Now what?  The decorations will soon be packed away for another year - what do you do with the tree besides the obvious:  drag it to the curb.

Here are a few bloggers with ideas you might be interested in:

Matthew Chappell, a horticulturist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, doesn’t take his used Christmas tree to the road to become trash. That tree still has a lot of use left in it.

Chappell’s Top 10 Things to Do with a Christmas Tree after Christmas

No. 1 - Make a bottle tree. Cut all the branches about a foot from the trunk and put wine bottles on them. “My friend in Charleston, S.C., started that trend in his yard at Folly Beach. It’s definitely better with different colored bottles.”

No. 2 - Make a fish habitat. Drop three or four trees together in a pond or lake. Small fish will use the trees to hide from larger fish.

No. 3 - Make a bird pole. “My parents have used trees as bird house poles.” They can also be used to hold bird feeders, but make sure to cut the branches to the trunk or the birdseed will become a squirrel feast.

Click here for the complete list. 

BabiesOnLine offers more:

The main uses for recycled Christmas trees are

• for chippings, for cycle paths and similar places
• to prevent beachfront erosion
• to stabilize lake and river banks
• for fish and animal habitats
• to manage river sedimentation
• for making a flu vaccination by removing the shikimic acid from the needles
• for compost
• for fuel

Bottom line - recycle your tree this year.  Earth911.org has an online search for tree recycling centers in your area.

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There’s nothing like that moist, odiferous smell of fresh manure on a garden bed.  The nutrients alone are well worth enduring the smell.  But most neighborhoods frown on having a cow in your backyard so here is an alternative solution to manure for your yard from Herb Quarterly:

Take your grass clippings, pulled up weeds and raked leaves and stuff in large black plastic garbage bages adding about two quarts of water for moisture.  Loosing tie the bag allowing space for gases to escape.  Leave the bags in the sun to bake.  Kind of like sun tea.

Over the course of the next month, check the bags occasionally to ensure they are still moist and turn the bags over at that same time.  They will feel hot to the touch. After several weeks you’ll have bags filled with “faux fertilizer” fit for your flower beds.  The perfect cover for your bulbs this fall/winter.

Of course, the neat, clean and easy way to fertilize your gardens and trees is with regular doses of Great Big Plants! 

Now available in gallon containers for your convenience!

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As we all now, composting has its benefits, but what are compost tumblers and compost bins?

A compost tumbler rotates, allowing you to turn the pile easily. The advantage of these as opposed to a compost pile is that it is quicker to make compost and turning is a breeze.

Some people make their own compost bins at home using things like wood with wire fencing, barrels, and more. Just remember to have something to allow the pile to aerate like wire fencing. If it doesn’t rotate like a tumbler then you will need to turn the pile another way (shovel, etc). It takes time to build these, so be sure to have some free time handy before you try to build one.

An alternative to these is to use products such as Great Big Plants. This gives you all the benefits of compost without having to build or buy compost bin tumblers and worry about turning them over. Take a look at your garden and see what is right for you.

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Maturity cannot be described by a single property. Some laboratories assign a maturity index to compost based upon germination rate, root tissue growth, and other factors. The California Compost Quality Council (CCQC) developed a numerical Maturity Index that uses standard laboratory tests to rate compost maturity. To qualify as “mature” or “very mature,” a compost must have a C:N ratio of less than or equal to 25 and pass two additional tests performed concurrently from each group:

• Group A tests, which indirectly measure the degree of organic matter decomposition, include carbon dioxide release or respiration; oxygen demand; and Dewar self-heating test.
• Group B tests, which measure chemical characteristics of the product (some of which can be toxic to plants) include ammonium nitrate ratio; ammonia concentration; volatile organic acids concentration; and plant bioassays.

www.CCQC.org publications describe how to apply the index and interpret test results to determine whether a compost is very mature, mature, or immature, and provide general guidelines on best uses of composts based on the Maturity Index rating.

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We all know what it is, but to what extent? Let’s take a moment to learn more about compost.

Stability and maturity are terms often used to characterize compost, yet opinions about what these terms mean vary widely. The term “stable” typically refers to a compost that is not undergoing rapid decomposition and whose nutrients are slowly released into the soil. The term “mature” typically refers to the degree of completeness of the composting process. In mature compost, raw feedstocks have sufficiently decomposed for 60 to 90 days under controlled moisture and aeration conditions and cured for another 30 days to result in a stable product that is non-phytotoxic to plants. Immature compost may contain one or more growth-inhibiting compounds (e.g., short-chain organic acids that are phytotoxic to seedlings), weed seeds, or other undesirable characteristics.

Compost stability and maturity are difficult to assess by simple sight or smell. In general, though, mature compost will not contain recognizable feedstock material, should smell like rich soil, and should not smell foul or ammonia-like.

Indicators of Compost Stability

Composting Pile Temperature. In moderate climates, if the temperature of the composting pile is more than 15°F (8°C) higher than the ambient air, the compost may be unstable.

Respiration Rate. The rate of oxygen utilization and/or carbon dioxide release may be used to assess respiration rate, a measure of biological activity. The Solvita test, available from Woods End Research Laboratory, is a quick test for respiration rate. However, composts that are cold or dry or that have a high salinity content may not respire even though they are unstable.

Length of Composting Process. In general, compost from an aerobic windrow should be processed for a minimum of 60 to 90 days, although even after this time the compost may still be unstable. Most compost should be actively processed 90 to 120 days to be considered stable. This additional processing time results in compost that is sometimes referred to as being “cured.” Some experts believe that compost should be cured for six months before use.

Carbon:Nitrogen (C:N) ratio. The C:N ratio usually decreases during the composting process and consequently is sometimes used to indicate compost stability. However, for this ratio to be used meaningfully, you need to know relative C:N ratios at the beginning and end of the composting process. Ideally, C:N should be approximately 30:1 at the beginning. If the C:N ratio is low at the beginning (e.g., around 10:1 or 15:1), then a low C:N at the end may not indicate stability. Assuming the beginning C:N is approximately 30:1, the C:N of stable compost at the end of the process will be between 10:1 and 20:1, with the most stable composts falling in the lower end of this range. A final C:N above 20:1 may indicate a compost that will not readily release nitrogen, while a final C:N above 30:1 may indicate a compost that will inhibit nitrogen mineralization and tie up nitrogen from the soil.

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The benefits of Organic Matter are widely misunderstood. Although dairymen regard cow manure as a waste, commercial farming operations value it as a soil amendment; while many growers value it only as a fertilizer. As a source of primary nutrients, though, Organic Matter offers much less, pound for pound, than inorganic fertilizer. So what are its benefits?

First, Organic Matter does contain primary nutrients -Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potash - but in small amounts. For example, a grower would need 8 times as much horse manure as compared to a 5-10-10 fertilizer in order to supply a given amount of nitrogen. If you rely solely on manure to supply primary nutrients, you’ll need a pile! (literally.) Most growers supplement manure with other fertilizers.

Primary nutrients don’t supply all of the plant’s requirements, though. Secondary elements, such as; sulphur, calcium, and magnesium, are required in substantial amounts. Micronutrients; including zinc, boron, iron, and copper, are also needed in minute quantities. Organic Matter is usually an excellent source of these elements, as most inorganic fertilizers are not supplying them.

Not only does Organic Matter supply nutrients, it helps hold them in the soil. Particles of humus derived from Organic Matter carry a negative electrical charge which allows them to combine with many plant nutrients that carry a positive electrical charge. Sand is electrically neutral, which explains why it doesn’t hold nutrients well. Adding Organic Matter to sandy soil greatly enhances that soil’s ability to catch and retain nutrients and water.

The most important benefit of Organic Matter is as a soil conditioner. Mixing Organic Matter into a sandy soil is like introducing thousands of tiny sponges that help retain moisture. Organic Matter also helps loosen and aerofy a compacted clay soil.

Organic Matter also transport useful microbial hitchhikers. These living components of organic matter manufacture glues-like substances that cement soil particles into crumbs (aggregates). Crumbly soil is ideal as far as most plants are concerned because its structure allows it to hold both air and water. Thereby allowing roots to move easier through the soil profile and helping the plant conserve energy.

Once dissolved in water, most inorganic fertilizers are quickly available to plants. But slow release fertilizers, like Organic Matter, are also beneficial because they provide small amounts of nutrients over several years. When Organic Matter is applied each year, you’ll maintain a small reserve of nutrients that plants can draw on throughout their growing period.

Organic Matter does have some drawbacks though. Although, careful selection, handling and use can minimize these drawbacks will accentuating the benefits of Organic Matter use.

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Many thriving gardens have one thing in common: they took advantage of composting. First off, what is compost?

Compost is a combination of decomposing organic matter, such as leaves, grass clippings, plant scraps, that have decomposed over time. This is usually mixed with animal manure (such as poultry), blood and bones to speed up the process and add nutrients.

Combining this with the soil enriches it with vital nutrients and allows the soil to maintain moisture better.  The result is that you will have to water your plants less frequently. Compost also provides nutrients to plants as well.

If you are serious about gardening then you will want to give composting some serious thought.  There are alternatives to using a compost heap, such as Great Big Plants liquid compost.  This will allow you to provide your plants with all of the benefits of composting without having to maintain a huge compost pile.

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