- Citrus fruits - mostly sprayed and waxed
- Citrus fruits rot easily
- Pollutants and wax are irrelevant
- Set up the compost heap properly
- tips and tricks
Many people believe that citrus fruits should not be composted. However, this is a misconception. Of course, the peels of lemons and oranges can go on the compost heap. They just decompose more slowly than other organic materials.
Citrus fruits - mostly sprayed and waxed
The peel of most citrus fruits
- oranges
- Lemons
- tangerines
- clementines
from the supermarket is tainted with residues of sprays. In addition, the shells are waxed so that the fruit can withstand the long transport routes on the ship better.
For many gardeners, the question arises as to whether the compost is contaminated with harmful substances by the sprays, and whether the shells rot at all due to the wax.
Of course, when you harvest your fruit from the lemon or orange tree in the greenhouse, sprays and wax play no part.
Citrus fruits rot easily
The peels of oranges and lemons are usually quite thick. The rotting process therefore takes a little longer than with other fruit residues such as apple peels.
Since a compost heap should mature for at least two years, this time is irrelevant. The microbes and bacteria do their best to break down even thick shells.
If you sift through the compost after two or three years, you won't find any more citrus peel - assuming you did the compost heap properly.
Pollutants and wax are irrelevant
The amount of harmful substances on the citrus peel is quite low. Heat and bacteria break down the pollutants so that they are virtually undetectable in the finished compost.
The danger from the sprays is more likely that the fruit is touched with the hands to peel or squeeze it and thus enters the human body.
What applies to the pollutants also applies to the wax. This is also broken down by the bacteria quite quickly and is no reason not to compost the peels.
Set up the compost heap properly
Problems only arise if you put the compost heap together incorrectly. Materials are mixed on a professionally laid out heap.
If you want to compost larger quantities of citrus fruits, mix them with other organic materials such as leaves, grass or even cardboard. As a result, orange and lemon peels rot a little faster.
tips and tricks
Health and gardening experts recommend that citrus fruits should be no more than 10 percent of the amount of other organic matter. Higher amounts delay the rotting process.
ce