How to Make Super Compost
"Super compost" is more potent than traditional compost. It is a hot compost that, when made correctly, reduces the risk of diseases in planting crops and increases production. The time it takes to make super compost depends on the size of your compost bin and how often it is aerated. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Compost bin
- Shovel or pitchfork
- Green compost material
- Brown compost material
- Chicken wire
Instructions
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Make or purchase a compost bin. The compost bin is as simple as a wooden bin, but any container will work as long as it allows for turning and provides adequate oxygen to the compost.
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Assemble the compost materials in the bin until they reach the top. Materials should be added in equal amounts of brown and green—brown materials are high in carbons and green are high in nitrogen.
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Circulate oxygen to the super compost. Oxygen is necessary for anaerobic decomposition. Slatted bins offer adequate airflow, but some bins benefit from a chimney—A length of chicken wire rolled into a hollow cylinder and set in the bin before materials are added. The structure allows air to get to the compost material, which otherwise would have been smothered by the compost bin walls.
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Turn the compost. Depending on the size of the bin, compost should be turned every week to once a month. Using a shovel or pitchfork, turn the compost from the center out. Turn and rotate the compost at the same intervals until it has changed composition.
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Remove the completed compost. Super compost that is ready for use is damp and dark in color. After removal from the bin, allow the compost to cool—the remaining, material in the bin should be reduced in size by a little over a third.
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Tips & Warnings
Super compost is rich in nutrients and should be added to soil and fertilizer to increase the health of plants. Each year, up to 6 inches of compost can be turned into the soil to release trace elements and plant nutrients all year long.
Add compost in equal amounts with sand and soil to make potting mix.
“Green” compost materials include coffee grounds, eggshells, fresh grass clippings, hair, tea leaves, vegetables and peelings.
“Brown” compost materials include dead leaves, dried grass clippings, coffee filters, sawdust, paper, hay, and cotton.
Super compost doesn’t happen overnight or over the course of a week. Good compost often takes months to cultivate before it is ready for use.
The general rule of thumb for compost materials is to include anything that was once alive. This does not mean animals. Meat, chicken, fish and any kind of fats cause compost to slow down decomposition and attract unwanted pests.
Avoid using dairy products, whole eggs, treated wood and weeds or items that include seeds. These items are harmful to the compost and should not be used.
References
- Photo Credit growing plant in soil image by joanna wnuk from Fotolia.com
