Composting

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Composting

• By Marc Landry CEPIT
• Organik Touch

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• Organik Touch
• Specialize in organic fertilizers, landscaping,
  lawn care and horticultural services

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Composting basics

• Composting is easy. You don't need any special
  knowledge or equipment, and it takes only a
  little extra effort to collect your wastes and
  establish an active compost pile.

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How composting works

• In nature, organic wastes are broken down
• through a combination of biological and
• chemical processes. Biological agents like
• worms, insects, fungi, bacteria and other
• micro-organisms "chew up" the materials,
• which are further transformed by oxidation
• (exposure to air), reduction and hydrolysis
• (exposure to water).

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Successful composting

• The right amount of water and air to keep the
  biological and chemical processes functioning.
• The right temperature. For the purposes of
  composting, the warmer it gets, the better. In a
  cool environment, the composting process slows
  down.
• The right CN ratio. This ratio will affect the
  speed of decomposition. Ideally, your CN ratio
  should be thirty to one..
• The right container. You can build your own or
  buy one from your local hardware store or garden
  supply centre.

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Keys to success

• Air
• Humidity
• Turning
• Material (size and mixture)

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Building a composter

• Building your own composter will allow you to
  design a unit to suit your specific needs. A
  composter can be made of wood, concrete blocks,
  wire mesh or almost any material you have
  available.

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Key features in a composter

• A lid that protects the pile from rain and snow
  and allows you to control how much moisture gets
  in.
• Holes or vents to allow air circulation.
• A means of removing the final product.
• Access for turning the pile

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Compost recipe

• You can use the simple rule that compost needs to
  be about half "brown" and half "green"
• Learn to C/N ratio to balance the recipe

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• Algae
• Bone meal
• Coffee grounds
• Eggshells
• Feathers
• Flowers
• Fruit and fruit peels
• Grass clippings (fresh)
• Hair
• Manure
• Seaweed
• Tea Leaves
• Vegetables and peelings
• Weeds

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C N Ratio - GREENS
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• Buckwheat hulls
• Coffee filters
• Corn cobs
• Cotton/wool/silk scraps
• Grass clippings (dried)
• Hay
• Leaves (dead)
• Paper
• Peat moss
• Pine needles
• Sawdust
• Straw
• Tea bags
• Wood chips
• Wood ash

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C N Ratios - Brown
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• Pet wastes
• meat, fish, fats and dairy products
• insect-infested or diseased plants

• Materials contaminated by synthetic chemicals or
  treated with herbicides or insecticides
• Weeds with mature seeds, and plants with a
  persistent root system
• Leaves of rhubarb, oak and walnut contain
  substances toxic to insects or other plants
• Painted products
• Contaminated ashes
• Bio medical waste

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Building a compost pile

• Gather both "green" and "brown" ingredients,
  enough to make a compost pile measuring at least
  1 meter (3 feet) in each direction (high, wide
  and long).
• Chop or shred into small pieces as much of the
  material as possible
• Layer 15 cm (6 inches) of well-watered "browns"
  and 15 cm of "greens," mixing the two layers
  together.

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Troubleshooting

• Smell
• An earthy scent is normal and inoffensive, but a
  well-built compost shouldn't produce unpleasant
  odors.
• If it does, your problem is either too much
  "green" stuff (ammonia smell) or too little air
  (rotten-egg smell).
• First, aerate the pile. If the odor persists,
  turn and rebuild the pile with more "brown"
  materials.
• What if the compost pile doesn't heat up?
• The odds are that an inactive compost pile just
  doesn't have enough "greens" or
• The pile is too small
• Check if the pile is moist

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Benefits of compost

• It helps hold moisture in the soil making your
  plants more drought-tolerant.
• Compost releases nutrients slowly when your plant
  needs them.
• Compost adds macronutrients (nitrogen,
  phosphorous and potassium) and micronutrients
  (calcium, magnesium and boron) to the soil.
• Compost allows your plants to become healthier
  and stronger. The result is that they are much
  moreresistant to disease and pest problems.