The organisms involved in composting are much like other forms of life, requiring water, air, and food to thrive. In this article, we will be discussing the best conditions for making compost and the essentials involved.
Moisture
All forms of life require moisture in order to survive. This also includes the various organisms and bugs that are present in the entire process of composing. You must also remember that composting organisms thrive in the moisture film that envelopes every particle. If the moisture is less these composting organisms will die or even become dormant. If the moisture level is too much then they will drown, creating an environment suitable for anaerobic bacteria which thrive even without air and this creates nasty odors. The ideal conditions are, composting materials must be wet however not soaking wet. So, maintaining the right level of moisture is very important in order for you to successfully compost. There are a few things that you could do that includes, spray the heap if it dries out, ensure your composter is in a location that has shade, cover your compost pile with plywood, old carpet, or even plastic, make sure you mix your compose material thoroughly before adding additional moisture.
Aeration
Just like water is essential composting organisms require oxygen. If you want good compost, you must make sure the aeration is good. There are a couple of things that you could follow;
- Make plenty of air pockets, add rigid materials, wood chips, sticks, and stems. So, if you blend in a sufficient amount of moisture with these materials it creates heat resulting in the chimney effect and it draws air to the composting pile.
- You do not build a big heap as it would squeeze out all the oxygen pockets. Smaller heaps retain more oxygen.
- Add coarse materials to the base of the composter, lifting it a bit higher, allowing the air to circulate underneath.
- Mix your compost regularly as it helps to aerate and fluff up the materials.
Brown and Green materials
Your composting materials must always have a balance in the brown and green materials as they are rich in carbon and nitrogen accordingly. When I speak about ‘Green’ materials it includes grass cuttings with proteins that is very important for reproduction and growth. ‘Brown’ materials like autumn leaves help to supply energy. Luckily, most of all your garden wastes are enough and well balanced as they include plenty of browns and greens in the form of weed, old plants, bush trimmings, and old flowers
Particle size
In terms of composting the size of the particle is extremely important because it breaks down faster if the particles are small. And if you want to speed up the process you can;
- Run over weeds or leaves with the lawnmower
- Utilize the pruning shears and slice materials into 10-centimeter pieces
- Cut materials from wood with a sharp shear or sharp spade
Always remember that when it comes to your compost pile variety is important so always make sure you mix and have a variety along with the right condition required for your composting.
That’s all for this article I hope you enjoyed reading it, happy composting!