shellfish and compost
Submitted by Griffo84 on Sat, 2013-12-07 08:09
good morning ladies and gents,
Just wondering if anyone knows if prawn shell and crab shell is any good for the compost bin? I have heard it's no good - even toxic for your compost. I managed to catch a few blueys in Mandurah yesterday but dont want to throw all the shells in the compost just yet. - BTW it looks like its going to be a good season for the crabs. There are so so many crabs 2-3 mm under sized so around chrissy jobs on!!
Cheers
____________________________________________________________________________
Do the right thing and there will be fish tomorrow.
scubafish
Posts: 952
Date Joined: 15/08/12
prawn shell and crab shell
NO, put in bag and freeze until bin day.
http://img.gg/BQ91Sys
Auslobster
Posts: 1901
Date Joined: 03/05/08
Or...
...crush 'em up and add to the berley trail...
Ericl
Posts: 459
Date Joined: 02/05/11
Shells
Read an article inserted below FYI
Shrimp shells can be problematic for the home composter, because as they decompose they generate an unpleasant odor that attracts pests. Simmer the shells for 20 to 30 minutes in boiling water, then drain them well and toast them until dry. Crush the brittle shells in a food processor, or with your rolling pin. The first step cooks out residual fats from the shells, minimizing odor, while crushing the dried shells to fragments helps speed decomposition by exposing more surface area to beneficial bacteria. (see Reference 1)
- Maybe more trouble than its worth !
Commercially they compost almost anything as the temperature gets really high 80 degrees C +. This reduces the "Odour Time" to a day or 2 after which the product, meat, dairy etc ends up like any compost.
I have started adding a bit of Horse manure to my compost and this has attracted heaps of Earthworms and there is no smell, so I am guessing this will speed up the composting process substantially.
Horse manure is available for free from some rising stables. They have so much that they want to get rid of.
Cheers
Eric
Don't spend all your money on beer, boats, and fishing. Save some to spend foolishly
crasny1
Posts: 6986
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Or refeed next time your out
I freeze mine, but the soiled water from cleaning them goes on tomato plants, they love it. The shells etc then get recycled back into the water where they came from. Keeps the system going IMO.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
keg
Posts: 397
Date Joined: 17/07/07
no good for compost
but i have a little 100mm post hole digger with a meter long handle.i just dig a hole next to my fruit trees or where ever and bury them a meter deep and the trees love it.
i`ve never had a problem with cats or the dog tryng to dig it up.