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permaculture - [permaculture] Update: Humanure, trench composting with biomass and weeds, Hugelkulture

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Update: Humanure, trench composting with biomass and weeds, Hugelkulture
  • Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 02:05:03 -0400


Here's a revised description of this system.

Its a subject of interest to me: how to alternatively, safely, completely, efficiently and naturally process humanure.

A lot of people use 5 gal. plastic bucket with sawdust (or compost).
Another solution is to, in warm weather, create a trench running with a slight downhill grade, about 10-16" deep (not critical). Fill it with cut weeds. Use it, "flush" afterward with buckets of water to dilute and disperse the solids into the mass of weeds. Use a different spot along the trench each day. Eventually weeds will grow into the trench and convert the existing nutrients into plant food. As the level of plant material drops add new layers of more cut weeds (dried weeds, green or compost OK).
In winter use the same system but make the trench wider and deeper. Pile biomass into the trench to 12" above existing grade (it will settle out so keep replenishing the pile). Use it and "flush" as described above. Use only the upper half of the length of the trench always. Leave the lower half to process the humanure and convert it to compost in combination with the biomass added to the trench.
During heavy rain the trench will flush itself by overflowing onto adjoining grade and then downhill to fertilize plantings safely.
The extra amount of biomass used in winter will insulate the trench
from the cold allowing the composting process to continue, a little less in winter but nevertheless adequately. You could always build a little tunnel type greenhouse to cover and further insulate the trench; lift up one side of the plastic for access to the trench to use the system. This might be a sort of modified Hugelkulture composting system.

The humanure trench composting system should have the following approximate dimensions:
20-40 feet long, 16" to 24" wide and 12" to 18" deep

This should be constructed on a slight grade, with the grade and not across; finished, clean effluent should exit the lower end during heavy rainfall.

- The top 25% of the trench should contain compost and cut weeds and not be used
- The middle 25% is the portion to be used daily; flush with buckets of water or preferably with water from a garden hose; allow weeds growing near the trench to grow into the entire length of the trench, especially the zone used daily
- The lower 50% of the trench is not used and contains compost, cut weeds and living plant material, annuals or possibly perennials or even aquatic (for poorly drained soils in which the trench is constructed);
tall annuals work really well, establish a weed seed bank in and around the trench for a robust, healthy plant community growing around and in the trench; annuals and rhizomateous plants like Johnson grass, Bermuda grass, plantain, fescue, ryegrass, daisies, goldenrod, ragweed and many other "mystery weeds" work really well for this purpose

The upper 25% of the trench, containing bioactive compost, generates a
robust and healthy community of beneficial microorganisms some of which
get flushed into the next 25% of the trench, the active area, helping
the composting and bioremediation to occur efficiently. The lower 50% of the trench is the finishing area where the process of bioremediation is completed producing clean effluent to flow out of the trench and downhill to fertilize plantings or flow into a catchment pond growing aquatic weeds like duckweed, cattails, papyrus and water lillies.




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