r/composting • u/TheDanishThede • 2d ago
Question Hey, hay?
I have a crap ton of homemade hay from our huge lawn, or the parts I let run wild this summer. Cut it down at the start of august with a scythe and let it dry out for a week in the sun (no rain) and have been storing it in the carport in jute sacks since then.
It's mainly regular lawn grass grown to about knee length with a few herbs and flowers like flax, marjoram, bird's-foot trefoil and fennel which grows wild in that area.
It was going to go to a friend who kept rabbits, but a fox got to them and - yeah. He doesn't really have a use for it now.
A good therapist for his kids, though...
So.. would there be a use for this in my cold compost, as winter mulch or, dunno... Mix it into the leaf mold pile?
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u/Ohmyfreakinglob99 2d ago
Definitely, put it into cold compost, hot compost, any compost! That's good stuff.
As a rabbit owner myself, sorry to hear about your friend's rabbits. (And the children..) I have to ask though, how did a fox get to them?? Were they being kept on the ground and not in cages/hutches up off the ground?
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u/TheDanishThede 2d ago
I honestly didn't ask. But I know they have a fenced yard the kids coul let them exercise in. Supposed to be under supervision at all times, if out there but I'm guessing the kids had gone inside for some reason?
Only way I see it happening. I haven't asked as it feels a bit morbid to pry when he hadn't volunteered the info.
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u/Ohmyfreakinglob99 2d ago
I see, that's fair. Sorry again about their loss. I was mainly asking to see if they were being kept outdoors on the ground in a "colony" type setting, which I generally would not recommend, I misunderstood, these were pet rabbits being let out to exercise. Aaanyway, happy composting!
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u/MightyKittenEmpire2 2d ago
I have chickens and would be happy to use it for nest box material and bedding. They tear up their nesting material so we replace it every week or two.
But yeah, that's great compost material as well.
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u/Lucifer_iix 1d ago
If it's old, then it's less N. But still you need to mix it with carbon rich or bulking material. Otherwise it will compress and start to smell. I have a sredder for small twigs. Thus would just prune some branches and create wood shavings. It's carbon rich and is great as a bulking material that last long enough. You can also use sredded leaves, if you don't make them to small. You need something that can create air pockets.
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u/TheDanishThede 11h ago
We're cutting our beech hedge from 4 meters in height to 2, so we've got PLENTY of twigs 🤣
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u/Lucifer_iix 1h ago edited 1h ago
Yes, exactly that's what you need. The smallest twigs can be added without sredding. It helps the gas/moisture flow a bit. If you use a shovel and not a pitch fork, these can be a bit anoying in the beginning. Larger branches must be sredded to add enough "available" carbon C to balance the N. Otherwise it would be consumed mostly by fungi. While your N is consumed by mostly bacteria.
Think it will be a good combination. If you have a sredder, your going to end up with a good mixture. The hay can be layered, while adding a hand full of grid/soil/sand for your future worm population. Add rainwater. Add some small twiggs and add a layer of sredded hedge on top of it. Keep repeating until your out of hay. The best shape is a cube. The less surface area the better insulation you will have.
Pee on it. Cover the top with cardboard. And poke your thermometer trough it. Should warm up in a week.
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u/katzenjammer08 2d ago
Does it have seeds? In that case I would try to heat it up because those will germinate at some point. If it is in an open pile on the ground you can just turn it to kill the grass that sprouts but those roots can be a bit of a bother so if there are seeds and you can kill them with heat that’s the way to go if you ask me.
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u/TheDanishThede 2d ago
Seeds don't really bother me. I don't mind weeding and for anything that needs sterile foil I use from my hot compost.
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u/SkillfulSesame 2d ago
Oof that took a dark turn at the end, hope those kids are doing alright
For the hay, absolutely dump it in the compost, that's gold right there. I'd layer it with whatever kitchen scraps you've got or some fresh grass clippings to get it cooking, since dried stuff on its own can just sit there forever. Using it as winter mulch works too, keeps the soil from freezing too hard and breaks down slowly by spring
Mixing some into your leaf mold pile is a good call, gives it a little nitrogen boost since leaves alone can take ages. Just keep an eye on how much you add at once, a thick mat of hay can turn into a slimy mess if it gets wet and compacted