Manure composting experiment

[DTOM420]

I wanted to post this compost calculator that Tim Wilson (Micobeman on ICMag) have to me. I’m still confused by the wet/dry component thing but I KNOW this will be incredibly handy; so, I thought I’d share it with my AFN family!

https://www.klickitatcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/3523/Compost-Calculator

He has a very interesting webpage that some organic growers may enjoy reading:
http://www.microbeorganics.com

ENJOY!!

 

[hecno]

From what I can see it is way to dry . I see it is on the ground , which is how I do it . But being that dry you will not get the worms to travel though with it correct moisture content the worms and microbes will come , which you want . As you are building it use molasses at 5 ml a ltr , which feeds the microbes , which the worms eat , now I am talking earth worms here . The time frame is longer but I believe the result is better .

 

[DTOM420]

I wanted to post this compost calculator that Tim Wilson (Micobeman on ICMag) have to me. I’m still confused by the wet/dry component thing but I KNOW this will be incredibly handy; so, I thought I’d share it with my AFN family!

https://www.klickitatcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/3523/Compost-Calculator

 

[hecno]

This is my soil worm farm .

 

[DTOM420]

From what I can see it is way to dry . I see it is on the ground , which is how I do it . But being that dry you will not get the worms to travel though with it correct moisture content the worms and microbes will come , which you want . As you are building it use molasses at 5 ml a ltr , which feeds the microbes , which the worms eat , now I am talking earth worms here . The time frame is longer but I believe the result is better .

Ok, I will wet it more with my next turn. The reason I mixed this heavily and tried to leave it ‘fluffier’ is that I have a more conventional pile that’s fresh cow manure, old leaves and dry grass/weed clippings that was very wet and it didn’t heat either! Lol! After 2-2.5 weeks there’s still globs (balls, nuggets, whatever you want to call the chunks) of manure that, when broken open, are as green and fresh manure smelling as when they dropped out of the cow! Lol! Unlike my chicken coop bedding and chicken manure pile, I got very little heat and no visible fungal growth when I turned it. The manure pile was wetter than the chicken pile so I thought I had used TOO much water and so I left this one drier - hoping that there would be more airflow for the bacteria and fungi to grow.

I know it’s a balancing act and I’m teetering on the beam here. Lol! I can use all the advice I can get. I’m NOT disagreeing with you - I’m just explaining where I was at when I built the cube. I was attempting to recreate the conditions that actually DID heat up for me. I wish there was a fool-proof descriptor for things like the moisture content in a compost pile; so I could get it right! I don’t have anyone locally to lean on so I can’t go look at a pile made buy an expert to SEE and FEEL what the perfect moisture level is.

Questions for you: It’s the microbes that compost the material, correct? Worms just eat the bacterial slime, I believe. And the bacteria and fungi need air to grow, don’t they? So, if it’s like a wet porridge consistency (say, like cooked oatmeal that’s pretty dry and pasty) wouldn’t that be devoid of the necessary oxygen for microbial breakdown to occur? Or am I looking at this wrong?

 

[DTOM420]

This is my soil worm farm .
View attachment 967210

I have worms on the way. Our local worm guy, who’s a big online retailer, encouraged me to stick with Alabama jumpers which are quite expensive. $45/.5lb instead of the red wigglers he sells because of our extreme heat in the summers. He said that unless I can take the time (like he does) to cool them during the 3 months of 100° temps, most will die. So, I only ordered a 1/2lb to start a 100 gallon bin I made from a water trough. These worms are also perfectly suited to our clay-rich soil. So, when I get enough multiplied, I’ll start releasing them into my cannabis beds. Hoping to keep them nearby (instead of heading into the compacted clay soil outside the beds, by continuing to feed my beds with organic material.

How fast are those red wigglers at breaking stuff down? I’d be willing to get a pound of them for another bin if they could do a considerable amount between now and next June, when it’ll really start warming up. I could release them into the in-ground beds where they could dive deep and maybe survive the summer.

 

[hecno]

Mate do you understand what is going on here .