Simple and effective, aerobic composting uses the natural “aerobic decomposition” process to create a highly dense organic and raw material. Composting, in the simplest terms, is the natural and ongoing decaying process of various natural and organic materials, such as garden and grass clippings, tiny twigs and sticks, tree leaves, and other such waste items.
Compost is well-known among gardeners as an excellent soil conditioner and additive that may boost the productivity and workability of nearly any type of topsoil. Adding aerobic compost to your garden soil enriches it, allowing plants to grow faster and more robustly. It has knock-on benefits for our world in areas as diverse as food production and irrigation.
For this reason, gardeners all over the world hold Aerobic Compost in high esteem; it contains abundant mineral deposits and nutrients that promote the growth of plants in a way that is both healthy and abundant.
The principle of return, or the idea that what you put in can help decide what you receive, is central to the aerobic composting method. To reduce garbage and create a productive, sustainable garden, composting garden waste, and food scraps is the easiest and most effective action.
Composting in the garden is a great way to reduce the amount of water, commercial fertilizer, and pesticides needed to grow healthy flowers and veggies. A simple checklist explains the seven elements needed to guarantee an effective and healthy composting heap. Knowing what compost is and how it may aid your garden can lead to good quality compost, especially for those rookie gardeners.
First, use suitable materials; just as we’re told that maintaining good health requires eating a balanced diet, so too must a compost pile. The composting process relies on the food and energy the materials you add to the bank provided.
Microbes used in composting thrive on a diet that consists of both “greens” (such as recently cut grass, weeds, and garden plants) and “browns” (such as dead leaves, branches, straw, and paper).
You’ve probably already realized that composting only your kitchen scraps is fantastic. While this does produce improvements, achieving noticeable changes quickly requires the right balance of browns and greens. One part of “Green” materials to about 30 parts of “Brown” materials is a good rule of thumb for loading your aerobic composting heap or compost bin.
If you have a lot of browns in your pile, decomposition will take a long time, and if you have a lot of greens, you’ll have a stinking algal problem.
All the materials you add to the compost pile should have these qualities if you want to end up with the greatest compost. First, they need to break down in the environment, and second, they need to contain things that the microbes enjoy. Then, it stands to reason that you should avoid what they dislike, such as various types of meat, bone fragments, fats and cooking oils, and milk-related goods, as these do not decompose well and generally make the compost heap smell terrible. Adding meat scraps and other meat-related waste to an aerobic compost pile is like inviting rats and other scavengers to feast on your compost.
Second, the physical dimensions of a material are crucial. Adding bulky things like branches, leaves, or whole food items to your compost pile will slow decomposition. Because of their limited jaw size, the microorganisms, insects, and worms in your compost prefer to consume food in bite-sized pieces. To make it easier to chew and digest, you can reduce the size of more oversized organic food products by cutting them into tiny parts with a saw, garden shredder, or lawn mower.
Shredding the materials you add facilitates the journey of bacteria and other microorganisms to their preferred food source, typically hidden under massive woody-type brown materials due to their hard exteriors. When biodegradable materials are shrunk, they expose more surface and internal area to the decomposing bacteria.
Since the decomposition rate increases with particle size, pre-sorting and reducing these materials might hasten the breakdown. Shredding woody materials too finely has both benefits and drawbacks.
These finer particles will likely lead to a more compacted aerobic compost heap, reducing ventilation and airflow within the bank and increasing the likelihood that anaerobic conditions will develop due to a lack of oxygen.
The size of your compost heap has a significant impact on the rate of decomposition and the quality of your finished compost pile. Compost heaps are easiest to handle when they are no larger than one cubic meter (3 x 3 x 3 feet) in size. Aerobic compost piles of a smaller size tend to dry out quickly and need frequent watering, while professional compost bins with solid sides and a cover can alleviate this problem. More enormous aerobic composting mounds require more room and must be forked over to increase air circulation.
In addition, when the compost pile is more manageable, regularly turning it with a fork to move freshly added external materials into the pile’s center or even to a different site or composting bin is much easier and requires much less effort.
Fourth, the amount of water present is crucial to the success of fast aerobic composting. Keep the compost pile moist at all times because microbes live in thin watery films surrounding the compost pile’s materials. The bacterial germs in your bank won’t do their job as well if it dries out, so make sure to include plenty of greens. Add some brown and a fork over the pile to mix it in; if the bank gets too wet, the bacterial germs won’t get the oxygen they need.
To determine if the moisture content of your compost pile is within the ideal range (40-60%), grab a handful of the compostable material and squeeze it. Too much moisture has been absorbed by the pile if water trickles between your fingers. Compost needs to be somewhat damp, like a wet towel or sponge, to ensure the growth and decomposition of beneficial microorganisms.
Composting is unquestionably an aerobic process because it involves the introduction of air. A steady supply of clean air facilitates composting, which is vital for the survival of the microorganisms and insects that are integral to the process. Composting requires the regular turning of the pile with a shovel or pitchfork to aerate it and distribute the newer, fresher materials added to the outside to the center.
Aeration can be increased, smell-causing bacteria can be suppressed, and aerobic composting can be sped up by forking or stirring the compost heap and adding dry, gritty materials. “Active composting” refers to the practice of turning compost piles with a fork frequently to hasten the decomposition process. Turning and forking the fortune allows excess water to drain and evaporate while exposing the bank to clean air.
Sixth, microorganisms and insects — without the bacteria and insects that do all the work, there would be no point in having an aerobic composting heap. These microscopic air-breathing microorganisms and their larger earth-loving counterparts found naturally inside the soil structure will thrive in the newly established moist and nutrient-rich environment.
Fungi and bacteria, for example, kick off the decomposition process, while more giant insects like worms, beetles, millipedes, and centipedes finish it. The byproduct is a dark humus that can enrich the soil.
Energy sources, such as “browns” (which provide a carbohydrate source) and “greens” (which give a protein-rich birth), are necessary for the healthy growth and development of all these macro- and micro-organisms. Not only do they need food and shelter, but also air and water.
However, much like humans, these bugs also prefer warm, cozy environments, therefore, the summer months, when the sun’s rays help warm things up, are the best time to make compost out of your organic waste.
Aerobic composting is a lengthy process, so please be patient. As we have seen, many elements affect the rate or duration of composting. These include the moisture level, the amount of aeration, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, and the actual greens-to-brown ratio. Composting times are pretty variable, but aeration and humidity are two significant aspects to consider.
But you can assist Mother Nature by forking and stirring your compost heap every month; this should yield quality compost in about a month or two during the summer and in approximately four to six months during the winter. Pre-mixing the brown and green materials, adding some previous microbe-rich compost, turning or mixing up the pile weekly, and managing the air and water all contribute to faster composting. But if that sounds like too much effort, you can always kick back and let the insects do the dirty work.
Aerobic compost is an excellent garden soil amendment since it improves the soil’s workability and productivity. The compost quality and processing time are greatly influenced by the quantity and kind of materials added to the compost pile.
Your aerobic compost heap is like a mini ecosystem in and of itself; like any ecosystem, it thrives and grows when given the right amount of “Oxygen” (the air), “Warmth” (the sun), “Food” (the compostable materials), and “Moisture” (the water), with the quality and quantity of the finished compost depending on how well you manage and control all of these variables.
Read our Composting Article today to learn how composting helps turn your waste into soil and to discover the various ways to produce good quality compost in your garden to save money and the environment. You’ll also learn how “Aerobic Composting” works, what composting methods and materials are available, and what the benefits and drawbacks of composting are.
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