GB2353521A

GB2353521A - Organic horticultural growing medium

Info

Publication number: GB2353521A
Application number: GB0019923A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jessica Katherine Markh Davies; Richard Edward Davies
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-08-21
Filing date: 2000-08-15
Publication date: 2001-02-28
Also published as: GB9919804D0; GB0019923D0

Abstract

An organic horticultural growing medium is produced by shredding green waste, allowing the shredded material to compost in a bin, and adding worms to convert the composted material to produce a clean, friable material suitable for use as a horticultural growing medium.

Description

2353521

Title: Production of an Organic Horticultural Growing Medium Description of Invention

This invention is concerned with improvements relating to the production of horticultural growing media.

Whilst domestic green waste, which may contain a variety of substances, such as grass clippings and potato peelings, is now generally collected separately from conventional household waste, nonetheless it is still used primarily as landfill. Not only is this becoming increasingly expensive, but also such use of potentially valuable organic material is environmentally unsatisfactory.

Conversely, the cost of providing horticultural growing media is also increasing, and in certain cases actually involves the destruction of peat bogs, and the like, which is also environmentally unsatisfactory.

According to this invention there is provided a method of producing a horticultural growing medium involving the steps:

a) shredding green waste; b) allowing the green waste to compost; c) allowing wonns to act on the composted material to produce a horticultural growing medium.

Preferably said method involves the step of adding to the composted material a high-weight ratio of worms, eg. at least 5% by weight, and preferably 10% by weight as a proportion of the weight of the composted material.

In this manner the bulk of the composted material passes through the worms over a relatively short treatment period, producing a horticultural growing medium which is made up of a large proportion of worm casts.

2 Preferably the worms are obtained from a previous such method, and thus preferably said method involves the step of removing worms from the horticultural growing medium immediately prior to completion of said method.

Thus conveniently the worms are introduced into the composted material at a lowermost level, such as by placing the composted material on a layer of horticultural growing medium produced by the method set out above, containing a large number of worms. During digestion of the composted material by the worms they will travel upwardly, and on substantial completion of digestion, the topmost layer may be removed to provide a starting layer for a subsequent operation.

Preferably the method is carried out in a treatment bin, conveniently of concrete, typically five metres in length, three metres wide and two metres high. In this manner approximately two tons of compost may be treated in each batch.

A detailed description of a method of the commercial production of a horticultural growing medium will now be described, said method having been selected for the purpose of illustrating the invention by way of example.

Green waste is collected in a skip and passed through a commercial shredder, ensuring that the maximum size of shredded material is less than, typically, 0.25 square centimetres in cross-section. The shredded material is placed in a composting area, where it is allowed to compost, this typically taking 6 to 8 weeks. If desired an accelerator may be used, such as for example cardboard, and water added as necessary, and the material turned from time to time.

On completion of composting, determined by a reduction of temperature of the material, the composted material is transported to a concrete treatment bin having dimensions 5m x 2m x 3m, on the floor of which a layer of soil-like material containing a large number of worms has previously been placed.

3 Preferably used are dendra bena worms, or the like. The composted material is placed on the layer of soil-like material.

During a treatment period the worms work their way upwardly in the treatment bin, multiplying of course, and at the end of the treatment period, typically taking 10- 14 days, worms appear in the topmost layer in the bin.

At that stage, or shortly subsequently, the topmost layer may be removed, and placed on the floor of another bin, for commencement of the processing of a further batch of composted material.

Of course, it will be appreciated that the time taken will be dependant (inter alia) on the number of worms involved, and upon weather conditions.

Subsequent to removal of the topmost layer, the remainder of the material in the bin can be seen as being a clean, friable material which may be sieved, dried, bagged and distributed commercially for horticultural use, the material comprising at least 90% worm casts.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof

Claims

4 CLAIMS

1 A method of producing a horticultural growing medium involving the steps:

a) shredding green waste; b) allowing the green waste to compost; c) allowing worms to act on the composted material to produce a horticultural growing medium.

2 A method according to claim 1 wherein said method involves the step of adding to the composted material a high weight ratio of worms, preferably at least 5 % by weight, and preferably 10% by weight as a proportion of the weight of the composted material.

3 A method according to one of claims 1 and 2 wherein the worms are obtained from a previous method according to claim 1.

4 A method according to claim 3 wherein the method involves the step of removing worms from the horticultural growing medium immediately prior to completion of said method.

A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the worms are introduced into the composted material at a lowermost level.

6 A method according to any one of the preceding claims, involving the use of a treatment bin, in which the method is carried out.

7 A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the shredding step ensures that the maximum size of the shredded material is less than, typically, 0.25 square centimetres.

8 A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the composting step is carried out for 6 to 8 weeks.

9 A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the step c) is carried out for

10 to 14 days.

A method according to any one of the preceding claims, involving the steps of measuring the temperature of the composting material.

11 A method according to any one of the preceding claims involving the step of removal of the top layer of material, and sieving, drying and bagging the remainder.

12 A method according to claim 11 in which the removed top layer is utilised as a lower layer at the commencement of a subsequent operation.

13 A method of producing a horticultural growing medium, when carried out substantially as hereinbefore described.

14 A horticultural growing medium, when produced by the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

Any novel feature or combination of features hereinbefore described and/or shown in the accompanying drawings.