What to do with grass compost?

With having a big lawn and a dodgy back, I have two growing piles of grass cuttings where I have to leave the lawn for two or three weeks then catch up when I'm able to do it. So it's new cuttings going on top of old, and black, rotting stuff at the bottom.

Now I'm much better than I was (with a shiny new mower to help), I'll be able to keep on top of the lawn - and it's being replaced soon anyway - so I want to sort these piles out properly, now.

What can I do with them to get them composting properly? What's best to mix with them, how to layer it etc? I have room to do one big pile and do it properly, I'm just not sure where to start.

Following on from that, when the lawn is redone; I'm going grass-free so future clippings will be a mix of low-growing weeds/wildflowers, primarily clover, daisies, plantains and dandelions, at least to start with, with a few others that I haven't decided on yet. Obviously over time the mix will change as they adjust according to conditions around the garden. Can they just go in the compost bins as they are or would they compost better if treated like grass clippings?

 

I just emptied a two year old compost bin which had completely rotted down, I have grass from my lawn which I put in the recycling bin.
I don't compost weeds as I give them away to the council for free, but I have room for a few compost bins now and too wondered about grass as a composter over two to three year cycle.

 

Grass can be used fresh as a mulch, but beware of weed seeds. I am able to make compost on a grand scale (https://www.flickr.com/photos/norwichhouse-oakridge/albums/72157655792756058) so I am able to create layers of green stuff, composted wood and brown stuff, mostly composted bracken. I add lime to lift the pH because the bracken is pretty acid. If you have a compost bin you can put some in there but not much more than about 6" at a time.

 

That's fine, but soon there won't be any fresh grass! It's the older rotted stuff i'm wondering more about, what I need to do with that to turn it into decent compost.

 

Use it in layers with kitchen waste, brown stuff etc. The worms will soon mix it all up into a good compost. The new wildflower mix cut in July will help this break down wonderfully.

 

Awesome, thanks. Can I do the same with really old stuff? I have a bin which was half full when I moved in 9 years ago, I've added mainly grass to it, nettles etc as well, and now it's just a dry solid lump So that needs sorting out too. 9 flipping years and I've got no useable compost!

 

I should think so....

I would want to break up the solid dry lump, so that you have a dry "sprinkle-able" pile.
Then layer it between fresh grass cuttings/weeds. You may need to dampen it to assist in the rotting process, otherwise it will dry out the grass-clippings.

The secret to compost making isn't really a secret, but it's all about moderation. Just as we would not be healthy if we ate only bread, or meat, or cabbage, or cheese... So it is for the compost. You are looking to vary the "diet", with layers of wet lush stuff (grass), chunkier stuff (weeds, semi soft prunings, veg peelings, and woodier stuff, such as hedge clippings. Generally, gardeners have more grass in the summer - so add a layer of shredded paper or torn-up cardboard (de stress exercise thrown in free), and more woodier stuff in the winter - so work at layering the veg peelings between.

Also a rotation helps in this process. It is better to have 2-3 small heaps/bins/bays than one huge one. Bigger is not necessarily better! Once your adding pile is full, you fork it into the next area, turning it at the same time. This is much better than just moving on to start a new pile....
HTH!?

 

That's fine, I can do that. Thank you! It solves the problem of what to do with a particular spot in the garden too