Used Grain as Mulch

Has anyone ever used, used grain as mulch for hops?

This seems like a match made in heaven!!

i filled up over 1/2 of my composter with spent grain last fall and hope i will have good mulch for my hops this spring.
will know in a few weeks when the temp warms up.

Since both of my composters are filled (mostly with grain) - the next spent grain is going direct to the raised garden beds now that most of the snow has melted. The ratio of grain to existing soil will be very low and very well mixed.

I don't think I'd use grain as top/surface mulch - but that's just based on instinct, not anything I've read.

I think left by itself, and not mixed in with any soil/compost it would start to get moldy.

At least that's been my experience when I throw my grains in the compost bin without mixing it up.

dunnright00 said:

I think left by itself, and not mixed in with any soil/compost it would start to get moldy.

At least that's been my experience when I throw my grains in the compost bin without mixing it up.

Click to expand...

I think it would attract critters. Dogs, deer, rabbits(?), rodents, etc, might get into the grain if it's out in the open.

Composted spent grains would be great but just dumping your spent grains around your hops might not be such a good idea. Deer, groundhogs and opossum love to visit my compost pile after brew day.

My experience with using grain: It didn't have the sugars completely ran out of it and turned into a mold factory in less than a week my suggestion make a huge compost pile with it and then add that to the hops at a much later date or the next season.

I'm a big composter. I agree with the above. Wet grains=mold. I think if you put them in the composter (like I do), they will turn into great compost that could be used as mulch. However straight wet grains on top of your rhizomes will likely create some kind of mildew/mold/issue.

I think it's OK to sprinkle it around plants, but in thick amounts, it can attract bad grubs and caterpillars, especially those little moth bastards that infest dry grain. Which is why I freeze all my grain from the LHBS.

I started composting spent grain with grass clippings. The smell may just get me divorced.

northernlad said:

I started composting spent grain with grass clippings. The smell may just get me divorced.

Click to expand...

Is it sad that I know a ton about compost? Spent grains should smell good. Basically malty bread goodness smell. If you've got a bad smell I'm wondering what's causing it. Off the top of my head, unturned grass could cause a 'stinky farm' smell.

Without knowing more my broad suggestion is to mulch your grass clippings, layer them lightly, then spread the grain on top of them. Then another layer of grass, and mix some mulched leaves if you got them. Maybe your a composter and I sound like an idiot telling you the obvious. I just have never had an odor issue with my grains. In fact I think the 'browns' to balance my 'greens' has improved the quality of my compost.

northernlad said:

I started composting spent grain with grass clippings. The smell may just get me divorced.

Click to expand...

Spent grain and grass clippings are both "green" materials. If you're getting really bad odors you probably have too much green material. Green material is high in nitrogen which is food for micro organisms. Your pile is probably too "hot." Try adding equal parts by weight of brown material with your green material like dried leaves, straw, wood chips, etc.

It's a 'green', that makes sense concerning the smell.

I have another item to contribute.

This is my first year as an all grainer and all winter long I dumped my spent grains on top of my frozen compost heap (I'm in IL). Most of those grains have decomposed in my bin, however today I found clumps of wet spent grains completely undecomposed. I was wondering why this was the case and I'm pretty sure I know why. In the same way that grains can make a dough ball if not mixed correctly in the mash, these clumps of wet spent grains are soaked with water. They are an oxygen free environment and basically they can't decompose.

So based on this I have a new theory about dumping spent grains on top of hop rhizomes: While mold and mildew may occur, I'm now confident that a large quantity of spent grains could act as a oxygen barrier and basically suffocate your rhizome.

I still think you should compost your spent grains before putting them on top of your rhizomes, but now I'm thinking if you insist on skipping the compost part you need to put them on very thin so they can dry out- as clumps of spent grains will likely kill your rhizomes before mold and mildew has an opportunity to grow.

Compost em and use as fertilizer. It isn't a mulch at that point however. I notice that the first thing that happens to spent grains is a massive lacto boom. Things stink for a few days and then nothing. Seething with bugs/worms. You want this.

i used my spent grains to mulch some brussel sprouts im growing. It seems fine so far but it has only been a couple of a days. I will report back if problems develop.

northernlad said:

I started composting spent grain with grass clippings. The smell may just get me divorced.

Click to expand...

We've got a compost "pile" that we used for around a year that didn't make much progress. So I bought a covered composting bin to keep the rain off and shoveled the existing pile into a wheelbarrow to dump back into the bin.

THE WORST THING I HAVE EVER SMELLED!!! I am absolutely not exaggerating, it smelled like a rotting body. I ended up using a respirator I already had for mixing chemicals and still gagged. My wife said the pile got waterlogged and turned anaerobic and thats where the smell came from. It took about 2 weeks for the smell to dissipate but man was it awful.

Yep, too much nitrogen. Pretty bad smell!

Spent grains are, indeed, Nitrogen heavy and will stink to high heaven if allowed to go anaerobic.

There is a composting system that depends on anaerobic conditions, known as bokashi.

I'm experimenting with it now on spent grain from a local micro-brewery. I've sheet composted (spread out, 4-5 inches thick, over probably a square yard) 35-50 gallons of grain by just putting it down and sprinkling some bokashi on it. It was hot a few days ago, and I'd just put it down, so I expected to be assaulted by the smell.

No smell.

I'm going to be trying it with the same quantity in a sealed container soon. If you're interested, I can provide some free bokashi bran if you'll please share the results. Respond in thread w/interest, or PM me.

For the record, I've been using bokashi to pre-treat all sorts of stuff for composting, including things like fish that just don't compost well. It works on that stuff and doesn't stink, I'm pretty sure it's going to work here. I'm an inactive homebrewer, though =(

I'm a little curious about bokashi, I've never heard about it. I'm also curious how you got those spent grains from the brewery. Did you just ask for them? I'm minutes away from TWO breweries. It never occured to me that I could get more spent grains than I know what do with.

Hello, Retro. I'm more than willing to send you some bokashi "bran" and instructions on how to use it, if you'd like. For the record, I've given away literally hundreds of kits, held classes and had booths at fairs. It is extremely cheap to send, and I'd just like to hear your experience with (especially) spent grain.

About the spent grain connection: larger breweries are usually locked in to removal contracts. They get charged twice for the grain: once on delivery, once on removal. The grain company then charges farmers a third time to buy it as feed.

I happen to be fortunate to be a lapsed member of the Bloatarians, and to be very close to Dan Listemann's shop; Dan's a great guy, and very approachable. I suspect that as his brew takes off, the free grains will become a thing of the past, but right now he's been very willing to share them with me. I've picked up 5 times now, between 30-50 gallons a time. Again, I don't expect this to last forever.

It doesn't hurt to ask, but don't be surprised if they're locked in. A local brewery, Mt. Carmel, has a contract, but was willing to find out if there was any leeway with the removal person, but I didn't want him to go through the trouble. But that tells me they're willing to work with folks.

Re: asking. It's possible to get all sorts of free stuff for the garden by asking, especially things others regard as trash. What got me started w/bokashi was being inundated with fish parts from a local fish market; I was picking up and processing as compost, got sick, and my wife kept picking up. At the end of the illness, I had 50 gallons of fish parts, and had to figure out how to deal with it, quickly. I made a fish emulsion of that stuff, using molasses and compost, which negated the potential smell through microrganisms. It worked, I tried to figure out why, and arrived at the bokashi method.

For the classes I have, I give away buckets I pick up from local cafeterias and delis. Any place that uses lots of pickles usually has them. They throw them away.

I'm involved with a greenhouse therapy program that picks up culled produce from supermarkets.

Just ask. Explain what you want it for. You'll know within seconds if you're getting through. Honestly, I've never been turned away. However, I've talked to quite a few business owners who are reluctant at first because someone else had asked and then dropped the ball. Make sure the expectations are clear, form a plan with them to minimize the grief it causes them, and stick to it. And share some produce.

Let me know if you're interested. Of the 100's of folks that have used the method, only 2 so far failed on the first try, and that was user error; however, due to the peculiar nature of spent grain, in terms of volume, composition and moisture level, I'm nervous that it's going to be more difficult, and would love to hear how it went on your end.

CincyGarden,

I have a compost bin that really stinks when I try and turn it. It is indeed a compacted mess that cannot help but be anaerobic. I have been wondering what to do with it. I would love to try some of your Bokashi bran if that has a chance to get me useful compost and not just the stinking mess I now have.

Thanks

Sure, ThreeDogs. Keep in mind, though, that the process is usually 2 steps: 1) all your compost stuff is inoculated, and allowed to ferment with the stuff and the 2) put on the compost heap. It will work if you just put it on the compost heap, but may take longer. Just FYI.

Please PM me your address, I'll send some tomorrow.

Any luck with this? I've 2 packages, have you guys had a chance to give it a try?

I haven't yet, but will be brewing this weekend and plan to try it out after.

I tend to see a lot of flies around my grains in the compost bin. For that reason, I wouldn't put grains directly on my hop plants. The stuff appears to be highly compostable, though.

I have used grass clippings to keep some of the unwanted shoots in control.

CincyGarden,

I had a minor injury that has kept me from my garden, brewing, or compost pile. I have it sitting awaiting use soon.

I have a 33 gallon trash can about half full of spent grain, and a larger proper compost bin that is full. If I mix it into the top of the spent grain, is that a proper start for it? Can I then transfer some from there to the compost bin after it does it's thing in the can?