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Sustainable technologyhttp://journeytoforever.orghttp://community2gard.insanejournal.comhttp://sustain2tech.insanejournal.comhttp://food2bank.insanejournal.comhttp://row2grow.insanejournal.com
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2008 SOLARFESTCompost: The Secret Recipe
Wendy Sue Harper, Ph.D.Vegetable and Fruit Technical Assistance
AdvisorNortheast Organic Farming Association
of Vermont
www.nofavt.org
Questions and Answers• What do you want to get out of this talk?• Rot is Hot—but does it have to heat up?• What’s the best recipe for me?• How long have humans made compost?• Why is compost brown?• Which birds make hot compost— better than some people?• What are three things you should not compost?• How do small compost organisms get from pile to
pile?• Why does compost suppress some plant diseases,
and which ones are suppressed best?
Today’s Session• Questions• Compost through the ages• Who’s doing this for you?• Principles of Composting
– Recipes– Methods– What not to compost
• Composts value• Composts use• Questions• Resources
Compost Through the Ages • Native and ancient peoples• U.S. presidents• Albert Howard• Rodale Institute, BioCycle• NOFA’s and MOFGA’s• Towns and cities• Researchers at universities
• Farmers and gardeners have always composted.
New Farm
Richmond Then and Now
What is Compost?• Compost is the biological reduction of
organic wastes to humus. (Golueke)
Scientific American, 1991
The Brush Turkey
Mound builders are “Megapodes,” big feet, (family Megapodiidae)
Scientific American, 1991
What is Compost?• Compost is the biological decomposition of
organic matter under controlled aerobicconditions. In contrast, fermentation is the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter .(Epstein)
What is the Secret of Compost?
It is all about biology.
SMBDFW
Tulane Uni.
The Ecology of Compost
DFW
Think About Scale in this Watery World
• Microscopic organisms: swim in thin skins of water that coat particles in compost
• Medium size mites: walk knee-deep in water in pores
• Bigger organisms like insects and worms: make pores in compost
Microflora Swimmers: Bacteria
DFW
SMB SMB
SMB
Microflora Swimmers: Actinomycetes
SMBSMB
SMB
Microflora Swimmers: Fungi & Molds
Mold
FungiDFWSMB
SMB
SMB
University of Edinburgh
Microflora Swimmers: Fungi
Saprophytic
Parasitic
SMB
SMB
Compounds Produced:
Lignin becomes humusSMB
SMB
SMB
Fungal Phenolic Compounds
Melanin Granules
SMB
SMB
SMB
SMBSMB
Microflora Swimmers: Yeast
SMB
SMB
A Plant Virus
Plant Cell
Viruses
SMB
SMB
Microflora Swimmers: Algae
SMB
SMB
SMB
Microfauna Swimmers: Protozoa
Flagellates
Ciliates
Amoebas
DFW
DFW
SMB
Tulane University
Microfauna Swimmers: Rotifers
DFW
Microbus
Microscopy-UK
Microfauna Swimmers: Nematodes
Fungal Hyphae Nooses
Parasitized Nematode
Captured Nematodes
Interesting Relationships and Population Checks and Balances.
DFW
DFW
SMB
SMB
SMB
Mesofauna: Walk Knee-Deep in Water
Mold Mite Beetle Mite
Predatory MiteDFW
DFWDFW
Soil-USDA
More Interesting Relationships!! Phoresy: Detritivore Hitchhikers
Sucker Disc
Immature Mites
PhoreticNematodes
DFW
DFW
DFW
DFW
Mesofauna: Walk Knee-Deep in Water
Bark Lice
Spring Tails
Feathered-winged Beetle
PseudoscorpionDFW
DFW
DFW
DFW
Macrofauna: Pore Makers
Earthworms White Worms or Potworms
Millipede
DFW
DFWDFW
Macrofauna: Pore Makers
Ispod, Pill or Sow Bug
Slug
Land Snails Maggots or Fly LarvaeDFW
DFW
DFW
DFW
Macrofauna: Pore Makers
Centipede
Ground Beetle
Ants
DFW
DFW
DFW
Macrofauna: Pore Makers
Land Planarian, Flat Worm or Turbellaria
Wolf SpiderDFW
DFW
The Ecology of Decomposition& Soils
DFW
Principles of Composting• C:N Ratios
– Recipe• Moisture Balanced with Oxygen
– Recipe– Particle Size
• Temperature – Recipe– Size of pile– Microbes and Macrobes– Time
• Management– Assess Your Level of Interest
The Process in a Compost Pile:
• Microbial enzymatic digestion needs:• C, N, O2, H2O, Microbes, Volume for warmth,
Others?
H2O Vapor, CO2, Heat
On-Farm Composting Handbook
The Hot Composting Process
Active Phase
Curing Phase
Cornell University Waste Management Institute
Hot Compost Process Reviewed
• Stage 1: Quick digestion (1-2 days)
• Stage 2: Thermophilic digestion of cellulose (several weeks to months)
• Stage 3: Curing Phase recolonization by mesophiles (up to 4 months)
C:N Ratio• If hot compost is desired, the ratio preferred is
about 25-30:1, but 20-40:1 is acceptable.• High C materials: straw, hay, woody materials,
dried corn stalks, paper wastes.– Not are Carbon behaves the same.
• High N materials: manures, green material, food wastes.
• Start with 1 handful of N wastes to 3 of C wastes.• Cornell’s WWW site for recipe design:
– http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_Homepage.htmlCornell University Waste Management Institute
What NOT to Compost• Plants diseased with a virus• Organic materials treated with toxic substances
– PT lumber wastes• Plastics• Pet wastes• Coal ash• Plants containing poisonous substances
• **Weeds gone to seed• **Diseased plants (non-virus)• **Meat, dairy, food oil
Cuke: University of Illinois Extension
Moisture Balanced with O2• If hot compost is desired, a range of 50-60% is
preferred, but 40-65% is acceptable.• Field Test: Compost should feel like a damp
sponge. Moist, but you can’t ring water out of it.• Generally, if the C:N ratio is OK, moisture is
OK. • Cornell’s WWW site for recipe design
– //http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_Homepage.html
• Particle size and thus pile porosity are important too!
Proper Moisture Too Much Moisture
Cornell University Waste Management Institute
Getting Oxygen into the Pile:Good Porosity
Cornell University Waste Management Institute
Desired Recipe Characteristics:
Characteristic ReasonableRange
Preferred Range
Carbon toNitrogen Ratio
20:1-40:1 25:1-30:1
Moisture Content 40-65% 50-60%
pH 5.5-9 6.5-8.5
Oxygen Content Minimum 5%
On-Farm Compost Handbook
Temperature• Thermophilic
– over 40oC or 105oF– Destroy Weed Seeds– Destroy Pathogens– Quicker– More Management– More Labor– Less Disease
Suppression– Microorganisms:
Bacteria, and Fungi and Actinomycetes
• Mesophilic– 10- 40oC or 50-105oF– Less Management– Less labor– More Disease
Suppression– Slower– May Not Destroy
Weed Seeds and Pathogens
– Micro and Macro-Organisms Involved
SMB
SMB
SMB
Management
VS.
.
Compost a Recipe for Trouble!
Aerobic Methods
• Small piles and bins
• Windrows
• Passive aeration
On-Farm Compost Handbook
Gardener’s Easy Practical Compost Method • In bins or free standing.• Build pile by adding 1 handful
of green/wet stuff for every 3 handfuls of brown/dry stuff, added overtime.
• Add soil/old compost for odor control.
• Turn and rebuild pile in fall, mix in garden cleanup debris.
• Wait 2-3 years before using.• Do not add weeds gone to seed
or plants infected with viruses.
ORGANIC MATERIALS
ORGANIC MATERIALS - Grass, leaves, weeds, etc.
ORGANIC MATERIALS
1-2” manure
Cross Section of Layering in Compost Bin
1-2”
6-8”
SOIL
SOIL
SOIL
SOIL LINE
Troubleshooting (Summer)• Wet and stinky?
• Dry not working?
• No heat when turned?
• Add C materials and turn in sunny weather. Shape to shed water. Break up matting or compaction.
• Add N materials and turn when raining. Shape to hold water.
• Look at material if dark and crumbly with good earth smell, may be curing. No? Check size and see above.
What Composting Does for You!1. Decrease bulk of the pile (CO2 gas)2. C:N ratio3. Odor 4. Hot composting kills weed seeds & pathogens5. Cool composting provides disease suppression6. Humified (turning to humus) material is a slow
release fertilizer7. Wastes become useful material
gardener’s brown gold
Compost Improves Soil FertilitySoil Fertility is
The ability of a soil to provide a physicalphysical, chemicalchemical, and biologicalbiological environment for the plant that is health sustaining.
This is along term ecosystem based or ecological agriculture perspective!
Promote Soil Tilth with Compost• All the physical properties of soil related to plant growth
– Including: structure, drainage, aeration, moisture holding capacity, bulk density
– It aggregates soil creating structure. • And Thus:
– Drainage and aeration in clay soils (macropores) – Water holding capacity in sandy soils (micropores)– Lower bulk densities
*Cause it creates the missing pores!*Macropore hold air and drain—between soil aggregatesMicropores hold water—within soil aggregates
OM = Drought Prevention Insurance
Promote Diverse Soil Organisms with Compost
• Provides food and energy for organisms• Stimulate plant root growth• Stimulate diverse communities of
microorganisms• Suppress diseases: fungal best
SMB
SMB
SMB
Promote Soil-Plant Nutrition with Compost
• Increase Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)• Over-time builds N, P, S & micronutrients• Chelation or complexing of metals• Help to buffer soils pH reaction
K+
Using Compost
• Mulch or top dressing• Soil amendment• Potting mix ingredient
Scientific American, 1991
Questions?
Useful Compost Resources• The Rodale Book of Composting
by Deborah L. Martin & Grace Gershuny. Rodale Press. 1992.
• On-Farm Composting Handbook by Robert Rynk. NRAES-54. 1992.
• Cornell’s WWW site:http://compost.css.cornell.edu/Composting_Homepage.html
• ATTRA’s WWW site:– http://attra.ncat.org/
Biological Slide References• DFW: The Decomposer Food Web: Ecology
of organisms of compost and soil litter byDr. Daniel Dindal, Professor Emertius, Soil Ecologist, SUNY-Syracuse
• SMB: Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry from Soil Science Society of America
The End
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