Too Much Air Dries Compost
Vložit
- čas přidán 1. 01. 2024
- When we compost high energy wastes like food waste, the compost dries quickly. Its a tricky balance - we can optimize the compost process, which then includes managing the moisture and mixing the material. Or we can provide less air, have a less efficient process, risk a lower pH in the compost, and risk potential odor. We have a choice, depending on how efficient we would like our compost to be!
I clicked on the video as it was recommended, since I watch pretty much everything compost related. Your style of presentation is music to my ears! Instantly subscribed! Thank you so much for the proper scientific language and information density that you have put in this clip. Looking forward to hearing more from you!
Thank you for your kind words, and happy to hear that the content is helpful, interesting and useful! Happy New Year!
Greetings from south east Asia.
Thank you so much for making these videos so scientific and evidence-based. There are many videos about composting out there that provide simple principles, techniques, and tips from experience but not many explained the science behind it in such a compelling way that you did. I have watched a few videos of yours and wish that I have found them earlier. 😂 Can’t promise I won’t aerate just to feel like optimizing is done, but I will fight the urge
You are welcome - so happy to hear the videos are helpful!
Another great video john. when I watch your videos on composting I think I’m at school.again Keep up the good work 🇳🇿
Thank you for the kind words, and I'm pleased that the videos are helpful!
Hello compost fanatics. For those of you who do not heed John's warning, YOU WILL BE SORRY! Trust me. I have made compost that consisted of ONLY food waste (very bad idea, not enough carbon) and too much moisture. The events that followed were awful to say the least. Imagine the smell of putrefied animal guts, manure, vomit, and mix those all together. The area where I made that "compost" smelled like that for a month.
Lesson learned - The risk of a dry compost pile is insignificant compared to the nightmare that awaits you if your compost pile goes anaerobic. Love your vids John. I will implement what I learn from you and Dr Elaine Ingham into my compost methods.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience - we all benefit from each other's stories!
Hi John Paul. Thank you for your series of videos. In your asp example (2:10): after mixing and adding moisture at 2 weeks, did you put the mix back on air for the remaining 3 weeks before achieving stability?
Yes, we did. We will consider stability and maturity in the upcoming videos.
Thank you. It must be an intensive mixing process to rewet a pile that dry. Do you do that in the compost mixer?@@TransformCompost
Yes, its not easy to rewet a dry compost pile. I find that the most efficient way is during a mixing process, either with a loader and a hose, or a turner if one can afford it! Yes, the mixer works as well, but its more work to put it all back through a mixer.
Hi
my land is Alkaline , how do I make fully decomposed compost that is acidic?
the pH of compost generally drops to 6 or 7 when it is fully mature. Ammonia from protein breakdown increases the pH to 8 or higher, then when it oxidizes to nitrate, the pH drops again. Compost also provides good buffering capacity in the soil.
❤@@TransformCompost
How does drying change the microbial community, and how do you recommend re-wetting compost that's so dry? It's difficult to re-wet hydrophobic compost!
Thanks for your questions! The microbes doing the decomposing live in a water layer around the particles. When the moisture content gets below 40%, we start to lose some of the water layer around the particles, which means that the microbial community is compromised. Yes, rewetting compost can be a real challenge - many of us have experienced the water runnning off a pile rather than soaking it. Rewetting seems to be best accomplished during a mixing process.
@@TransformCompost Thanks for the answers! Some followups:
Does a microbial community with uninterrupted available water differ in finished compost from a microbial community with interrupted available water?
For re-wetting, a windrow turner with a watering option seems like a great way to go, but supposing we don't have that and just have a loader, what would you do or recommend?
It begs the question whether the microbial community is more impacted by interupted oxygen supply than interupted available water - which I suspect is true. Its really difficult to maintain a composting process with uninterupted available water and oxygen!
Yes, I agree that a turner with a watering option is most ideal for rewetting, but not all of us have that option! I have found that loader mixing just after wetting seems to give reasonable results. I have recommended to some to place water in a trench on top of the pile just before mixing with a loader.
Thank you John, my compost heater will work on Food waste and corrugated paper (cardboard) .
Is cardboard a good way to add porosity to the mixture? ( for me woodchips are not abundant but cardboard is)
The challenge with cardboard is that it can provide some good porosity initially, but once it gets wet, it loses its structure and porosity is lost. If you have any access to wood chips, you could use them, then screen them out and reuse them. I have used the same wood chips for over a year for 8 cycles of compost.