The rule of thumb for an active, hot pile is every three days until it stops heating up. After a day, some composters rush out and turn the pile into a compost pile. This is a waste of time and energy.
The best way to keep your compost hot and active is to make sure it is well-maintained. If you don’t have a good composting system in your yard, you may have to buy a new one. You may also need to invest in a heating system, which can cost several hundred dollars.
Table of Contents
How do you allow oxygen into a compost?
Turning the pile, placing the pile on a series of pipes, or including bulking agents such as wood chips and shredded newspaper all help aerate the pile. Anaerobic digestion can take several days to a week, but aerating the pile allows it to happen at a faster rate.
Aeration can also be used to speed up the rate at which organic matter decomposes. The pile can be aerated by placing it in a bucket filled with water and adding a small amount of organic material to the bottom of the bucket.
Should I aerate my compost?
Aeration is necessary in high temperature aerobic composting for rapid odor-free decomposition. In the compost pile, aeration can help reduce the high initial moisture content. In addition to aeration, compost piles can be aerated by adding a small amount of water to the pile at the beginning of the season. This water will help to break down the cellulose and other organic matter that is present in a pile of compost.
The water should be added at a rate of 1/2 to 1 gallon per 1,000 square feet of pile, depending on the size of your pile and the moisture level in your area. Adding water at this rate will not significantly increase the rate at which your compost decomposes, but it will slow the process down.
If you do not have access to a water source, you can use a garden hose or garden sprayer to add a few drops of distilled or deionized water into a bucket or other container. You can also aerate by placing a piece of plastic wrap over the top of a plastic bag and spraying the bag with a spray bottle filled with water.
Be careful not to spray too much water, as this can cause the plastic to burst and release the contents into the air.
What happens if you dont stir compost?
Not turning your compost may keep the heap cold and the processes inside anaerobic, but if the balance of brown vs green ingredients is right, you’ll still get compost. Nature’s way of breaking down organic matter is cold composting. It depends on the size of the pile, the temperature, and what you’re doing with it.
You’ll need to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t get too cold or too hot, or it will start to decompose and you won’t be able to use it for a while.
How much airflow does a compost bin need?
A general rule of thumb is to make holes every 4 to 6 inches in a compost bin if it doesn’t already have a vent. This will allow beneficial microbes and insects from the soil to enter the compost.
If you don’t have access to composting equipment, you can also use a garden hose to fill the bin with water and let it sit for a day or two. The water will help to break down the organic matter, which will make it easier for your plants to take up the nutrients.
When Should I aerate my compost pile?
The organic rule only requires me to aerate the pile for 3 days. It takes me at least two weeks to pick up enough horse waste to do one cycle. After two weeks, I remove the compost from the pipes and then add it to my compost pile.
I have a compost bin in my garage, but I don’t use it for composting. The bin is about 6 feet long and 2 feet wide. My garage is 6′ x 6′, so I have to move it about 3 times a year to make room for new stuff.
This is not a big deal for me, since I usually move stuff around a lot anyway. I had a bigger garage or a larger yard, this would be a problem. In the past, when I moved stuff from one place to another, the bins would get full and I couldn’t move them anymore.
Can you continuously add to compost?
Because you are continuously adding to the pile, the composting material doesn’t heat up like a traditional system. It’s a lot easier to add greens and browns to a compost pile than it is to add nitrogen and carbon. The amount of compost you can add depends on the size of your pile and how much you want to add.
You can also add a little more if you don’t have much left over from the previous year’s compost. The more you add the more nutrients will be available for your plants to take advantage of. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on your compost piles to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need to grow well.
