|
Wed, Dec 14, 11 at 20:18
| I thought I was the compost queen. I just bought a compost thermometer on amazon the retro one. There is some discussion about this, it is a lower priced retro one. It worked fine, but I only got 100 in pile. I thought I was at least 120. Never will get to 140. |
Here is a link that might be useful: this is the one I got, I am going to reiview it at some point
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Nothing wrong with that tool, and probably nothing wrong with your methods. The temperature goes through a natural fluctuation depending on when the pile was turned, fineness of ingredients, degree of mixing, age of pile, and positioning of thermometer, and that's just for starters. If the ambient temperature is less than that in the center of the pile, it's working. 140 degrees is the ideal, but it doesn't last. Don't be discarding that crown just yet. |
|
- Posted by tropical_thought San Francisco (My Page) on Thu, Dec 15, 11 at 0:17
| Thanks, I know it working anyway even if I can't reach 140. I like the thermometer because I used to have to reach into the pile with a gloved hand to see if was hot or not. This is much faster for checking the temperature. Of course if I was checking, I would also mix it around at the same time. Mixing it good for it. |
|
| The internal temperature of your compost pile depends on the bacterial activity in that pile and that depends on the ratio of the energy source (Nitrogen) to the food source (Carbon) as well as the moisture level and the amount of air available to those aerobic bacteria. Many times I find the ratio of water to air limits bacterial activity because those bacteria do not have enough air to utilize, the material is too wet. |
|
| SAMM Size of bin Air and Moisture Material Mix Poster did not state size of bin/pile. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Soil Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.