Compost is delibrate putting materials
together to produce quality humus
AIM OF COMPOSTING:
is to produce humus of the right quality to enliven the soil
The end result is
an even, dark brown/ black, humus rich, hygienic, living substance with a
pleasant smell.
Success with
composting depends on;
The right mix of ingredients.
Controlled fermentation.
Treatment with Bio Dynamic preparations 502
-507
.
In natures ’Wheel
of life’ composting occurs at the bottom of the cycle, where death processes
are turned back into life processes in the form of humus.
HUMUS is
made up of long chained molecules that act like a sponge to increase the water
holding capacity. Humus holds 900 times more water than sand. Humus binds
nutrients in its structure so it is available to plants and not lost through
leaching. Humus is also the home of soil organisms, who on death become
fertiliser.
IN BIO -DYNAMICS
there is NO ONE METHOD OF COMPOSTING within a farm or garden. There may
be several different types of compost systems.
Just like there is no one way to
prepare a family meal. The aim of both is to provide a broad range of
ingredients to achieve a balanced meal. (For humans or the soil.)
Bio Dynamic
practitioners use a broad range of composting methods. The method selected
depends on:
- Types of materials available. Both on
and off property.
- Quantity of materials / Available
equipment.
- Crops nutritional needs.
FUNCTION OF COMPOST
1. IMPROVES THE
STRUCTURE OF THE SOIL. This means the soil will be:
- Easier to work, improved tilth.
- Improved aeration.
- Better water retention.
- More resistance to erosion.
By improving the
soil, plants are better able to resist insect and disease attacks due in part
to a higher protein content in these plants. Most insects look for sick plant
to eat and recycle
2. PROVIDES NUTRIENTS available to plants. -
Stable, less leaching.
PROCESS
Compost needs the
essential elements of:
AIR
WATER
WARMTH
FOOD (ORGANIC MATTER)
All these are
required in balance by micro organisms in the heap.
In addition to the
above elements compost requires the human element or ‘Quinta essentisa’ .The ordering principle to collect the
ingredients and put the heap together.
To help master the
craft of composting draw some comparisons e.g.
Think of the process of making a
cake:-collecting the ingredients, incorporating the right amount of air, baking
at the correct temperature, testing for readiness, cutting to reveal the
texture, moisture and complete baking.
THE COMPOSTING PROCESS
Once the heap is
completed the temperature starts to rise reaching between 30 and 50 degrees
Celsius with in a few days. This heating process continues for up to 6 weeks
then gradually reduces again until it stabilises at air temperature. The
compost goes through 3 stages as it develops.
BACTERIA - FUNGUS STAGE
Breakdown:
- Proteins are broken down by bacteria
producing amino acids and ammonia
- Carbohydrates are broken down to
simple sugars, organic acids and carbon dioxide.
Heat is required.
Build Up:
- The fungi ingest the free ammonia and
rebuild it into amino acids contained in their mycelia.
Moisture is critical.
2. EARTHWORM
STAGE
- Heating is reduced and the heat loving
bacteria has produced spores and the fungi have pre-digested food for
worms.
- Mixing of organic substances creating
polymerised carbon chains - humus, which absorb captions such as calcium,
ammonium, magnesium, potassium, and others becoming a sponge for
nutrients.
- Arthropods e.g. centipedes begin to
develop.
At this stage the compost can be used for
heavy feeders, e.g. cabbage, corn, pumpkins etc.
3. RIPENESS
STAGE
- Humus bacteria come in. The compost
turns into good crumbly humus with the smell of fresh earth. To test for
this stage take a handful of compost and shape it into a ball - it should
hold its shape, now drop it, it should fall apart. It is ready to use.
THE COMPOST HEAP
CHOOSING A SITE FOR A COMPOST SYSTEM
BUILDING THE COMPOST
MINIUM size of1
mitre square is required for the composting processes to proceed. Structure of
the heap can vary depending on amount and types of material, space available,
equipment and machinery, environmental factors such as wind, rain, animals.
INGREDIENTS USED IN COMPOSTING
Anything that has
once lived can be converted into compost. The range of ingredients available
will determine the composting systems to use.
Just as you gather
and use certain ingredients in certain amounts, carefully mixed and baked at
the correct temperature in the kitchen so does the compost maker. As you would
serve a balanced meal to your family, so
to you would use a large range of materials in the compost to ensure the soil
and plants are feed a balanced diet.
It is also of
great advantage to have a “pantry” of collected materials. These can be stored
in lidded plastic containers until they are required.
THE INGREDIENTS
WATER
Essential compost ingredient. .All
the materials need to be moistened (like a rung out sponge ) The compost should
be viewed in the same way as plants and when plants require watering so may the
compost heap. It needs to be checked regularly.
AIR
Essential compost ingredient. When
building the heap care needs to be taken to ensure air and air spaces are
incorporated.
ORGANIC MATTER
COMPOSTABLE MATERIAL CAN BE DIVIDED
INTO 2 CATEGORIES:
MATERIALS HIGH IN CARBON
MATERIALS HIGH IN NITROGEN
In making compost
the aim is to have a mix of materials that form a ratio of:
25 30 parts Carbon
: 1 part Nitrogen
In practice this
is not measured but knowing the ratios of your available materials will help
you determine what other materials you need to source to reach this ratio.
Knowing the materials you are using and observing how well they compost will
help develop a ‘feel’ for different types of materials.
ANIMAL MANURES
All animal manures
regardless of age must be properly composted with other materials before
adding to soil. When raw manure is used it harms the soil microbes and the
worms and causes imbalances in the soil. Sure! you get the lush quick green
growth, just the same as adding urea or soluble Nitrogen. Animal manures have
the potential to contain dangerous organisms such as E coli; another important
reason for composting all manures. Studies have shown that applying fresh manure
over a number of years has no increase, or even a decreasing humus content in
the soil, whereas applying composted manures results
in a slow but steady increase of humus and organic matter. Same goes for liquid
animal manures (an old time favourite of gardeners) where manure, mainly
poultry/ pigeon, is steeped in water and then used directly on plants. This is the same as dissolving urea and using it. All liquid types of
fertiliser need to be limited to the capacity of the humus in the soil to
absorb; otherwise it is leached into the water table. One of the main aims of
organic agriculture is to feed the plants via the humus in the soil. Plants
feed through very complex mechanisms. Humus, trace elements, bacteria, fungi,
algae all plays a part. To feed nutrients through water soluble fertilisers or
foliar sprays can cause the plant to take up too many nutrients, to grow lush
and sappy and be more vulnerable to pest and disease attacks.
Guidelines for
manure use:
Collect manure as fresh as possible from an
uncontaminated site.
Store manure, covered, out of the rain
until needed for compost.
Compost aerobically with other materials.
The best way to add the manure to the compost is to make a thick slurry by
adding a little water to a large container and mixing until smooth. This can
then be poured over the layers as you build the heap.
Quality of animal manure varies depending on
the type of animal and their diet. In general, the part of the plant upon which
an animal feeds is best fertilised by the manure of that species.
HOUSEHOLD COMPOSTING
Households today produce large amounts of food waste each day, this firstly
needs to be reduced. (It will save you money as well)
Food waste needs
to be dealt with daily therefore the compost heap in the garden are unsuitable.
Since a compost heap is made at once, covered and left to mature. Imagine you
were making a cake and you continually opened the oven and added more
ingredients! How would such a cake turn out? Since the ingredient is building
up slowly each day the heat generated by the composting system does not happen
therefore a different system needs to be employed. Systems using compost worms
are ideal and there are many to choose from. When choosing a system consider
- Size of the unit - many worm farms are
too small and don’t have a critical mass and can dry out quickly.
- Food scraps attract vermin and flies
especially meat and fish scrapes ensure your system has built in
deterrents.
- End use of compost ie. do you want
lots of compost or a waste elimination system?
-
SUCCESSFUL HOUSEHOLD COMPOSTING
Worm composting
still requires balancing of ingredients. As the bulk is moist food waste (high
N) it needs to be mixed with plenty of dry carbon material, like paper, sawdust
or dry grass. The worms benefit from a little clay and lime (See ingredients
for adding tips)
If the right
systems are used, the worm composting system can become a store for composting
materials. These materials can be used to add to a compost heap when it is
being built. Its value is similar to animal manures.
There are a vast
array of small plastic bins available designed to digest household kitchen
scraps .These bins require more management than a garden compost system. They
don’t produce compost as such. As material is continually being added no heat
is generated This process means that high moisture material being continually
added and can cause the mix to become too wet and acidic, slowing down the
decomposition if carbon materials are not added regularly. As there is no heat
seeds will remain viable.
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Waste eliminator
Good air flow, critical mass, vermin
proof, worm active
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