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- From: BCLuton AT aol.com
- To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] fungal compost?
- Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2008 07:58:57 EST
Hi John...
Let me start by saying if it sits long enough it will decompose. That
said I've dug into ten year old pile of horse bedding and been able to make out
saw dust.
It certainly can be difficult to achieve a thermophilic process(heat) with
a really high carbon compost feedstock such as horses being bedded clean on
sawdust. The ideas to add low carbon high nitrogen sources in some form
are valid ones but as you mentioned source and quality can be an issue. In
some areas green grass clippings from landscapers/etc. can be incorporated with
horse bedding to good result. Liquid dairy manure would also work well if
you had a good way to handle, incorporate and turn the stuff. The cost of
blood meal seems prohibitive and the concerns with poultry litter can be
valid.(although often times the stuff is fine)
Beyond the carbon to nitrogen ratio the biggest inhibiting factor with a
uniform feedstock like sawdust bedding is maintaining moisture levels and
keeping the pile well aerated. Both will greatly assist with decomposition
irregardless of whether you add additional nitrogen. The piles should be
moist but not wet. Think fresh cake like and with no free water.(not
dripping) You can irrigate the piles initially if need be. Or
perhaps natural rainfall will be adequate. Turning the piles will help
incorporate moisture(if the guts are dry - as is often the case with sawdust)
and will additional aerate them. On a farm scale a loader bucket can be
used quite effectively to turn a pile. One method is to lift and
drop. You'll actually be moving the pile laterally. You scoop from
the bottom and drop over the top. Keep on working down the row until its
turned and moved. Another good way if you have an extra bucket is to weld
a few bale spears onto the bucket. They protrude by a few feet at the
end. Now you can more easily lift and "sift" the action of lifting
the material while allowing it to pour out the bucket and thus be aggitated
by falling past the protruding spears works pretty well.
The biggest issues with not achieving active heating in the pile is
the duration of decomposition - concerns over weed seeds - and potentially not
immediately killing any manure pathogens/etc.
In terms of time turning will help, weed seeds may be a problem but just
incorporate the compost into your rotation accordingly (and maybe do a test
area) there may not be a lot of weed seeds in the feedstocks and you could be
fine. Research on pathogens in compost piles is beginning to suggest that
its actually the curing phase when the pile cools and it becomes fungally
dominated that the pathogens are in decline.
In terms of "creating" a fungally dominated pile. We've done some
experimentation associated with carbon decomposing fungal varieties.(primarily
around wood chips) And have had limited success. In theory there are
some fungal organisms that are very effective at breaking down carbon and
cellulose and in theory innoculating a pile with these organisms would seem like
a good way to handle high carbon composts. In practice I'm finding the
process is an added expense that doesn't always seem to work. The reality
is that a compost pile tends to be already dominated by an array of bacterial
and fungal organisms and its awfully hard to throw a newbie in the neighborhood
and expect them to thrive.
Inherently the high carbon piles will naturally lean towards fungal
dominated decomposition. I personally think there is a great roll for both
types of composts in the field. A great deal of soil benefit can be
associated with healthy fungal populations and the carbon retained in a fungal
compost is more annalogous to active carbon in the soil(which is now being
associated with better soil aggregation / disease resistance / mineralization /
etc.) as opposed to the more highly decomposed humic substances
associated with fully finished thermophillic composts.
Apologies for the lengthy drivel...hopefully something worthwhile.
The gist would be to....watch the moisture, turn the piles, and spread the
stuff.
Good luck.
Brian
In a message dated 1/8/2008 10:00:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
xkarmafarmerx AT yahoo.com writes:
Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year. |
-
[Market-farming] fungal compost?,
no one, 01/08/2008
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
-
Re: [Market-farming] fungal compost?,
BCLuton, 01/09/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] fungal compost?, maury sheets, 01/09/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] fungal compost?, BCLuton, 01/09/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] fungal compost?, Robert Schuler, 01/09/2008
- Re: [Market-farming] fungal compost?, Steve Diver, 01/13/2008
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