Soils/Mineral
Composting
Landscaping
Colorado
Organic
100
25% air, 25% water, 5% organic matter and 45% mineral
What is the composition of a typical mineral soil?
100
Microbes (decomposers) get energy from this source in a compost pile.
What is carbon?
100
This functional part of a landscape design includes the curb, the front porch and the flower beds?
What is the public area?
100
Colorado soils have a high percentage of this component, making the soil easily compacted and having poor drainage.
What is clay?
100
T/F: The core principle of becoming certified organic is soil health
What is true
200
What 3 things is mineral soil composed of? These dictate the texture of the soil.
What is sand, silt and clay?
200
Microbes (decomposer) get protein from this source in a compost pile.
What is nitrogen?
200
This type of landscape design emphasizes geometry and symmetry.
What is formal?
200
What is the tomato hornworm? (or tobacco)
200
This review institute approves and labels what products can be used in organic production.
What is OMRI? (Organic Materials Review Institute)
300
Plants grow best in this pH range.
Slightly acidic
(5.8 - 6.5, 6.8)
300
These are the heat-loving bacteria that thrive and increase the temperatures of a compost pile; up to 160 deg.F
What are thermophiles?
300
This functional area of a landscape design include the doghouse, place to hide garbage cans and sometimes the vegetable garden.
What is the service (or utility) area?
300
Colorado gardening has many challenges. This factor is the most difficult because of the rapidity in which it can happen.
What are temperature fluctuations?
300
This principle of organic farming ensures the customer that they are getting what they paid for. There are regulations and inspections to make sure this principle is met by the grower.
What is integrity?
400
This mineral, needed the most by plants, can be found in animal manures, green manures, and salts of ammonia.
What is nitrogen?
400
You have two identical sources in a compost bin. Which one will take down longer to break down - a moist source or a dry source?
What is the dry source?
400
A principle of landscape design that presents an equal visual weight of elements to a viewer
What is balance?
400
The origin of the name 'Colorado' was 'color rojo', meaning an abundance of this mineral in the soil, giving the soil its red appearance.
What is iron?
400
These are the 2 general groups of decomposers you need to have to be successful in composting.
What are microorganisms and macroorganisms?
500
Manganese, molybdenum, copper, boron, chlorine and zinc
What are the micro-nutrients?
500
An anaerobic environment in a compost pile is undesirable. This is due to lack of what?
What is oxygen?
500
This principle of landscaping involves the relationship between objects in a landscape
What is scale and proportion?
500
A common abiotic plant problem we see in Colorado occurs usually in late spring/early autumn with drastic drops in temperature.
What is frost or freezing damage?
500
The relationship between these 2 minerals should be the primary focus of starting a compost pile.
What is the C:N ratio?