Composting is a biological process of decomposing organic solid wastes. It can be used to recycle organic material. The process involves decomposition of organic material into a humus-like material, referred to as compost, which is a good fertilizer source for plants.
Composting benefits
Compost improves soil texture, water holding capacity and fertility. Soil will gradually become fluffy and brown, an ideal home for healthy plants.
Compost provides a good and balanced source of plant nutrition.
Compost stimulates beneficial organisms, which help in converting soil nutrients into available form for plants.
The microorganisms, enzymes, vitamins and natural antibiotics that are present in compost help in prevention of many harmful pathogens for your plants.
Earthworms, millipedes and other soil microorganisms help in opening up passageways for air and water to reach your plant roots.
Compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
Composting helps in solid waste management and reduces methane emissions.
5 elements of composting
Organic matter is converted into compost through the work of microorganisms and other soil elements. Composting requires the best possible environment for these beneficial organisms to do their work which faster the process of decomposition. If you do not provide the optimum environment, the decomposition process gets slower.
1. Carbon. Carbon-rich materials are the source of energy for microorganisms. The materials are mostly brown in colour. Examples are dry leaves, straw, garden soil etc.
2. Nitrogen. Nitrogen-rich materials provide the protein components that microorganisms require to grow and multiply. Examples are fresh grass clippings, over-ripe fruits and vegetables, kitchen scraps, freshly pulled garden weeds etc.
3. Water. Moisture is very important for the composting process to be carried out. Too much moisture will drown the microorganisms and insufficient moisture will dehydrate them. Maintain moisture in the compost like a squeezed wet sponge. Using an enclosed container or covering the compost pile will make the right moisture level.
4. Oxygen. Microorganisms require a lot of oxygen for an efficient composting process. When you first add the composting materials to the pit, there will probably be plenty of air between the layers of materials. But when the microorganisms start their work, they will start consuming oxygen. So proper aeration will help the microorganisms to work efficiently.
5. Temperature. Heat is a by-product of intense microbial activity. It indicates that the microorganisms are active on organic matter and converting it into finished compost.
Carbon to Nitrogen ratio (C: N ratio).
Microorganisms and other soil fauna work most efficiently with a suitable ratio of carbon-rich (brown) to nitrogen-rich (green) materials. It is approximately 25:1 (brown to green). Three parts brown and one part green materials works quite well. In practical terms, if you want to have an active compost pile, you should include lots of carbon-rich "brown" materials (such as straw, wood chips, dry leaves, paper etc.) and a lesser amount of nitrogen-rich "green" materials (such as grass clippings, freshly pulled weeds, or kitchen scraps).
If you have an excess of carbon-rich materials and not enough nitrogen-rich materials, your pile may take more time to decompose (there is not enough protein for those microbes). If your pile has an excess amount of nitrogen and not enough carbon, your pile also will decompose very slowly (not enough for the microbes to eat), and it will probably create a smell.
Turning of compost piles
The purpose of turning is to increase oxygen flow for the microorganisms and to blend un-decomposed materials into the centre of the pile.
After turning, the pile should heat up again, as long as there is still un-decomposed material to be broken down.
When the temperature stays pretty constant regardless of how much you turn the pile, it gives the sign of readiness of compost.
Turning also releases heat into the air. So it is not recommended for frequent turning in cold weather.
Other ways of aeration without the effort of turning:
Make sure there are air vents in the sides of your compost bin.
Put one or two perforated plastic pipes in the centre of your pile.
Composting methods
There are mainly two types of composting. One is below the soil and the other one is above the soil. Above the soil composting process is faster and easier as it exposes to more oxygen and aerobic bacteria for decomposition.
1. Below the soil composting (Trench composting)
a) Digging a compost pit
The compost hole should be about 1 ft. deep. If you have a lot of compost material, you can dig a deeper pit, but avoid going deeper than about 3 ft. as important decomposing organisms cannot live beneath this depth.
If there is more composting material, you can make your pit longer or wider.
b) Fine chopping of compost materials
Underground composting happens at a much slower rate than above ground process. So you can speed up the composting process by chopping the materials into smaller pieces.
Kitchen scraps can be made into smaller pieces by chopping with a knife or pulverized in a blender or food processor.
Garden scraps can be broken down using a lawn-mower. The pieces should not be bigger than 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) long, wide, and thick.
c) Add the organic materials to the compost pit
Dump your food scraps and garden waste into the hole.
Mix the materials together by a shovel so that the decomposition starts effectively.
It is important to make sure that the carbon-rich materials (such as paper and dried leaves) are mixed thoroughly with the nitrogen-rich materials (like vegetable scraps and fresh grass clippings).
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d) Maintaining the compost pit
If your compost pit is not full, you can add more to it later. Cover the pit with a fine layer of soil or carbon-rich material, like dried leaves.
Whenever you add fresh compost materials, cover the top layer with soil or carbon-rich material.
Fill the pit until it is level with the surrounding soil.
Speed up the composting process by watering the pit and ensure proper moisture.
e) Outcome
The final compost material is prepared in 4-6 month.
So prepare 2-3 compost pits in different time intervals for the continuous supply of compost for your garden.
You can raise plants above the compost pit.
2. Above the soil composting (Bin Composting)
It is a suitable method of composting which requires less space and time.
Use a composting bin for this composting process.
Add the composting materials as described above.
Sprinkle Water on the compost bin in frequent time intervals.
If you are not seeing progress in the composting process then add more green materials and moist the compost pile.
If it is smelly, add more brown materials to the compost pile and keep a good aeration.
This composting process may also be suitable for people staying in an apartment having less space for a garden.
How to reduce the odour of composting
a) The compost pile should be properly aerated
A healthy composting process needs plenty of oxygen. Otherwise, aerobic bacteria (those that need oxygen to metabolize the organic materials) cannot function, and decomposition will be driven by anaerobic bacteria, which produce foul-smelling gasses as byproducts of their metabolism.
To avail the oxygen content of your compost pile, make sure you are turning the materials regularly. This provides fresh oxygen into the deeper areas of the pile.
Do not saturate the compost pile with much water as there will be little room for air to flow.
Maintain proper moisture content in the pile that it should be too dry or wet.
b) Maintaining the ratio of nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials
A compost pile having much nitrogen-rich materials will emit a smell similar to ammonia. This problem can be solved by adding more carbon-rich materials.
Nitrogen-rich materials are food scraps, fresh grass clippings, fresh leaves etc
Carbon-rich materials are dried leaves, cardboard and paper, sawdust, wood, straw, and corn cobs.
c) Keep your compost pile free of meats and dairy products
There are some foods that should never be added to your compost pile, as they will emit foul odours. These foods include meats, bones, dairy, and fats etc.
Qualities of a fine compost material.
It smells earthy.
There is no sign of the original waste.
It is dark brown in colour.
It has a nice texture.
Conclusion
Composting is a nice process of waste management. It converts organic waste to a good source of plant nutrients. It reduces environmental pollution. Compost helps in maintaining proper soil nutrition, soil health and beneficial soil microorganisms.
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