to improve the sustainability of your property. In case of storms and floods, it decreases stormwater runoff and prevents soil erosion.

Due to its permeability, it helps the rainwater to enter the ground and recharge the groundwater reserves, which in turn can be beneficial for the plants in your lawn.

8. Native plants

Native plants are plants that have been growing in a particular area or habitat for a long time. Planting native plants can always be easier as they have been growing there naturally without any human interference while non-native plants have been introduced by humans.

Thus, native plants can thrive naturally and won’t need as much care as non-native plants. The native plants won’t even require chemicals to maintain and preserve them. The usage of lesser pesticides and fertilisers in turn helps in maintaining the quality of the soil and the plants.

Native plants have a deeper root system which also helps us to save water as they can extract water from the earth’s crust. Native plants are sustainable for your wallet too as you’ll save cash by spending less on chemicals. You also save more if you plant perennial natives because they bloom year after year.

9. Green Wall

Green walls are intentionally created vertical green structures, that have different types of plants or other greenery attached to them. The greenery is often planted in a growth medium consisting of soil, stone, or water. Because the walls have living plants in them, they usually feature built-in irrigation systems.

Both interior and exterior living green walls function to cool the air in the warmer summer months Exterior living green walls can reduce wall surface temperatures resulting in significant energy savings and air conditioning costs.

You can easily grow herbs and flowers here using containers and planters. Apart from serving as an area for more plants, it also improves the appearance of your yard.

Conclusion

An eco-friendly and sustainable landscape is a way by which we can repay society. Having an eco-friendly landscape will make the surrounding a better place for future generations.

With the growing urbanisation and population, we must not forget to take care of our planet, adopting the above methods will help us to be around nature and keep it from being exploited. Moreover, it is budget-friendly so instead of approaching fancy materialistic stuff to improve the visuals of your landscape, we must adopt eco-friendly landscaping ideas to quench our thirst for aesthetics.

The post 9 Eco-friendly Sustainable Landscape Design Ideas to Lead an Aesthetic Lawn first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

If you are interested in joining this group of eco-conscious individuals, then be sure to implement the top sustainable gardening ideas found here.

1. Reduce the Size of Your Lawn

Rather than having your entire property covered in grass and plants, consider adding more hardscape fixtures as time passes. As you do this, you can minimize the upkeep, water, and other maintenance that your lawn needs. It will also minimize the tools that you need to care for your garden and make the use of smaller, more green hand tools, like the ones at Easy Digging, a viable option when it comes to caring for your lawn.

2. Gather Water On-Site

In the past, people would say that “rainwater does magic on plants.” This is a phrase that has some truth to it. There is nothing quite as effective as rainwater when it comes to encouraging your garden to grow. Rather than letting the water runoff your property before it can soak in, why not gather some and use it for your plants. This is a great way to reduce the amount of water that you have to use from public or drilled sources, thus helping with water conservation.

3. Create a Compost Pile

You can create your own compost pile by using non-meat kitchen scraps and other plant materials. When done properly, you can create rich black soil. Rather than putting grass clippings and leaves in your garbage, add them to your compost, too. If you don’t want to start this from scratch, you can purchase a “starter” compost pile and then add to it.

4. Mulch with the Materials You Have Available

You can mulch with the materials that are readily available to you, such as wood chips, pine needles, and leaves. These are going to help keep the soil moist while enriching it and minimizing the presence of weeds. Avoid using cypress much because this is usually made from grinding and harvesting younger trees which is not a sustainable gardening method.

5. Use Native Plants

Only use the plants that are native to your area. This is going to help ensure they can grow with little intervention from you.

Are You Using Sustainable Gardening Practices?

As you can see, there are several ways you can make your gardening efforts more sustainable and more eco-friendly. Consider implementing the tips here and see how your property can flourish while you are still doing something good for the planet. It’s a win-win situation that will help you save time, money, and effort while still having a beautiful lawn.

The post 5 Sustainable Gardening Practices for a Greener Garden first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

The truth is that everything makes a difference. The better each person looks after the Earth, the more the environment can sustain itself and recover. Here are a few small changes you can make in your own garden.

1. Look After Your Soil

A vegetable patch is one of the great delights of a garden. Growing your own produce is satisfying, sustainable, and delicious. However, soil that fosters crops year after year gets tired, just as we do when we work our jobs for too long without a break.

Regenerative agriculture is a farming practice that takes care of the soil used to grow crops. This is achieved by giving the soil a break once in a while. This can be done by rotating crops, so one patch of soil isn’t used for one especially labor-intensive crop each year, or by simply giving a field a year off.

You can do this on a smaller scale in your yard. If you’ve been using the same part of your garden as a vegetable patch for a few years, consider switching it out with another one. Refertilize the soil in your veg patch and give it time to rest. Let the worms improve it and perhaps grow some less intensive crops like wildflowers in that patch for a year. It’ll be ready to grow crops again the next year, and they’ll be all the better for being grown in rested, regenerated soil.

Also Read: Home Improvement and Eco-Conscious Plant Care

2. Get a Compost Bin

One of the easiest ways you can benefit the environment is by composting waste rather than throwing it away. Landfills have a devastating impact on the environment, and the less we put in them, the better.

Composting fruit and vegetable waste along with recyclable material like cardboard is a great start. It also means you’ll have a ready supply of high-quality compost to mulch through your soil once it breaks down, which regenerates the soil and helps you grow healthier plants!

3. Grow Plants That Attract Pollinators

Another excellent tip is to grow more wildflowers and pollinator-friendly plants. The best choices may surprise you – garden centers and bees don’t always agree on what the best plants are for your garden. Some wildflowers look slightly unkempt compared to neat hedgerows, but your local bee population will appreciate it. And the bees need help!

Likewise, it’s not just the pretty, dopey bumblebees that act as pollinators. Hoverflies and even wasps play a critical role in local ecosystems. We know – attracting wasps is a hard sell. But these insects are crucial to our environment’s survival. They’ll appreciate the help.

4. Avoid Pesticides and Weedkillers

Pesticides and weedkillers are terrible for the environment. Some organic options are less harmful, but ultimately, the less you can use these, the better.

There are exceptions. An ant infestation needs to be dealt with as soon as it appears. But if you can avoid spraying pesticides and weedkillers over your garden, it’ll be a happier place.

5. Nurture Fungi

If you see mushrooms growing in your yard, it’s a sign of a healthy ecosystem! Fungi break down dying plant matter, and they’re to be welcomed. Again, exceptions can be made – for example, if you have small children who might get a bit too inquisitive.

Final Thoughts

Your yard is the best place to start doing your bit for the environment. A few small changes make a big difference – nobody is too small to help!

The post 5 Small, Positive Environmental Differences You Can Make in Your Backyard first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

Have no idea where to get interesting information about a particular flower? This is where innovative technologies come to the rescue. These can be special apps and a well-known Internet. Thus, let’s dive deep into useful ways to improve your lore concerning the flora and fauna world.

Download an App

One may be surprised by the number of various applications available in your App Store. While some of them are created in order to assist you to have fun, others are connected with the plant world.

No matter if you are an owner of an iPhone or other device, it is possible to find the fittest application with a set of useful functions. If you discover a bright flower, you probably would like to know its title. This is where the plant identification app will be handy for this task. One of the examples Plant Identification – Lily was developed to assist users to discover new representatives of flora.

Such apps enable people not only to define plants around them but also set reminders for plant care. Thus, for example, the next time you detect a huge tree, using an application provides you with the possibility to determine how it is called and get information or advice from botanic experts.

Use the Internet

Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine modern life without the global web. Access to the required information is possible with several clicks on your PC or taps on your smartphone or tablet such as an iPad.

Let’s imagine you want to up your knowledge about a particular plant but you forget to download the app. This is where the Internet will be useful. All you need to do is to enter a title of a necessary plant or tree and an amount of information is available for your consideration.

Take Books

Taking a book from a library is another way to be aware of flora. Although it is not considered one of the innovative technologies plants information gathering, books are full of interesting facts about them.

The most pleasant thing is that books are free for readers. Everyone who desires can visit the nearest library and spend several hours familiarizing themselves with the chosen botanic book. There is no need to waste time searching applications in your App Store. A large number of books are waiting for you in one building with a piece of detailed information about plants.

Chat with Experts

Are you a newcomer to the green world? Then, you need advice from specialists for sure. In order to take care of your plant properly, you can communicate with botanic experts and ask for their help.

Where is it possible to find such people? First, you can download an app where all specialists in flora are gathered. This can resemble a chat application where you can conduct online calls with experts and get helpful tips on how to care for plants in your home.

Also, botanic specialists can be found on various forums for plant lovers. Using your iPhone or other types of device, you should simply sign the needed forum and get information about a plant of your interest.

Attend Lectures

Do you think attending lectures is a practice for students only? You may be surprised after you know how many lectures are held on flora topics. Just follow what lectures are going to be conducted in the future and select the most interesting for you.

Utilizing your iPad or other devices enables you to take notes during a lecture. Moreover, after a discourse is completed, you will have the opportunity to communicate with a lecturer individually and ask for a professional recommendation.

Conclusion

To sum up, we can say that not only innovative technologies exist to get more information about the plant world. Having an app is useful but also there is no need to forget about usual ways of acquiring knowledge.

Thus, aside from the mentioned tips for upping your lore about the flora, you can make use of various online resources, YouTube videos, pieces of advice from your friends or family members, educational films, directory, etc.

The post Up Your Green Knowledge: 5 Ways to Learn More About Plants first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

You are able to fertilize and improve the soil with natural ingredients that provide plant nutrients and beneficial microbial and other organisms, such as fungal mycelium and earthworms, that enhance the soil environment.

The Advantages of Applying Compost

There is a phrase “Black Gold” and that exactly is what compost material is. Compost that you have generated in your own backyard by processing food waste, lawn clippings, ripped up papers, especially newspapers, leaf litter. Mixing the greens and the browns biodegradable waste products that are generated in our home or around the yard.

This compost material can be spread across the garden soil, dug in and used to supplement nutrients in the growing beds of our gardens. First and foremost, you will be adding microbial material to your soils that will bring more life and energy to your soil and ultimately to your plants. It’s a type of food for the soil.

It means you will not need to use commercial and artificial chemicals on your souls to boost the growth. That will save you hard earned cash. It will protect you and your family from artificial chemicals. The compost will also add to your mulch layer which is designed to suppress weeds or the unintended plants that pop up in everyone’s garden. This also means no pesticide usage to kill the weeds either. That is another money saving aspect and protection for you from pesticides.

All the while, the richer soil will give rise to greater microbial diversity within your soil. Greater diversity will mean a more efficient and faster processing of soil maturation. This in turn will create the perfect environment for the vegetable and flower garden.

By these advantages, the soil structure will be improved that soil organisms and root structures will move more freely through the soil substrata with less stress and resistance. By creating a healthier plant root environment, the soil will be easier also for you to cultivate and care for. Water will penetrate more easily and the compost material will also help retain the soil moisture. At the same time, the compost helps maintain an ideal pH level in the soil that is optimum for plant growth.

The water holding capacity will be enhanced overall. As mentioned above, not just easing entry of water into the soil, but retaining it within the soil layer means there will not be the hardening or crusting of the very top soil layer that makes it hard and even impossible for water penetration. If this occurs, water will simply runoff the garden and even wash away clumps of soil. A healthy soil will also conserve water in your garden environment. It is a win-win situation.

To summarise, the key benefits of using compost are as follows:

• Enriched soil structure
• Enhanced soil biodiversity
• Improve soil structure
• Maintain healthy pH levels
• Reduce stress in root zones
• Create healthier plant root environment
• Produce healthier flower heads and bigger food crops
• Easier work environment for gardener
• Improve water holding capacity of soil
• Conserve water
• Reduce water runoff
• Suppress weeds
• Eliminate use of pesticides and fertilizers

The post The Benefits of Applying Compost to Your Garden first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

The misuse and abuse of synthetic fertilizers is responsible for many of the health problems that humans experience today. It has also contributed to a large extent to the deterioration of the environment.

Organic agriculture has experienced fast growth globally. Organic systems involve the natural management of soil through the following practices:

• Composts
• Animal manure
• Mowed or tilled over crops
• Application of soil-organic matter

These nourish the soil by steadily releasing nutrients to the crops as the organic matter that has been added to the soil breaks down. The chemical and physical properties of the soil are improved by the exogenous organic matter applied to the soil. This also improves the biological functions of the soil which results in a healthy and wholesome crop free of dangerous disease causing chemicals.

Why Organic Liquid Fertilizer is Sustainable?

Organic liquid fertilizer is derived from naturally existing products such as plants and animal manure. This makes it a sustainable product. Waste from animals such as cows, rabbits, fish and chicken is used to make organic fertilizer that provides much-needed nutrition to plants and soil as well.

Naturally occurring vegetation and waste will always be available as it renews itself. Besides, plants can be reused to make fertilizer for the next batch once harvesting is done. Since organic farming takes care of the environment, it is safe to say that vegetation is safe for the long run. Organic liquid fertilizer is also made from human waste such as urine and that is definitely sustainable.

Organic gardeners love to have a bottle of organic fish fertilizer on hand for feed young seedlings. This fertilizer also works well on plants in containers and any crop that may be suffering from ‘malnutrition’.

Why and When to Use Liquid Fertilizers

Seeing as liquid manures act faster than solid organic ones, they are the best option in the following circumstance:

• For seedlings that have exhausted the nutrients provided by newly sprouted seed. It is especially crucial if the fertilizer you are using is a soil-free seed starting mix. While it helps in damping off, it fails to provide adequate nutrients.
• When seedlings show signs of not having had enough nutrients. If the color fails to darken after a fertilizer has been added, it is an indication that they have not had a fair share of nutrients.
• If you have container-grown plants, liquid fertilizers are what your plants yearn for. Container-grown plants depend entirely on the grower for nutrients and moisture. They need to be fed frequently with an organic liquid fertilizer in order to thrive.
• When you are growing cold-tolerant crops which begin their journey of growth in low soil temperatures. Liquid fertilizers are great for boosting nutrients for such plants since it is difficult to absorb nutrients such as nitrogen in wintry temperatures.

Organic liquid fertilizers are short-acting. Consequently, they are easier to regulate that dry organic ones which are longer-acting. The ease with which liquid fertilizers can be used makes them quite popular and therefore sustainable.

Important Tip

Do not mix too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer into the soil. This is not reversible. The release of nitrogen into the soil increases as the temperature rises. You may consequently end up with huge plants but no production. The best time to apply a short-acting fertilizer is just when it is needed by the crop. Then you have less chances of overdoing the application.

When your plants are well into the season, you can feed them an organic liquid fertilizer to rejuvenate crops such as tomatoes which live long in the ground. Tomatoes are known to awaken with gusto once you give them two feeds of a good organic liquid fertilizer.

The post Sustainable Agriculture with Organic Liquid Fertilizers first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

However, as much as this is nice to have, maintaining and switching on solar lights the whole night could be costly. Apart from sprucing up your home, you’ll also want your household to be eco-friendly. Thankfully, solar lights now exist to make this endeavor of yours achievable.

But with the wide range of options out in the market today, how do you choose the right solar landscape lighting for your garden? This article has you covered.

1. Match The Light With Its Purpose

First of all, your chosen solar landscape lights should serve the purpose that you intend for it to do. You can choose from three of the most common categories of solar lights, according to use, in the garden. They are:

a. Decorative Accent Lights

These lights are meant to highlight certain features of your garden that you want to illuminate at night. These are usually made of multi-crystalline solar cells that enable them to charge even on a cloudy day. These are also great for sections in your garden with shaded areas such as trees, as these kinds of lights can stay lit for long.

b. Spot Lights

This kind of light has more of a safety feature beyond the decorative vibe it gives. More than anything, the best outdoor solar spot lights are used to mark landscape hazards, including steps on your garden or any rock formation that could potentially be a hazard.

c. Path Lights

These are used for lighting up driveways, walkways, and pathways.

2. Consider The Look You’re After

Another factor to consider when you’re thinking about some of the most popular options is the look you want for your garden or landscape. If you aspire to create a unique landscape that’s not seen often, you will probably want to select some of the more elaborate options available. Technology has also brought forth new designs of these solar lights, so you only need to take your pick according to your preference.

3. Inspect The Manner Of Mounting

Another thing to think about when it comes to some of these popular choices is how they can be mounted. For example, some lights can be mounted right onto your plants, while others require you to mount them directly onto the ground.

If you’re thinking about landscape lights that can be installed directly onto the ground, you’ll need to consider the plants or trees that they will illuminate. Take a good look around your garden to see if you have the appropriate plants around for specific light mounts.

Some plants also prefer being on the ground rather than hung on the air, so they may require a completely different type of lighting design than you originally intended. Try to find options that would fit this exterior plan of your home.

4. Read Through Reviews Online

Before you even head out to shop, it’s better if you’ve already done prior research online. You might be confused about many options if you don’t know what you want. When window-shopping online, you’ll immediately acquire valuable information like the following:

• Pictures of how these lights are used in actual gardens
• Price range
• Customer reviews
• Quality

It’s a great idea to shop around and get as much information as possible on the lights you’re considering. If you do your homework, you’ll be able to choose the best solar lights for your backyard.

5. Check Basic Feature Must-haves

Regardless of the type of solar landscape lighting you’ll purchase and the purpose it serves in your garden, there are certain features you should also take extra care to notice among all your options. These features should be present for you to know that you’re bringing home a good quality item:

• It comes with high-grade glass panels, so they won’t crack and turn cloudy;
• It has advanced circuitry, so it can store light and charge even when the sky is dark;
• It uses top-of-the-line batteries or ‘next-generation batteries’ to ensure that it has more charges than ordinary solar landscape lights.

Conclusion

With the vast number of options available today for solar landscape lighting, choosing the best one might prove challenging. But remember that one of the most important aspects of having a beautiful landscape garden is the light system you choose to install. So, you’ll want to make sure that you choose wisely. These are just some of the tips you can take with you when searching for a system that’ll work for your landscape.

The post How To Choose Solar Landscape Lighting? first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.

Simply speaking, vermicompost is earthworm excrement, called castings, which can improve biological, chemical, and physical properties of the soil. The chemical secretions in the earthworm’s digestive tract help break down soil and organic matter, so the castings contain more nutrients that are immediately available to plants.

Production of Vermicompost

A wide range of agricultural residues, such as straw, husk, leaves, stalks, weeds etc can be converted into vermicompost. Other potential feedstock for vermicompost production are livestock wastes, poultry litter, dairy wastes, food processing wastes, organic fraction of MSW, bagasse, digestate from biogas plants etc.

Earthworms consume organic wastes and reduce the volume by 40–60 percent. Each earthworm weighs about 0.5 to 0.6 gram, eats waste equivalent to its body weight and produces cast equivalent to about 50 percent of the waste it consumes in a day. The moisture content of castings ranges between 32 and 66 percent and the pH is around 7. The level of nutrients in compost depends upon the source of the raw material and the species of earthworm.

Types of Earthworms

There are nearly 3600 types of earthworms which are divided into burrowing and non-burrowing types. Red earthworm species, like Eisenia foetida, and are most efficient in compost making. The non-burrowing earthworms eat 10 percent soil and 90 percent organic waste materials; these convert the organic waste into vermicompost faster than the burrowing earthworms.

They can tolerate temperatures ranging from 0 to 40°C but the regeneration capacity is more at 25 to 30°C and 40–45 percent moisture level in the pile. The burrowing types of earthworms come onto the soil surface only at night. These make holes in the soil up to a depth of 3.5 m and produce 5.6 kg casts by ingesting 90 percent soil and 10 percent organic waste.

Types of Vermicomposting

The types of vermicomposting depend upon the amount of production and composting structures. Small-scale vermicomposting is done to meet personal requirements and farmers/gardeners can harvest 5-10 tons of vermicompost annually.

On the other hand, large-scale vermicomposting is done at commercial scale by recycling large quantities of organic waste in modern facilities with the production of more than hundreds of tons annually.

Benefits of Vermicompost

The worm castings contain higher percentage of both macro and micronutrients than the garden compost. Apart from other nutrients, a fine worm cast is rich in NPK which are in readily available form and are released within a month of application. Vermicompost enhances plant growth, suppresses disease in plants, increases porosity and microbial activity in soil, and improves water retention and aeration.

Vermicompost also benefits the environment by reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and decreasing the amount of waste going to landfills. Vermicompost production is trending up worldwide and it is finding increasing use especially in Western countries, Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Vermicompost Tea

A relatively new product from vermicomposting is vermicompost tea which is a liquid fertilizer produced by extracting organic matter, microorganisms, and nutrients from vermicompost. Unlike vermicompost and compost, this tea may be applied directly to plant foliage, reportedly to enhance disease suppression. Vermicompost tea also may be applied to the soil as a supplement between compost applications to increase biological activity.

Potential Market

Vermicompost may be sold in bulk or bagged with a variety of compost and soil blends. Markets include home improvement centers, nurseries, landscape contractors, greenhouses, garden supply stores, grocery chains, flower shops, discount houses, indoor gardens, and the general public.

The post Composting with Worms first appeared on BioEnergy Consult.