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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Fungus-dominated compost vs. bacteria-dominated compost. How to make each? Innoculents needed?

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Fungus-dominated compost vs. bacteria-dominated compost. How to make each? Innoculents needed?
  • Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:16:50 -0400

=Adam Grubb adam at eatthesuburbs.org
=Sat Mar 21 01:46:53 EDT 2009

=Higher carbon content will make it more fungal dominated, esp if that
=includes woodchips. Also letting it cure for longer after it has cooled
=down. You can keeping a separate pile of woodchips which you inoculate with
=fungi mycelia that you pick up from healthy forests or orchards can help you
=keep a good supply of fungi around, and you can add some of that to the
=compost after the hot period. (At my house, that's actually the mulch
=paths).

=Bacteria prefer higher nitrogen conditions, and more thoroughly mixed
=ingredients (fungi can get the right c:n ratio by harvesting from different
=parts in the pile, whereas bacteria are stuck with what's in front of them).

=Fungi (except yeast) die in anaerobic conditions so you need to keep aerobic
=(but you want to do that in both cases anyway so go get good aerobic
=bacteria). Most commercial compost I see has little or no fungi because it
=has gone anaerobic in making.

That's great information, Adam. Many thanks.

So, what exactly is the legendary "cold compost" I have associated with making biodynamic compost, for some reason. I know that poles or sticks are inserted into the piles for aeration (maybe that has something to do with the "cold" factor).

Also, I assume that the black color of aged organic matter in soils enriched over a long period with much compost and or manures is due to the presence of carbon; i.e. its pure carbon that gives it that color. Seems obvious.
IOW handmade charcoal, powdered and incorporated into soil is the same material as the well-aged organic matter in soil that is also black. Some question....





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