User:Red58bill/expert

"This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject"

"This template flags an article for the attention of a specific subject expert category."

which is why an expert REMOVED this addition by an enthusiast from an article:

"Coffee Grounds

Composting coffee grounds can add nitrogen to the soil. A long term study done by Cindy Wise at the Oregon State University Extension Service has documented the use of coffee grounds in a variety of ways since 2001. To provide an idea of the scale of the coffee ground resource, the study estimates that Lane County, Oregon, produces 1 million pounds (453,593 kg) of coffee grounds annually. Coffee grounds usually have close to a neutral pH. Compost piles with 25% coffee grounds by volume appear to heat up to high temperatures (135-155&deg;F) and stay hot longer periods. These higher temperatures help to kill weed seeds and pathogens. This is similar to composting with animal manure. An important observation is that using large volumes of uncomposted coffee grounds in a garden bed may be detrimental to plants. An experiment found 25% coffee mixed in a garden bed caused stunted growth in seedlings. ref [Oregon State University] (2008, July 10). http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2008/07/080707171641.htm Coffee Grounds Perk Up Compost Pile With Nitrogen. ScienceDaily. /ref"

a very poor paraphrasing of the linked very poor article, examined here - referenced as if a "scientic" article reported in a "scientific publication" - actually a topic oriented news site, passing on a PR release

[my comments in [ ], bolding and italics added]

[quote] Coffee grounds can be an excellent addition to a compost pile. The grounds are relatively rich in nitrogen, [relative to what?] providing bacteria the energy they need to turn organic matter into compost. [nitrogen actually provides the protein bacteria use to grow and multiply, carbon provides the energy for work]

About 2 percent nitrogen by volume, [Starbucks says that Univ Wash reports 1.45% (http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/compost.asp) - I guess that's "about" 2] used coffee grounds can be a safe substitute [POV] for nitrogen-rich manure [actually always above 2+% and as high as 10%, see Cornell link below] in the compost pile," explained Cindy Wise, coordinator of the compost specialist program at OregonState U. extension. [a community education program] "A lot of people don't want to use manure because of concerns about pathogens," said Wise [how many is "a lot"?]

Since 2001, Wise has trained and coordinated OSU compost specialist volunteers. (...collected X amount, etc)

Recycling this valuable soil amendment and compost ingredient makes sense [justification] (... OSU) is encouraging gardeners and those that compost in other communities to arrange to collect coffee shop grounds (... how-to ...)

Mix grounds into soil as an amendment. Make sure to keep them damp. [tough job, grounds are processed in a way designed to prevent moisture absorbtion and insure drainage for brewing] Add some nitrogen fertilizer if you do this [add chem N when grounds are supposed to be high N?], as coffee grounds encourage the growth of microbes in the soil, which use up nitrogen. [only if there's an excess of carbon to consume, see further] While microbes are breaking down the grounds, the nitrogen will provide a source of nutrients for your plants. [''so, to make a more sustainable world and manage waste disposal, preventing soil and ground water pollution by nitrate fertilizers, add some chemical nitrates to the community garbage and bury it in your yard ... and water it down well?'']:

[[FACTS: "The presence of nitrogen in the soil can cause a slightly different process when soil and composting materials mix, as in sheet or trench composting or in mulching. When the C:N ratio is too great, [ie: high carbon additions, C number large] living microbial cells make maximum use of the available carbon by drawing on any available soil nitrogen in the proper proportion. This condition is known as "robbing" the soil of nitrogen and has the effect of delaying the availability of nitrogen as a fertilizer for growing plants, until some later season when it is no longer being used in the lifecycles of soil bacteria. As a result of this process, additional nitrogen may be needed when partially decomposed compost is used around plants as a mulch or soil amendment. [meaning if coffee grounds need added N, they're high C] On the other hand, when the energy source, carbon, is less than that required for converting available nitrogen into protein, organisms make full use of the available carbon and get rid of the excess nitrogen as ammonia. This release of ammonia can produce a loss of nitrogen from the compost pile if the ammonia escapes to the atmosphere. A C:N ratio of 20:1, [what the OSU article says grounds are] when C and N are available, [a technical statement, not all the "rated" C or N is necessarily immediately "available"] has been widely accepted as the upper limit at which there is no danger of robbing the soil of nitrogen. If a considerable amount of carbon is in the form of lignins or other resistant materials, [as the oils in grounds] the actual C:N ratio [as opposed to the rated] could be larger than 20:1" <ref=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/compost/compost.html Texas Cooperative Extension]]

Spread grounds on the soil surface, then cover them with leaves or bark mulch. [on surface now, not mixed in, and covered with high C bark mulch, an industrial by-product in the PNW - of the highest possible carbon content, requiring very long periods to decompose, tieing up soil nitrogen in the process]

Add grounds to your compost pile, layering one part leaves to one part fresh grass clippings to one part coffee grounds, by volume. Turn once a week. This will be ready in three to six months. [''leave out the coffee, and that's an excessively nitrogen-rich compost formula, meaning the coffee must be supplying C, not N - in addition, nearly any reasonable mix of materials, even N-rich, never turned will be "ready" in 3-6 months ... less actually'']

Or, put them in an existing unturned pile. Just make sure to add a high carbon source, such as leaves to balance it. [!!!]

Grounds may be stored for future use. They may develop molds but these appear to be consumed during the composting process. Or a large plastic bag works for storage as well. [high N materials in a plastic bag would anaerobically decompose, not "develop molds"]

Paper coffee filters may be composted with the grounds. [or with anything else]

Keep in mind that uncomposted coffee grounds are not a nitrogen fertilizer. Coffee grounds have a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of about 20 to 1, [see note above, 20:1 is in the normal range of C:N ratios] in the same range as animal manure. [manure is actually as low as 3:1 for hens, 11:1 for cows ref > http://compost.css.cornell.edu/OnFarmHandbook/apa.taba1.html /ref ] Germination tests in Eugene showed that uncomposted coffee grounds, added to soil at about one-fourth the volume, showed poor germination and stunted growth in lettuce seed. [THE test for phytotoxicity, not nutrient content, but in this case more likely a result of the total inability of grounds to hold moisture, indispensible for germination and first growth] Therefore, they need to be composted before using near plants.

Wise and her composting protégés have been conducting informal research on composting coffee grounds. So far, they have observed that coffee grounds help to sustain high temperatures in compost piles. [or maybe some other variation in mix materials not noted in any given uncontrolled batch] High temperatures reduce potentially dangerous pathogens and kill seeds from weeds and vegetables that were added to the piles. They have noticed that coffee grounds seem to improve soil structure [their primary value, organic grit], plus attract earthworms. [I've "noticed" that worms show no interest at all in grounds]

Coffee grounds also can be added directly to soil but the grounds need a few months to break down [due to the tiny amount of available N, high N materials gas off rapidly as ammonia], Wise said. "We're not certain about how coffee grounds act with the soil, but anecdotally, people say they do dig it into the soil," she said.

[and we get to the purpose of the article/program]:

An additional benefit of diverting coffee grounds from the landfill is that it helps cut greenhouse gas emissions, said Dan Hurley, waste management engineer for Lane County's Short Mountain Landfill.

[In sum, this is a news piece about a PR program obviously intended to popularize keeping grounds out of the landfill]

where I come from, both the enthusiast who picked bits to transcribe to Wiki and the person who wrote the referenced piece [and maybe the quoted "scientist"] are guilty of cherry picking, which on wikipedia translates to POV, OR and particularly misleading referencing, but suprisingly, none of the patrolling "enforcers' notice this style of editing to insert an apparent agenda [the amount of waste that could be prevented by such a simple carefree application, with just one (incorrect) caution], although removal of such poorly referenced material can be quickly reverted, just because it's referenced .....

see the note below your edit box, Encyclopedic content must be verifiable .... I take that to mean more than just checking that the reference links exist

oh well