What
constitutes high quality in finished compost?
Compost
quality cannot be measured merely with a look at its color, a sniff,
and a feel. Neither can it be established by what is not in it.
Of course the appearance needs to resemble crumbly moist soil, but
its performance needs to be evaluated. How will the compost affect
plant growth? How well was the organic material converted to humus?
The product needs to have the energy to support plant growth for
many months.
Thorough
laboratory analysis has been designed specifically to analyze compost,
evaluating how effective the compost process was in allowing beneficial
biological activity. Quality can be established by testing for:
- Phytotoxins
- Nitrogen
cycle
- pH level
- Sulfides
- Sodium and
other salt levels
- Energy indicators
- Germination
- Pathogen
screening
- Number and
diversity of beneficial organisms
- Aerobic to
anaerobic ratio of ten or more aerobes to every anaerobe
Microscopic
examination should show crumb structure (soil aggregation) composed
of a wide variety of beneficial microorganisms, packed with nutrients
in a stabilized (non-leachable) and root-friendly form. High quality
compost will germinate any variety of seed at full strength.
Ranges
in compost vary from benign to very beneficial and valuable. A high
quality compost can be used for any type of plant propogation.
Midwest
Bio-Systems' unique Value Point System provides recommended uses
for every product tested through our system. Samples achieving certain
point criteria receive an ACS Seal of Quality certificate
along with suggested applications.
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Can
high quality compost be used along with fertilizers?
Yes, and savings are realized as fertilizer inputs are reduced as
soil health is built over time with repeat compost applications.
Even with the first application of compost the amount of fertilizer
used can and should be reduced.
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What
is humus, how is it formed, and why is it important?
Humus
formation is the return of formerly rich, fertile soils to their
original state. High quality composting is simply
reversing the process of soil "mining" where nutrients
and beneficial properties are removed or altered. Degradation has
taken place, but the process is being reversed through the addition
of high quality compost.
A
high quality compost will provide some immediate humus benefit while
also adding yet-to-be-humified organic matter for further decomposition.
Humification is the passing of organic matter through the
stomachs of certain beneficial microbes.
It
is incorrect to identify organic matter (OM) and humus as the same
thing. Organic matter is to humus as wheat is to bread.
In
testing, optimal humus numbers are in the 50-80 range. Humus quality
is actually more meaningful than quantity. If humus numbers
are well above this range, it indicates the presence of many loose
ions. So more is not necessarily better.
We
like our humifying process because it is faster than what occurs
in nature and offers a predictable outcome. Our composting cycle
is typically an 8 week cycle, depending upon the
materials composted. Natural processes without the aid of a controlled,
accelerated process may take several years. Our process adds proven
beneficial microbes both during the breakdown and build-up phases
to help control the process. Recipes (the mixing of various organic
feedstocks) have been carefully controlled to achieve the desired
end.
Our
Aeromaster equipment helps insure proper mixing and blending, an
aerobic atmosphere, and an optimal moisture environment. Essentially
we are trying to create the ideal environment for beneficial microbes
to reproduce and work.
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What
is a recipe and how is it formulated?
An
ideal recipe (apportionment of compost feedstocks) should have:
- A
C:N ratio in the range of 25-30:1
- A
structure which is not overly dense
- Carbons
and nitrogens which decompose at similar rates
- About
50% moisture (can be added after windrow is formed)
- Ratios
of feedstocks are determined by volume, not weight
- Clay,
finished compost, and/or inoculant added to the row
If
you purchase Aeromaster turning equipment, MBS will help you formulate
workable recipes for your situation. If you are not an Aeromaster
user, MBS will formulate recipes based upon available feedstocks
for a fee.
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What
do I need to know about moisture levels in compost?
- Research
has shown that ideal moisture levels for windrows are in the 50%
range (by weight).
- Aeromaster
turners aid moisture management by permitting each particle
to be watered as it passes above the drum. The compost
environment is consistent throughout the row with this mechanism,
as opposed to merely spraying the outside of a row, then turning.
The latter method insures "mud here" and "dust
there."
- Fresh
water needs to be used (chlorinated kills the beneficial
bacteria). Effluents can be used during the thermophilic (high
heat) phase of the composting process, but as the time for the
heat cycle to subside occurs, fresh water is necessary.
- Too much
moisture resists turning, will cause "balling up" or
clods to develop and pore spaces to be closed (causing anaerobic
conditions), lowers temperature levels, and sulfides may be found
in the compost (due to the anaerobic conditions).
- Too little
moisture reduces the activity of beneficial microbes, causes temperatures
to rise too high, humus development is retarded, and undesirable
molds may grow in the compost.
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Can
salt levels be managed or reduced by composting?
Yes.
One of our Nevada composters saw sodium readings in a pasture
drop from 799 ppm to 53 ppm after application of his ACS compost.
Base saturation percentage sodium dropped from over 29 percent
to below 3 percent during a six month period.
Humification
allows the effective transformation of salt ions in manure and other
compost feedstocks into a benign substance. If the composter gets
the windrow into an "active carbon" phase, which includes
both the thermophilic (carbon reacting with nitrogen) and the biological
activity of the beneficial microlife (introduced through inoculation),
he will be able to succeed in transforming or binding salt ions.
If
the composter fails to do this, the salt situation actually worsens,
because a 50% volume reduction doubles the problem. Microbe degradation
will take the electron of the salt and pull it into a carbon chain,
neutralizing and transforming part of the electron. Part of the
salt will be converted into fulvic acid-an energy force for plants.
Mixing 5-10% clay, which is the foundation for
the humus crumb, into the windrow can help with this process.
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