Turning the compost pile
- Thread starter youraveragehorticulturist
- Start date
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
i'll grab it when i go out for a few things for my new room. i can not wait for this compost to be done...
iHearAll
Well-Known Member
I add probiotic bacteria to help make sure the microbe life isnt going to be meningitis or some other bacterial disease. I add them as frequently as I please. Spray the pile once a week and pour in gallons of ferments. All symbiotic relations with the plant still.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
thanks for the heads up. i'll keep my eye on them. i have the pile tarped to help avoid some stuff like that. its getting cold hee though. i dont see many bugs outside right now. even in the back where i have a standing taller compost unit with fresh stuff on top there wasn't really much at all out there.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
ohhh yeaaahhhh that baby is steamin inside when i picked off a few inches from the top. the tarp had some good sweat on the inside as well.
we have a shit ton of rain forcasted for the next 20 hours or so starting at 2am. i have the tarp layed in a way that it will shed the rain water away from the bed where it is instead of oversaturating it. i put 5 gal of water on it yesterday, should be moist enough for now i would think.
we have a shit ton of rain forcasted for the next 20 hours or so starting at 2am. i have the tarp layed in a way that it will shed the rain water away from the bed where it is instead of oversaturating it. i put 5 gal of water on it yesterday, should be moist enough for now i would think.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
yeah, i know right? did you know that if you bale hay wet, that it will actually combust from the buildup of heat inside, and barns are burnt to the ground like this every year. so the grass clippings and extra N ingredients i added are heating up a lot!!! i turned it again today, looking great when i opened it up. nice and hot still. i wish i woulda been smart enough to do this the last few years. i'd have some killer box garden beds.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
Ok i got my compost tumbler cleaned out today with the garden hose. washed out a lot of packed in crap that had to be anaerobic. it looks good! so now that i have a better understanding of composting... i think i'm gonna give the tumbler another run. i'll be adding 2 buckets of maple leaf i mulched with the lawnmower, i'm gonna do 1 bucket of grass clippings if i can get a full bag, and i'm going to amend the compost with fishbone, crab, alfalfa, kelp, and neem seed meals, rock dusts, oyster shell flour, and gypsum. I think the grass clippings and amendments will supply enough N to get the thing rockin... and since its a smaller batch, i'm hoping i can get it through the tumbler faster. we shall see!!!!
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
giving the compost tumbler another try, and filled it (half way) for some extra compost. 15 gallons of mulched leaves, 5gal of veggie scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds from the last week, 5 gal of grass clippings, and a big handful of each amendment I have and watered in with OG special sauce, fungi concentrate, ful-power, and UBSM "tea" so to say. none of the ingredients really needed bubbled, but i let them go for an hour while i put together the compost layers. too bad it's so cold out now, but it should get hot within the next 48hrs. Also watered in my bigger pile with the "tea" to try and jam some more microbe life into the pile. figured it couldnt hurt.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
@greasemonkeymann
so when i feel the compost is finished (which of course it is not), what would you recommend be done with it? Should I screen it, if so what size do you recommend?
so when i feel the compost is finished (which of course it is not), what would you recommend be done with it? Should I screen it, if so what size do you recommend?
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
you can screen it if you want, but it's not needed, unless you have chunks of leaves still. Leaves will sort of sequester nitrogen the same way that wood does, only on a smaller scale.
BUT if it's done? you could use it unscreened.
I wouldn't bother when it's done, it's good to go as is.
ShLUbY
Well-Known Member
@greasemonkeymann
do you have a picture of your finished compost i could see? i'm starting to get some nice looking stuff here now. it's not done yet, but it's starting to smell and feel really freaking nice! i went through the whole pile by hand the other day, and broke up any amendment clumps that got wetted together. Note to self, don't just leave a clump of amendments in a pocket.... they just clump! they must be spread somewhat evenly, and they will break down much faster!! i found some squishy fishbone meal clumps that would for sure have been a bad thing if left together lol.
i also watered in another compost tea yesterday to boost the microlife since it's been cold here lately.... just wishful thinking i suppose
do you have a picture of your finished compost i could see? i'm starting to get some nice looking stuff here now. it's not done yet, but it's starting to smell and feel really freaking nice! i went through the whole pile by hand the other day, and broke up any amendment clumps that got wetted together. Note to self, don't just leave a clump of amendments in a pocket.... they just clump! they must be spread somewhat evenly, and they will break down much faster!! i found some squishy fishbone meal clumps that would for sure have been a bad thing if left together lol.
i also watered in another compost tea yesterday to boost the microlife since it's been cold here lately.... just wishful thinking i suppose