phrygian44
Well-Known Member
continued from Part 2. . . (last one. . . phew)
Tools?
A pitch-fork. Nothing beats it.
And if you're a compost eccentric, you can get yourself one of dem compost thermometers. How to use the thermometer? "Ya stick it up your pile and read da dial." : P
No, seriously, there is a use and method for using the thermometer (which no one ever bothers to tell you about - so here's another exclusive for Rollitup fans), especially if you're shooting for a one-season pass.
As I mentioned, I have the bins sealed and covered with a tarp to keep it dry and to keep-in all the heat that the anerobic bacteria generate. I live in Kanada, where the temperature can get down to an average of -20C in the Winter (that's -4F for you's other folk). That's more than cold enough to freeze any outdoor composting system. But, since my bins are closed, dry and protected, my microbes are still actively working away, producing their own heat while they work their anaerobic magic (all Fall, Winter and into early Spring).
You therefore want to keep and promote this activity. So how does the thermometer come into play? A good thermometer will have coloured indication on das gage, indicating Hot, Active and Warm. (see pic). You therefore always want the temperate of the pile (when inserted into the middle), to be in the Red or Orange Zones (Hot or Active; 130-160F or 100-130F, respectively), and not drop into the Yellow zone (80-100F). The Hot temperature is when the little anaerobic buggers are at their peak (eating, having sex and multiplying
), and then there is reasonable activity in the Orange/Active range, and pretty much dormant below that in the Yellow/Warm zone. I therefore check the bins periodically, and turn the piles whenever the temperature drops below 100F.
As I just mentioned, at this cooler temperature reading, there's very little to no activity going on in the pile. However, turning the pile at this point will then break up the material, add a bit of needed air into the system and freshen up the bacteria, so to speak, The pile then gets all covered up again and tested about 4-5 weeks later.
Side Note: If you do this (turn the pile only when the temperature drops), and then check the temperature again a couple of days later after you've turned it, just for shits & giggles, you'll see that the temperature has spiked way back up again, and into the max, high temp productive zone. This, my fellow forum-ians, is maximum efficiency! Where most people's piles will have cooled down to freezing, composting activity will have ceased. If you keep turning the pile when the temp drops below 100F (or into the yellow area, for those of you that are numerically challenged), you get 4-5 months of additional composting over the Winter months.
OK, so now you know how to use a compost thermometer, efficiently.
Now, when early Summer arrives, your pile will have gone through enough anaerobic composting activity that the material will be a lot less dense, and as the warmer weather arrives, it's now time to switch over to the aerobic method. At this point, you can throw out the thermometer, as the goal now is to constantly get as much air into your pile as you can to feed the aerobic bacteria. (don't worry, they're already in there. they've been hiding in the outer regions of the pile all along, right under your nose. : P)
Because of the large volume of my bins, i only turn them every 3-4 weeks - a lot of work, folks. i would do this even more frequently, but i no longer have a young back, so that's out of the question. If you want to turn your piles/bins every 1 to 2 weeks, at this stage, so much the better - Go Nuts!
So, what do you get after all this effort?
By next Fall, you should have lots of usable compost, as all those leaves will have composted down to pure Black Gold, and that is worth every minute of time and energy that you invested into it. (My neighbors, who laughed at my eccentricness in late October when out scavenging leaves, now come over and ask if they can grab some leaf compost. Now who's F'n King of my street, eh? lolol)
You can now put this right into the ground in prep for next year's growth (as come Spring, the worms will have finished the process and turned that compost into super-fine organic material, and worm castings. (And if you don't know what worm castings are, i would definitely Googlelate this one), or mix the finished compost right into your indoor planted pots.
You can also easily store the compost in those thick, black, Contractor 3 mil garbage bags, that you can get on Amazoniatron, or at most garden centers that provide sand and gravel, and then store it in the garage for whenever you need it.
It'll keep for several years, and if done right, there won't be a single weed in the compost due to the high temperate anaerobic composting earliy in the process.
Up Next up: Composting - 3 of 3 - Green Manure Tea (Finally)
Happy composting, Happy harvesting, and Happy dreaming of next year's strains and growing season.
Tools?
A pitch-fork. Nothing beats it.
And if you're a compost eccentric, you can get yourself one of dem compost thermometers. How to use the thermometer? "Ya stick it up your pile and read da dial." : P
No, seriously, there is a use and method for using the thermometer (which no one ever bothers to tell you about - so here's another exclusive for Rollitup fans), especially if you're shooting for a one-season pass.
As I mentioned, I have the bins sealed and covered with a tarp to keep it dry and to keep-in all the heat that the anerobic bacteria generate. I live in Kanada, where the temperature can get down to an average of -20C in the Winter (that's -4F for you's other folk). That's more than cold enough to freeze any outdoor composting system. But, since my bins are closed, dry and protected, my microbes are still actively working away, producing their own heat while they work their anaerobic magic (all Fall, Winter and into early Spring).
You therefore want to keep and promote this activity. So how does the thermometer come into play? A good thermometer will have coloured indication on das gage, indicating Hot, Active and Warm. (see pic). You therefore always want the temperate of the pile (when inserted into the middle), to be in the Red or Orange Zones (Hot or Active; 130-160F or 100-130F, respectively), and not drop into the Yellow zone (80-100F). The Hot temperature is when the little anaerobic buggers are at their peak (eating, having sex and multiplying
), and then there is reasonable activity in the Orange/Active range, and pretty much dormant below that in the Yellow/Warm zone. I therefore check the bins periodically, and turn the piles whenever the temperature drops below 100F.As I just mentioned, at this cooler temperature reading, there's very little to no activity going on in the pile. However, turning the pile at this point will then break up the material, add a bit of needed air into the system and freshen up the bacteria, so to speak, The pile then gets all covered up again and tested about 4-5 weeks later.
Side Note: If you do this (turn the pile only when the temperature drops), and then check the temperature again a couple of days later after you've turned it, just for shits & giggles, you'll see that the temperature has spiked way back up again, and into the max, high temp productive zone. This, my fellow forum-ians, is maximum efficiency! Where most people's piles will have cooled down to freezing, composting activity will have ceased. If you keep turning the pile when the temp drops below 100F (or into the yellow area, for those of you that are numerically challenged), you get 4-5 months of additional composting over the Winter months.
OK, so now you know how to use a compost thermometer, efficiently.
Now, when early Summer arrives, your pile will have gone through enough anaerobic composting activity that the material will be a lot less dense, and as the warmer weather arrives, it's now time to switch over to the aerobic method. At this point, you can throw out the thermometer, as the goal now is to constantly get as much air into your pile as you can to feed the aerobic bacteria. (don't worry, they're already in there. they've been hiding in the outer regions of the pile all along, right under your nose. : P)
Because of the large volume of my bins, i only turn them every 3-4 weeks - a lot of work, folks. i would do this even more frequently, but i no longer have a young back, so that's out of the question. If you want to turn your piles/bins every 1 to 2 weeks, at this stage, so much the better - Go Nuts!
So, what do you get after all this effort?
By next Fall, you should have lots of usable compost, as all those leaves will have composted down to pure Black Gold, and that is worth every minute of time and energy that you invested into it. (My neighbors, who laughed at my eccentricness in late October when out scavenging leaves, now come over and ask if they can grab some leaf compost. Now who's F'n King of my street, eh? lolol)
You can now put this right into the ground in prep for next year's growth (as come Spring, the worms will have finished the process and turned that compost into super-fine organic material, and worm castings. (And if you don't know what worm castings are, i would definitely Googlelate this one), or mix the finished compost right into your indoor planted pots.
You can also easily store the compost in those thick, black, Contractor 3 mil garbage bags, that you can get on Amazoniatron, or at most garden centers that provide sand and gravel, and then store it in the garage for whenever you need it.
It'll keep for several years, and if done right, there won't be a single weed in the compost due to the high temperate anaerobic composting earliy in the process.
Up Next up: Composting - 3 of 3 - Green Manure Tea (Finally)
Happy composting, Happy harvesting, and Happy dreaming of next year's strains and growing season.
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