Without our intervention, composting occurs naturally in the environment. However, it can take many months or years as the composition has to set down correctly.
This is Leaf Compost that was a natural process of leaves falling down and being composted naturally (may have taken several months), without manual intervention.
[Pic Credits : Srikant Kapuganti ]
When we compost at home, we are creating a 'man-made environment' for fastening this process, which STILL can take about minimum of 3 months - 6 months (depends on how well we setup the process and what composting method we use)
When I began composting (with Khamba), I was so so eager to check it each day and hope that it would have been done today, tomorrow and so on. The curiosity was too much for me to handle and I started researching online on how much time it would take, whether it is possible to fasten the process and I was glad to see the answer as YES!
Here are some tips :
1. Chop chop
Let you practice any type of composting, slicing works for all kinds! Always chop the veggie waste for faster breakdown. (pieces should not bigger than a lemon)
2. Use "Accelerators"
Accelerators are the substances that contains "microbes" that faster the process, hence the term.
If you are practicing Aerobic method - i.e, a DIY setup or Khamba, use either of :
- Sour buttermilk
- Cowdung slurry
- Panchagavya
- Readily available Microbes powder /remix powder / De'grade powder.
Cow Dung Slurry, Panchagavya, Buttermilk
[Pic Credits : Vani Murthy]
- If you are going for Bokashi Composting, the Bokashi Bran itself serves the purpose.
3. Pickup those Dry Leaves!
If you are composting using Aerobic Method, ensure you use lot of dry leaves as a source of carbon. (Composting requires Nitrogen (Kitchen Wet Waste) and Carbon (dry leaves or shredded paper) in 1:30 ratio)4. Do not fill the Compost bin till the rim!
For your aerobic composting bins, ensure there is enough space for air circulation at the top. Do not fill it 100% .
5. Ensure the right moisture
The pile should be damp, but not soggy. Moist compost pile ensures the microbes to be active. Keep turning the pile for enough oxygen to pass through.
[Don't forget to see related blog posts at top right corner of the blog.]
You can use your bio enzymes too as an accelerator....
ReplyDeletethats a nice input! Thanks Priti :)
DeleteSomething that usually works for me, especially if there are fruit peels - before adding the wet waste to the aerobic compost bin, I let it sit in an airtight plastic container for a week till it starts oozing out liquid, and then I add it to the bin, liquid et al.. within a week, I can barely find any trace of the wastes as they start becoming homegenous and within 3 weeks they disappear..
ReplyDeleteI guess this is something like bokashi composting, but without the bran or external microbes, just relying on the anaerobes to denature and pre-decompose the wet waste.. however the smell when its opened can put many people off
great way, should try this!
DeleteUma Karnu
ReplyDeleteI have a small bin in the kitchen...after adding my wastes before going to bed i top it with a layer of half done compost n close the lid...i keep pressing in layers for a week...only in the weekends i transfer it to my DIY setup along with dry leaves...
i feel this hastens decomposing as the process has already started in the kitchen....by 60days it is almost complete....
Like · 3 · More · 30 minutes ago
Uma Karnu
While in the kitchen ....sometimes when it is too dry i do mix in butter milk....as i add half done compost there seems to be no smell ....the bin is left semi open in the morning...
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