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Pile not heating up
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Posted by
drmchld 8 (
My Page) on
Tue, Nov 16, 10 at 12:29
| Hi,
I recently added to my pile outside.
I layers 8 inches of brown leaves, some pumpkin that were moldy that i chopped up, rabbit poop, and some coco coir to help with the airflow and moisture retention. The bottom foot was my existing pile that was partially composted and mixed with organic soil, some left over potting soil with perilte, blood meal, bone meal, sweet lime, bat guano, a mychroiaza mix.
So far the pile has not generated any heat. Its been about 3 days. Should I wait a little longer? Should I add more moisture?(Should I use water or make a tea?) Shoild I mix it up?
Pile is 6x6 4feet tall(and shrinking as it compresses)
Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Pile not heating up
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| If it's shrinking after three days, you're probably heating up. I have a leaf bin filled with nothing but leaves and it's not compressing. My new compost piles, on the other hand, are sinking considerably, cold on the outside, but smoking hot on the inside when I turn them. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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Bat quano, you've got bat quano! You've got bats in your belfry, or a bat house? Saw a movie once about how they mine the stuff in Arizona (I think), its something most would give their eye teeth for....if eyes had teeth.
How much quano R we talkin....you're richer than you think....I wouldn't worry about it heating up after 3 days...time, is what the pile counts on. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| wait! sounds like a crazy mix of good material to me. did you poke your way into the center? |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| The bat guano is actually bagged and store bought. I wish I had a fresh source :) The bottom layer is a nice organic mix I started with to cook until next May after frost. I haven't dug down into the center yet. I was going to give it sometime more time. It hasn't been too warm out the last week. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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If the mixture does not have sufficient Nitrogen the bacteria that will digest that material will not work fast enough to generate large amounts of heat. To an extent the more N in the mix the faster the microbes work and trhe more heat they generate. Along with N there is air, since these microbes need to breath also so if the mix is too wet air is excluded and they will not work as fast.
Many of us have learned that high heat is not necessary for digestion. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| Unsulfurd mollases mixed in water or milk helps get the bacteria going. I add my old cold coffee with the mollases. The grinds are great for compost too. Sounds like a great mix to me! |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| My question would be -- what type of leaves and how small are the pieces? The small the pieces of leaf material, the quicker things will compost. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| My question would be---unless you have a compost thermometer---how do you know it isn't heating up? My compost is steaming hot in the middle right now and stone cold on all external surfaces. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| I would add more greens to the pile. I like a mix of 25% greens to 75% browns. Also I believe your pile is maybe to big. The optimal size that I've heard mentioned is a 3ft cube. Anything over a 6 ft cube is able to combust all by itself. Not something you want. I usually know mine is working well when I see the little lines of ash in the pile as I turn it. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| The optimal size pile for backyard composting is 3' by 3' UP TO 5' by 5'. It depends partly on the materials. For example, using sawdust and other finely shredded materials, 3' by 3' might be the best size. Using larger woody materials such as wood chips, 5' by 5' may be the optimal size. I use a 4' by 4' by 24" or 30" high pile, with shredded leaves as my main brown. The height does not have to be quite as high as the other dimensions when the pile rests on dirt. In my experience, 4'by4'by24" high works as well or better than 3'by3'by3'. And the lower the pile, the easier to turn. When the pile size, C:N ratio, moisture, and particle size are all optimal, max. temp. of 160 or 165F (warmer months) will be reached in two or three days after the pile is begun. |
RE: Pile not heating up
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| I added some alfalfa cubes to mine, it really started heating up to 153 degrees. You can find it at tractor supply or your local feed store. |
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