AMENDED AND COMPOSTED LOG YARD FINES AS A GROWTH-MEDIUM FOR CRIMSON CLOVER AND RED TOP GRASS

Log yard residues (LYR) a bark and soil waste material produced during log handling, could find use as a growth medium for plants. In this s tudy, log yard fines (LYF), a screened fraction of the LYR (<1.3 cm), were either not amended or amended with a N-S fertilizer mixture (LYF + F) or with cow manure (LYF + M) and then composted outdoors in insul ated, aerated tanks for 18-22 weeks. The resulting substrates were the n evaluated as growth media for 'Chief' crimson clover (Trifolium inca rnatum L.) and 'Streaker' red top (Agrostis alba L.). Plants were fert ilized (0 or 78 kg N/ha) and grown in a growth chamber. Temperatures i n the LYF and LYF + F piles were similar to ambient conditions over th e 5-6 month treatment period, whereas the manure-amended pile reached a maximum of 34-degrees-C after two weeks and then cooled to ambient a fter two additional weeks. The final C/N ratio of the nonamended LYF w as 85 as compared to 36 for LYF + M and 44 for LYF + F. Clover and red top grew best (height and biomass) in LYF + F and poorest in LYF + M, regardless of fertilization regime. Red top grew poorly in the noname nded, unfertilized LYF presumably due to the high C/N ratio of this me dium. In summary, this study suggested that LYF could be either amende d with fertilizer and aged in piles or directly land applied with supp lemental fertilization to support plant growth.