Composting Problems
Composting Problems
There are five problems that can arise when you are composting. All of the issues are
relatively easy to troubleshoot and fix. During your routine monitoring of the pile keep a
look out for signs of a problem and try some of the suggested solutions listed below.
If you see a swarm of flies around your compost bin chances are you have not put enough
brown food (leaves, twigs, hay) on top of your kitchen scraps. The kitchen scraps are
very inviting to fruit and house flies, make sure you don't leave them exposed.
Your compost bin has a bad smell. The most likely cause is not enough air is getting
through to all parts of the compost. Give the compost a good turning and add a bulky
substance such as woodchips or sawdust. They are bulky and created pockets where the
air can move freely.
If you find that your pile is very dry, add some moisture in the form of water. You
should not soak the pile, just enough to get it wet. If the pile is continually drying out
look at other factors such as location and what you are adding – you may have to move
the bin to a less sunny location or add more wet scraps (fruit and vegetable waste).
Your compost pile seems to be working (it is moist and warm) but only in spots. Either
your pile is not large enough or you are not rotating it enough. Make sure you are
regularly adding new scraps and are rotating the pile every second day.
Like the problem of flies, if you have pests visiting your pile you need to make sure you
are covering all kitchen scraps thoroughly. Moreover, do not add any animal products
such as meat or bones.
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Seasonal Considerations For Composting
... and summer months. The reason is that heat is such an important element to the process. Even though the compost process itself generates heat, the warmth from the weather certainly helps everything along. Most composts goes dormant in the winter months and start-up again with the spring thaw and warmer ...
... is required of you is to pile your leaves and grass clippings into a pile and wait. The process is slow and long it will not yield usable compost for up to one year. Be careful not to put in any weeds or other undesirable plants, as there is no heat they will survive the composting process and can grow ...
... site for your composting bin, you will need a good base for the bottom of leaves and high-quality soil. The leaves should be chopped or chipped so that no one piece is larger than two-three inches (this is a good rule of thumb for all materials added to the bin). Once your bin and base are in place you ...
The Low Down On Home Based Composting Processes
... These objects will then be placed in a circular trench, which is about 5 inches in width and an inch deep. Another hole is dug at a center, an additional inch deeper than the outer circle, and this is where most of the rough materials are placed. From this, layers and layers of manure, wasted leaves and ...
The Greens And Browns Of Composting
... refer to the organic materials used in creating compost. The major differences between these two elements are not so much on the colors of the organic matter themselves but rather on their basic components. The Greens are organic materials rich in nitrogen or protein. Meanwhile, Browns are those organic ...