THE PLANT GRAVEYARD

Dead trees have been cut and are ready to be transferred to the graveyard

The first 2 pines have been placed down side by side

Seventy trees have been placed in the composting site. These will need to be weighed down

Old wooden materials have also been added to the pile. These will not compost readily, but will help to weigh down the plants

Close up showing the contents of the pile. Chicken manure, lime, soil and fertilizers have been added

The completed project showing the plastic cover. Water will need to be added over summer

Dealing with many dead 10 year old pine trees, the first reaction for most would be to pile them up and set them alight in order to clear the farm.

What To Do With Dead Trees

Others would have the dead plant material mulched and spread around the farm in order to increase the level of organic matter in the soil as well as a means to reduce moisture loss from the soil.

My Experiment - A Plant Graveyard

Not having a tree mulcher, I decided to experiment with the natural processes that occur when plants decompose by constructing a plant graveyard. This is in essence a large compost heap, and if successful much of the dead material will be converted into compost as well as humus where it will be needed. Eventually the site will be covered with soil and planted with tree seedlings that will have access to a much improved soil.

The Digging

The graveyard was dug using the grader and cut pine trunks with any remaining remnants of vegetation were laid side by side within the grave. Seventy plant stems were packed into a 20 metre grave and these were weighed down using old wooden slabs as well as any organic material not needed.

The Dressing

Next a dressing of chicken manure was added in order give soil microbes a source of nutrients that will allow them to get to work on the composting process. A dressing of lime is usually needed in order to stop the material from becoming acidic, but since chicken manure contains lime, not a lot of lime was needed.

Compost Activator

Next composting microbes were added by applying soil as well as a compost activator, and finally a dressing of liquid seaweed fertilizer was added as this is a good source of trace elements.

The pile was covered with a layer of weed control mat, a layer of plastic with small holes present that allows air and moisture to penetrate the compost. A substantial amount of moisture will be needed and luckily a good downpour means watering is not needed for a couple of weeks.

One Full Year To Compost

I expect that about a third of the plant material will be fully composted after the first year as the pile will not be turned and also quite large pieces of wood were added. The uncomposted material will however be transferred to the next graveyard that has been dug beside the current pile and the process will be repeated.

Pitfalls And Surprises

In order to ensure I am not also building my own grave, care and attention will be needed.