MUNICIPAL DRY REMAINS DRY REMAINS READY TO CRUSH CRUSHED REMAINS
When the time of pruning comes , all the gardens are filled with branches that, together, can reach an important volume. These branches can have different destinations: serve as firewood in chimneys or barbecues, go to the green point, be deposited in specific containers (when there are any), pile up on the street (which entails collection, inconvenience to other neighbors, feeling of neglect, etc.), or serving as dry material in the composter. In the latter case, pruning becomes of fundamental importance. This material has a number of features that make it ideal for a good compost, but it needs processing.
The various functions performed by pruning within the composter are:
- Absorbs excess water provided by other materials such as grass or kitchen scraps.
- It helps to maintain the balance between the amount of carbon and nitrogen . Both are essential nutrients that have to be in adequate proportions for the composting process to be correct. Pruning remains provide more carbon and thus compensate for remains with a high nitrogen content, such as cooking, grass clippings or manure.
- It brings volume to the compost.
- It gives fluffiness to the content , which allows for better air circulation and makes the process take place in the presence of oxygen.
However, to fulfill all these functions it is necessary that the branches be cut into smaller or smaller fragments. Crushing is not essential to obtain compost, but it helps a lot.
Here are some of the reasons to shred :
- Pruning remains are very bulky. The reason is the stacking, which is very little compact and leaves many empty spaces. When the remains are crushed, the smaller fragments can be joined more together, which considerably reduces the volume.
- If uncrushed branches are introduced into the composter, excess sponging causes excessive drying of the material, and a reduction in the rate of transformation of organic matter.
- The size of the fragments is of great importance in the rate of transformation of organic matter, because, if the size is large, the bacteria and fungi have little penetration power, and can only grow on their outer surface. If you crush too much, on the other hand, it can also be harmful. An object in one piece has much less surface than the same shredded object, which will have more space on which bacteria and fungi can develop, which leads to a higher rate of decomposition. The ideal size of the branch remains should be 5-15cm.
- During the usual maintenance of a composter it is necessary to turn the remains to homogenize and aerate them. If the fragments are large, the turning is much more laborious than if it is crushed material.
To carry out the crushing of the remains of pruning we can use a bi-crusher.
