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Author Topic: Spent Grain as Compost?  (Read 5322 times)

Offline roguejim

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Spent Grain as Compost?
« on: October 08, 2012, 05:52:13 pm »
I want to throw my spent rain in my garden to decompose for next Spring when I grow these, among others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_jbcT0LKeg&feature=plcp

I'm already scattering my spent hops, but was wondering about spent grain.

Offline lornemagill

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2012, 07:49:59 pm »
hops can cause malignant hyperthermia/death in dogs

Offline roguejim

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2012, 08:05:30 pm »
hops can cause malignant hyperthermia/death in dogs

What the !!!  I've only spread the hops out this one time.  No more.  Crap...

coastsidemike

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2012, 09:10:08 pm »
By throwing it in the grain on the ground, it attracts the vermin something fierce.  Perhaps buy/build a composter?  I give it about 6 months before rotating to the garden (w/ worms), it's awesome to work with when dumping it out.

Offline Titanium Brewing

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2012, 10:46:10 am »
AHA #210799

My wife said I was delusional. I almost fell off my unicorn laughing.

Offline saintpierre

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2012, 10:52:00 am »
Mixing in brown debris (dried leaves and grasses) will help keep the smell down and reduce mold.
Mike St. Pierre, P.E.
Maine Ale & Libation Tasters (MALT)
BJCP Certified
[719.4, 74.1] AR

Offline euge

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2012, 11:14:53 am »
I spread it out on top of the pile to dry a bit before mixing it in. That keeps the horrendous smell down. And the local feral cats will help themselves but they can't eat it all.

It does make excellent compost.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline weithman5

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2012, 12:05:53 pm »
post brew day i make bread and dog treats, even give to friends for doing the same.  i just through a batch in to may raised garden once and my dog was trying to climb in to eat the grains.  i would mix with compost box otherwise with other items.
Don AHA member

Offline mihalybaci

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Re: Spent Grain as Compost?
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2012, 12:08:57 pm »
I spread my grain into a 2x3x2 (l-w-h) open compost bin. I don't usually mix it in (i.e. with dried leaves), but I try to make as thin a layer as I can to increase the amount of oxygen and I've never have had a problem with it rotting and turning foul. It decomposes like a charm too.

As a side note, I was in Florida back in May and stopped by the Florida Brewing Company in Melbourne. They had giant 6 foot tall, 15-20 foot long dumpsters full of their spend grains, and let me tell you, it was possibly the most horrid odor I've ever had the displeasure to smell. They're lucky that the smell wasn't seeping into the tasting room. Compost properly and you can avoid your backyard smelling like death.