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Grass Cutting: Grass cutting can be used as green material and with its nitrogen content it
promotes rapid decomposition of the compost.
In addition, tea bags, hazelnut pulp and shell, indoor plants, stalks and straw, grain stalks, cotton
and wool pieces, wood ashes, pistachio processing wastes, olive oil production wastes (except
black water), tea processing wastes, fruit juice factory pulps, sugar beet heads and leaves, etc.
materials can be counted.
Among the materials to be used for composting, it should be noted that animal wastes such as
meat or fish residues, milk, and dairy products should not be used. Also, painted or treated
wood, wastes containing chemicals, and diseased plant materials should not be used in
composting. For healthy and high-quality compost, a balanced carbon/nitrogen ratio and a
variety of organic materials should be used.
In general, compost contains food and plant waste, recycled organic matter, and fertilizers. The
compost mix is also rich in plant nutrients and beneficial organisms such as bacteria, protozoa,
nematodes, and fungi. Composting is an effective, environmentally beneficial method to reduce
dependence on commercial chemical fertilizers. It is an important method to increase soil
fertility in landscaping, urban agriculture, gardens, horticulture, and organic farming.
3.2. Beds
Bedding represents a suitable living environment for worms. Earthworm bedding should retain
moisture, remain loose, and not contain much protein or organic nitrogen compounds that
readily degrade (Table 2). These compounds would quickly degrade and release ammonia, and
this might temporarily increase the pH of bedding material to 8 or higher, which is not good for
the worms. The bedding material will heat up in the beds if it has not already substantially
decomposed or if it contains excessive amounts of readily degradable carbohydrates. These
conditions can cause the worms to die. Make sure all bedding materials are fully aged or
composted before use. Place moist bedding in the beds to a depth of 6 inches. After adding
worms, keep the upper 4 inches of the bedding moist but not soggy [20, 21]. Bedding is a
material that provides the worms with a relatively stable habitat with following characteristics:
High absorbency: As earthworms breathes through their skins and therefore bedding must be
able to absorb and retain water fairly well. Worms dies if its skin dries out.
Good bulking potential: Worms respire aerobically and different bedding materials affect the
overall porosity of the bedding, including the range of particle size and shape, the texture, and
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