Greasemonkey's Compost Pile
- Thread starter greasemonkeymann
- Start date
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
just treat it like a huge plant container, drill lots of holes
needs aeration
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
Hi Grease, hope all's well.........been playing with my new toy and building a compost pile, just wanted to run it by you to see what you think.
1st.......new toy.......turns comfrey plant to mush pmsl, it's good at munching up nettles too, gonna save me a lot of work
On to my compost, this is how I've layered it
Leaves - Weeds - Comfrey - Coco - aged farm manure - Grass - Leaves - Biochar/VMC - Mushroom compost - Grass - Biochar/VMC - Comfrey - Leaves - Grass - Coco - Weeds - Leaves................I need to add another layer of grass to get to the full height I need, but I've gotta wait for it to grow a bit first.
The biochar has been 'charging' in amended VMC for about 6 weeks, the leaves were collected last autumn and have already started to decompose, the grass is freshly cut, the weeds are a variety, mainly nettles, the coco is from old grows and contains small amount of clay pebbles and the manure and mushroom compost were clogging up my shed.
I also added the following amendments(which I had left over from soil experiments), randomly sprinkling on each layer(the numbers are for full mix, not per layer)
Alfalfa pellets - 10 cups
Chicken manure pellets - 15 cups
Rockdust - 20 cups
Seaweed meal - 5 c
Neem meal - 3 c
Fish meal - 2 c
Chrysalis meal - 2 c
Krill meal - 2 c
Hemp seed meal - 3 c
Calcified seaweed - 2 c
The kind of bag I'm doing it in, are used to store/deliver topsoil, compost and aggregates. They're made of woven nylon and do allow water and air through, but do you think it'd be of benefit to cut some extra air holes in?
I plan on turning it twice a week, do you think that's enough?
1st.......new toy.......turns comfrey plant to mush pmsl, it's good at munching up nettles too, gonna save me a lot of work
On to my compost, this is how I've layered it
Leaves - Weeds - Comfrey - Coco - aged farm manure - Grass - Leaves - Biochar/VMC - Mushroom compost - Grass - Biochar/VMC - Comfrey - Leaves - Grass - Coco - Weeds - Leaves................I need to add another layer of grass to get to the full height I need, but I've gotta wait for it to grow a bit first.
The biochar has been 'charging' in amended VMC for about 6 weeks, the leaves were collected last autumn and have already started to decompose, the grass is freshly cut, the weeds are a variety, mainly nettles, the coco is from old grows and contains small amount of clay pebbles and the manure and mushroom compost were clogging up my shed.
I also added the following amendments(which I had left over from soil experiments), randomly sprinkling on each layer(the numbers are for full mix, not per layer)
Alfalfa pellets - 10 cups
Chicken manure pellets - 15 cups
Rockdust - 20 cups
Seaweed meal - 5 c
Neem meal - 3 c
Fish meal - 2 c
Chrysalis meal - 2 c
Krill meal - 2 c
Hemp seed meal - 3 c
Calcified seaweed - 2 c
The kind of bag I'm doing it in, are used to store/deliver topsoil, compost and aggregates. They're made of woven nylon and do allow water and air through, but do you think it'd be of benefit to cut some extra air holes in?
I plan on turning it twice a week, do you think that's enough?
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calliandra
Well-Known Member
Ok not sure whats happening there, fact is reading your post was ACTUALLY mouth watering for me?? LMAO
Love that shredder, a toy I have been ogling too for a while now -- does yours also do woody stuff?
Seems lots of shredders have problems with that - but I want one that will also easily chop up thinner branches (just up to 5cm or so, not being unreasonable there!).
Acquaintances have been saying the "household variety" shredders fail there and I'd need a larger one - which then will require a car for transport plus usually take high voltage electricity, and what households have hi-voltage plugs easily available??... of course the manufacturers all say theirs can do it all, just in practice they don't really?
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
I've not tried it with any branches yet, but the manufacturer claims it can handle branches up to 5cm, I think it would struggle with them to be honest.
A petrol or diesel one would be the way to go I'd imagine and although they're very expensive new, they can be picked up 2nd hand. I've been looking at them on auction sites, but couldn't justify the outlay for a toy to make mulch with lol
GreenSanta
Well-Known Member
Not sure if it has been said but judging by the pictures I don't think it has... There is a minimum size for a compost pile in order to reach high enough temps to call it a thermophilic process, if your pile is anything less than a meter high, good luck, no amount of turning will make it happen!!
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
When it get's it's final layer it will just be 1m high x 1.2 x 1.2, it's already hot without it(I test temp using a garden cane and feeling how hot that is, so not very accurate, but I know hot when I feel it). I actually think I'm gonna have to turn it when I put the final layer on, in the next day or two. It got pretty cold here last night and there was visible steam coming out of it.
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
wow man, that's the MOTHER of all compost piles!
good friggin job my man
I'd use that ALLLLLLL day long!
just wait until you start to use it
one thing i'd say, is that you have a good amount of nitrogen in there, so you'll want to layer in as much leaves as possible, I have been surprised EVERY damn compost I do, on how much the leaves melt, you need like 3 times as much as you think you need.
so however much you have now? next time go get double that amount again. (one thing to consider is if you use that shredder of yours, the pile can get a lil thick, so turning it more often is a good idea to keep the nitrogen/ammonia gas-off to a minimum.).
a pile with shredded leaves does breakdown much faster than a non-shredded pile, BUT you do run the risk of it being a lil thick and potentially an-aerobic. Especially when mixed with dry amendments that can sorta make it a lil more thick.
Your alfalfa pellets are good for that, and another thing I do is toss some of my spent old soil in there too, just to "fluff" it up a lil
also a handful of good unscreened vermicasts every square foot or so in your pile is a great wa to inoculate the pile with a bunch of worms
I know it sounds silly, but in reality the more, the merrier (in regards to leaves), especially with things like chicken manure, comfrey, and alfalfa.
and sure I understand you cant get leaves now, i'm just saying you'll see the pile shrink like craaaazy, and in the end you could add more to it to fluff it up as you go.
this next autumn I am going to build the absolute mothership of all compost piles, you'll be able to see the steam rising from your house
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
I've done piles as small as 2 feet squared, not to split hairs or anything but as long as the pile is more "cube" like in its structure it'll still get hot, but if it's more "plop" like in it's structure, then it won't get hot enough.
sorta like a fire.
but you are right, it needs to be piled correctly.
that's why bins work so well, it keep it more in a cube structure which makes it perfect for getting hot
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
I've got to admit, due to it pissing down all autumn last year and me being a little lazy, I didn't collect enough leaves and only had enough for the first layer. But, I found a massive pile of leaves which are only partly decomposed and full of compost worms in the local park, so I've been bagging them up and bringin em home. There's plenty more where they came from and I've also got a shit load of coco fibre to get through too. Also I didn't shred them, it would've been a real PITA trying to feed them into the shredder and I didn't wanna kill all those worms, although I'd imagine they're not too happy as it is. it's already hot in there.
I'll collect another layer of leaves tomorrow while walking the dog, then cut the grass again, add both and turn the day after...........it's the turning I don't like
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
well, if it's more nitrogen heavy, you'll need to turn more often, what i'd do is add a bunch of old soil to it, use that as the leaves, even though it won't break down, it'll allow the microbes and oxygen to let the pile heat up
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
for the record, THIS, is my weapon of choice.
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
Thanks mann, I've just gotta remember, the more I turn it, the quicker it'll be ready and I'm quite impatient so It'll be good motivation
Slipup420
Member
Interesting thread as for size or height of compost see if i can dig up some last years pictures size height is not a issue, as long as have good air ratio in the mix for instance .
I used approx 15 tons of manure and 5 tons of sheep manure added 1 to 1 straw to cow manure ratio ...
Of course other organic products from yearly harvests from crop rotations 600 hectare farm ..
and dumped in a pile i also added grass clippings from house area 6 acres worth of all types of weeds and grass mixed also into
This style has worked very well leaving mother nature to deal with it , my only involvement is flipping it / mixing it every 2 weeks or so .
One year cycle before being applied to my garden Tilled and in spring where i spread it in a 10 acre area then Till week later
there is enough nutrients and natural micro life to complete each harvest i have done now for last 8 years from clone to harvest 7 months with only rain water I also might add extremely healthy plants
I used approx 15 tons of manure and 5 tons of sheep manure added 1 to 1 straw to cow manure ratio ...
Of course other organic products from yearly harvests from crop rotations 600 hectare farm ..
and dumped in a pile i also added grass clippings from house area 6 acres worth of all types of weeds and grass mixed also into
This style has worked very well leaving mother nature to deal with it , my only involvement is flipping it / mixing it every 2 weeks or so .
One year cycle before being applied to my garden Tilled and in spring where i spread it in a 10 acre area then Till week later
there is enough nutrients and natural micro life to complete each harvest i have done now for last 8 years from clone to harvest 7 months with only rain water I also might add extremely healthy plants
calliandra
Well-Known Member
The way I understand it, a minumum pile mass is only important if you're doing thermophilic composting (=make high quality compost in about 21 days) - which is something I wanted to try out this month but is getting postponed due to hand injuries *grrrgrr*.
So sorry for my still being stuck theorizing? LOL
The cubic meter of composting material is the mass required to keep the temperatures (and moisture too) stable no matter what the outside temps are. Because in thermophilic composting, your goal is to get the temperatures in the middle of the pile to between 55-max65°C for 3 days, which is the time the microbes need to neutralize any pathogens and weed seeds in it. The pile is turned every 2-3 days or when the pile starts getting too hot (=when anaerobic processes take over and nutes begin escaping via fumes), or too dry (below 50% the environment is not ideal for microbial activity), in a way so that every portion of the pile has that hot time in the middle. So you end up turning it 3-5 times before temps slow down and the compost sets.
Having a pile somewhere in the corner of the garden is a more natural, less controlled and slower form of composting, and any amount of material will decompose that way. Hell, even a pinch of organic material will decompose in a sidewalk crack
Please correct me if I'm wrong!
So sorry for my still being stuck theorizing? LOL
The cubic meter of composting material is the mass required to keep the temperatures (and moisture too) stable no matter what the outside temps are. Because in thermophilic composting, your goal is to get the temperatures in the middle of the pile to between 55-max65°C for 3 days, which is the time the microbes need to neutralize any pathogens and weed seeds in it. The pile is turned every 2-3 days or when the pile starts getting too hot (=when anaerobic processes take over and nutes begin escaping via fumes), or too dry (below 50% the environment is not ideal for microbial activity), in a way so that every portion of the pile has that hot time in the middle. So you end up turning it 3-5 times before temps slow down and the compost sets.
Having a pile somewhere in the corner of the garden is a more natural, less controlled and slower form of composting, and any amount of material will decompose that way. Hell, even a pinch of organic material will decompose in a sidewalk crack
Please correct me if I'm wrong!
Slipup420
Member
There are different types of organisms that work in different temp ranges usually the first one to start to process is psychrophillic 50 degree mark where temps start off low they will very slowly bring up the heat as to where another type will start to establish .. messophiloic start going at it .. they quickly Decomposes the matter creating Heat a ideal environment for thermophilic and they will start decomposing the matter and creating a warmer climate so yet another type starts to establish hyper thermo 's
yes even on a side walk crack its usually macroorganisms, in a compost pile include mites, centipedes, sow bugs, snails, millipedes, springtails, spiders, slugs, beetles, ants, flies, nematodes, flatworms, rotifers, and earthworms. They are considered to be physical decomposers because they grind, bite, suck, tear, and chew materials into smaller pieces. there the ones that is going to get rid of that one in the crack like above post said
yes even on a side walk crack its usually macroorganisms, in a compost pile include mites, centipedes, sow bugs, snails, millipedes, springtails, spiders, slugs, beetles, ants, flies, nematodes, flatworms, rotifers, and earthworms. They are considered to be physical decomposers because they grind, bite, suck, tear, and chew materials into smaller pieces. there the ones that is going to get rid of that one in the crack like above post said
Slipup420
Member
Hey Grease curious you have any lab results from your compost pile and soil mixture ??? is it lacking anything ? what i do is spread fall compost 10 acres tilled in fall and tested in spring : pretty bang on got plants into ground had to paint lines for rows as where we put in a SDI system Sub surface drip irrigation fully automatic government sponsored so i get all money back. checks in the mail 
Hoping for a 2500 pound dry harvest this year100 percent organic grown
