I've been reading a lot on the net about composting. It seems you mix 1 part green(grass,manure,weeds) & 2 parts brown(leaves,sawdust,straw,etc). so you just put the brown on top of the green right? will this compost faster than just a pile of manure? how do you know when its ready to use. My yard is clay & my grass is thin w/ bald spots, so i want to try to help the whole yard. i can get manure & sawdust free, so is that all i need to do, just mulch it & spread it. I see people talking ph & gypsum, where do these come in to the process?
Manure alone with sawdust may burn your yard.... Compost it too.
Add the manure, sawdust etc to the pile...this takes time.. A big pile will turn into a little pile of compost over the course of time....months, years.
I your yard has that much clay... get a soil analysis.... add sand.... break it up... Call somebody and get a truck full or two of topoil and add to the yard....
GardenWeb compost forum has a lot of information. Dirt Doctor compost forum is another good source.
The best solution for your clay soil is to add organic matter, but it should be composted (decomposed) first. Adding carbon (browns) directly into the soil will leach whatever nitrogen from the soil that is available until the browns decompose. If you use the browns as a "mulch" over the top of the soil it will only leach N where it actually contacts the soil, and will eventually decompose and go into the soil.
"Just putting the browns on top of the greens" will eventually decompose. However, it will compost faster and more efficiently if you mix them well. Grass clippings have a tendency to clump as they compost if not mixed in. The required ratio of greens:browns is not exact. I think that most people just use what's available. Right now I have more browns available but through the summer had more greens. I've found that a "green-heavy" mix will produce a hotter pile but will often get stinky if too wet. I prefer to get the temperatures over 140f for a week or two and turn the pile several times during this time to ensure that all the material has been through this heat. That will kill any weed seed or pathogens. I use my loader/tractor to turn the pile, and the current one is about 20 yards. Turning isn't absolutely necessary but it is helpful. Time required for decomposition will depend upon the material in the pile (chipped into small pieces VS large chunks or branches) and the heat of the pile. A pile that is ideal and maintained might finish in a couple of months where if left alone might take six months to a year...
The pile is finished when the material is a dark crumbly mix and you can't determine the original components.
Regarding PH, I've read that finished compost is generally neutral but am not positive about that. You should take soil samples from around your property and test or have tested to determine if you need to add lime. Test kits are available at garden centers or many states' ag centers/universities provide the service. Gypsum is often used to change the bonding characteristics of clay soil to make it more friable or crumbly. Large scale peanut farmers often use it to help make the soil crumble and release from the peanuts when harvested. It'll have the same effect in the yard or garden, but like lime it takes a little time. I'm not a professional here, and this is based on my experience. Hope this helps.
Depending on where you are, you may be able to get free or very inexpensive mulch and maybe compost, too. The local city has mulch sites where people leave their yard waste to be ground up into mulch. It gets piled up and starts composting fairly quickly. It's free for the taking, and even though it has some odd pieces of plastic bags and such, it isn't a bad deal. My rural electric coop will also drop off free mulched tree waste. Most of this stuff would have to be composted to do you any good, but you could start a really big compost heap if you have the space for it.
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