Turning Composting Might Be a Waste of Time (AND WRONG)*

Should you always turn compost? It depends. Different materials require different microorganisms to break them down. Given that, you should try to create the conditions that those particular organisms need, which means sometimes you shouldn't turn your pile. When building a pile think about the materials going into the pile and turn or not turn, based on that.
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[@Dollapfin]

I will disagree with a small part of this. Mycelium respond very well to being broken up so long as it doesn’t happen too often. I’m minoring in mushroom science and technology. When we are growing mycelium out from spawn, shaking and mixing the substrate, although breakup up the mycelium, rapidly increases the growth rate of the mycelium because it gives it access to more substrate. This is only effective when done a single time though. One turning of a pile roughly a third halfway through the process would most likely aid mycelium. This is very different with soil borne beneficial fungi. Tillage not only breaks these fungi up, but these fungi rely on roots to stay alive and tearing them away from their roots without supplying new ones kills them quickly. In addition, they don’t like the compaction caused by tillage.

[@DiegoFooter]

That’s great to know. Thanks for sharing the insight.

[@smugmonkey6147]

@@DiegoFooter@matthewniedbala1342It is also worth mentioning, tillage, and turning, if done to a compost pile that isn't contained, will scare away the beneficial nematodes that play a large role in the availabily of oxygen, and bioavailabilty of mineral nutrients in the soil ecology.

[@Cultivatinggratitude]

Do you suggest just leaving it be and not turning the pile? I'm doing composting for my first time and this second pile with be all Leafs and grass clippings with some food scraps incorporated throughout the winter months. I am in Pennsylvania and was going to attempt the freeze dry thaw method. Would appreciate your advice.

[@JoseReyes-xs3js]

I think the Mycelium does faster in a closed in Environment like indoors or Mason jars when being flip or turn around it helps spread faster the Mycelium outdoors in compost proably will do good but proably go threw shock b4 it acclimate again .

[@chantallachance4905]

In the forest when the leaf go on the soil it have a small surface on the top (not a big pile of leaf or mulch like your compost) Between the dead leaf on the soil and the dead tree on the soil its moist and then the mycoryse began to work When I turn my small compost almost 10 days I put the green garden leaf in the compost like a lasagna And on the top I water it with compost tea plus some broke pièces of dead tree with a lot of mycoryse on it (come from the forest) and I put a cover just on the top After 5 days I do a hole in the middle and I put some food crap kitchen It decompose very very rapidly I am always surprise and it smell like a fresh Forest. Thank you for your partage, I appreciate so much :)

[@nateypecks]

I think you're on the right track. One thing to consider: annual veggies tend to be more bacterial reliant and tree systems (perennials too) tend to be more fungal reliant.

[@briansakurada2823]

Well the last time I turned a pile I pulled back my pitchfork and it had a skewered deadly snake swinging from the end of it trying to bite me. That’s a good enough reason for me not to turn it again.

[@briansakurada2823]

Just kidding about the reason, this is a great breakdown of making the decision. Thanks.

[@kraglohry109]

Deigo, I'm from Iowa, but living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa - similar to your climate. Over 6+ years, I've tried numerous ways to handle woodchips - have added 500+ cubes (m3) on my property. Try putting woodchips in a pit on the shady side of your house. Add Red Wigglers and keep wet - they won't go anerobic - you'll get black gold... tho nitrogen deficient. My garden is finally producing enough compost so have started Trench-in-Place Composting as pathways. Replaces hot composting. I stopped mulching with woodchips in the winter - to allow all the edible weeds & Annual veg to germinate - so only use woodchips as mulch about 6 months a year... The other use is in the chicken run.

[@DiegoFooter]

Thanks for sharing. Trench in place means you fill up the pathways and then empty them out each year and refill them with fresh?

[@kraglohry109]

@@DiegoFooter Compost stays there. Figuring it out as I go, but it's my way of BROAD-FORKING (aerating) the soil. So I'm buying concrete mesh 4mm wire with 200mm squares - the sheets are 6m x 2.4m so I cut crossways to get 6. I space "panels" (supports) 1m apart. Plan is to move them half a meter (into what was compost trench) every year or so. Another BONUS with trenching is you gets LOADS of great soil for nursery & new beds. If its crap soil, then use for swales or fill. LOVE YOUR ANALYSIS, keep it up!!! Have several posts on PE permaculture group if you want to see: facebook.com/groups/PermaculturePE

[@craiglees5631]

Hi. I'm. From. Durbs. Any ideas for decomposing bannan trees. I'm worried that they will just grow in the compost, and if they take root there, it will be so difficult to get out

[@kraglohry109]

@@craiglees5631 invasive banana trees ... a huge problem. Love you guys from Durbs. Friend told me it's considered an insult to give people avocados?

[@craiglees5631]

@@kraglohry109 🤙thanks. Never heard that about the avos

[@trockodile]

Great experimental approach, looking forward to seeing your upcoming videos! 👍

[@svenwerner9554]

Totally enjoy your thought process. Thanks for letting us be part of that.

[@tompowell6723]

I have enjoyed your videos for sometime now. I would like to share my experience with composting in suburbia. My theory is that we are all given what we need. Here I have an abundance of fallen leaves, from hardwood desigious trees, and grass clippings. I have found that if I combine 2/3 of dried leaves with 1/3 of fresh grass clipping I will have soil in @ 30 days. I also add 2 shovels of sand, not beach, salt sand. But aqua filter sand. And 2 shovels of local, possibly non nutritious brown dirt. In @30 days I have something that looks, feels and smells great. Because it shrinks in volume and the grass needs to be put to work fresh, I often add a fresh batch to an existing batch esp in summer. There is also water involved on an as needed basis and I seek to change the full structure of the heated core. When it is time to harvest I place it in a wheelbarrow add peat moss, bone meal, and finely ground egg shells. Then it is ready to be planted into, no rocks no twigs and an absolute pleasure to plant in. I grind the egg shells in a bullet blender. I have purchased them from Church thrift shops for 5$. They were once a craze now they serve my purpose. Always look forward to your videos, be well, Tom

[@watcher3774]

I have a pile of chips thats 3 yrs old. Ive never turned it. Only poked around to check progress. Only the top is still chips. Inside is dirt and some bigger sticks. I used some for potatoes this year. It worked great👍

[@watcher3774]

Also, i never added water. Only rain. Not covered. In mostly shade. Its got wild strawberry and poison ivy growing on it. I chop the weeds away to harvest. Leaving them and the hole when im done. And yes, im allergic to poison ivy.

[@hxFubar]

My father finally settled on a layered pile. He had an old plastic coated wire mesh he would loop into a 4 foot circle and then start filling it from the bottom as he built it. never really had an order but he would have a layer of old compost, sticks or wood chips, grass, leaves, some forms house hold trash and scraps, and regular dirt, then start over until it had built up to a 4 ft circle that was 4 ft high. watering it while he built it and keeping it covered with a tarp. Once full, he would them remove the mesh, put it back together next to it and then use what was in the old pile to start building the new one while mixing in new materials as he built it. generally the bottom was black wonderful mulch with worms. I once stole, borrowed?, a few bags of it to start my own and threw them in the back of my truck. When I got home I forgot to pull them out and the next day when I did there were 100's of worms in my truck that had worked their way out of the bag and still 1000s in the bags. he didn't worry about it much and let nature do it's thing but he did turn it as needed when it was full

[@armandodesousa6375]

Great video. I also am not turning my 10 compost piles- the decomposers do all the work, and they are doing just fine! To diminish the core becoming anaerobic add more twigs, and dense carbon material to the core, and you can even start on a loading pallet to help. What I do have to do , is be aware of what I am adding. I use a minimum of manure- would like to, but until I havre chickens again, I make do. I do miss the steam from a turned compost that I had in a cold climate!

[@PhilKJames]

I love your emphasis on breaking down dogma. “Are you sure this works? Maybe there’s a better way,” is a great way to approach life.

[@bransonmiles6594]

you probably dont care at all but does anyone know a trick to log back into an instagram account?? I was stupid forgot my account password. I would appreciate any tips you can offer me!

[@yosefalfredo7076]

@Branson Miles instablaster =)

[@bransonmiles6594]

@Yosef Alfredo thanks so much for your reply. I found the site on google and I'm in the hacking process atm. Takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@bransonmiles6594]

@Yosef Alfredo It worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thanks so much, you saved my account :D

[@yosefalfredo7076]

@Branson Miles No problem :)

[@chesterhobbs7244]

Your videos are always Soo very informative, logical and well presented. Thanks so much for all the knowledge I have garnished from your hard work. Please keep informing!

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

According to JADAM we don't need to make compost at all but sow a cover crops, left debris on the ground and spray it all with microbial solution made of leaf mold from nearby forest, boiled potatoes, sea salt and rain water ( we can also add debris from what is growing in our site like old tomatoes, apples and so on). I would love to watch Diego testing JADAM methods. Its easy, its free, its organic.

[@DiegoFooter]

I will probably get to that at some point. :)

[@MrSeney1]

What Kind of microbial solution from leaf mold ? Can you explain plz ? Thx !

[@08dario08]

Diego Footer please, it’s an revolution . Ultra low cost farming 🙏🏼

[@krzysztofrudnicki5841]

@@MrSeney1 its simple. You have to collect leaf mold from nearby healthy forest. In leaf mold you can find bilions of microorganisms, bateria, fungi, protozoa etc. Then you have to put them into the rain water, add boiled potatoes as a feed for them, put some sea salt for traced minerals, and let them repopulate. You have microbial solution in about 72 hours. Microbial solution can biochemically loosen up compacted heavy clay, and are essential for healthy plants. You can find JADAM lectures on yt, or find informations on their website, or in their book.

[@MrSeney1]

Krzysztof Rudnicki oh Thx you very mutch! Have à Nice day !

[@Marchhare80]

excellent very great teacher and explainer! Thank you

[@devangovender2760]

Loved this presentation, Diego. I don't know how I missed it earlier.

[@SeattlePioneer]

I live in a typical single family lot in Seattle. That means lots of grass clippings in the spring through fall, and being inundated with leaves during the leaf season. I'm taking a leaf from hay making videos and spreading out the grass clippings to dry, as you would do when making hay. When dry, they get forked into their own pile, and when the fall rains arrive, I cover that pile with a tarp to prevent my "hay" from getting wet. Then when the leaf season arrives, I can easily layer leaves with my "hay." That seems to be working pretty well.

[@richardheinen1126]

Excellent video!!! Very interesting

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Thank you for sharing this important information listening from Bangs Texas

[@walleye855]

Very good job. Thank you.

[@nikolapejinovic71]

Listen, dude, the way you present irritates the shit out of me (dunno why), but your logic, the way you brainstorm things, it's phenomenal. So, yeah, I'm subscribing. xD

[@colbykinney5633]

I agree 100% as a bonus the fungal compost helps suppress weeds if used as a much weeds very much prefer bacterial dominant soil.

[@evilroyslade2491]

Great information and video

[@askmamalouise7605]

Great information!

[@mariagillinson8527]

Great info. I was thinking Bokashi bug you’re comments totally makes sense.

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Makes sense to me! Thanks. I put food scraps, ashes from fireplace, aged wood scraps, powdered agh shells, and used coffee grounds? Is that ok?

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

I have compost primarily of pine shavings from the Guinea coop. Not sure if it needs lots or little turning

[@mariopetkovski1468]

VERY GOOD VIDEO !!!

[@kennedyjames007]

Excellent. Question: How much and how often does nature compost fast and aerobically? Is fast composting a less natural process simply for saving time and space?

[@growinghigher]

Nice video, just wondering what is some good reading material about composting?

[@trockodile]

I've been watching the uploads of 'Red Gardens' in Ireland and 'David the Good' in the tropics who have some amazing composting videos. 'David the Good' has a great little book, Compost Everything, available via Amazon (among other awesome gardening reads). Both defiantly worth a watch / read. Good luck with your composting from the Highlands of Scotland! 👍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@davidsawyer1599]

Thanks Diego!

[@williamcarine1673]

I'm clearing my land from forest. I want to do a lot of slow turn or notes are in I'm thinking because there's all kinds of did material that needs to be eaten up in the soil. After that maybe in a few years or so I can start focusing on other types of mulch.

[@Igniting-Moments]

Probably the best explain video on composting I have watched...

[@fawazqasim6674]

What is the best process for horse manure and wood chips pile? Should I turn it often? I have three other piles, I am doing some experiments on my own too.

[@Lauradicus]

Another reason to have different types of compost is different plants have different requirements. Mulching a veg bed with fungally dominated compost and a fruit tree with bacterially dominated compost is bassackwards. Getting the targeting right will get you the best soil health for the long term.

[@ajb.822]

I think yes, you're on the right track. I'm wondering if the no-till garden "method" using woodchips in pathways, and compost as mulch in beds, is a pretty good balance, as-is ( even if the compost is made out of pretty "same" materials & way all the time)... . I would still add as much variety to my compost as I could, over time, and turn or not turn as appropriate too, as you say. I'm very new to actually composting, myself , and no-till, so I'm no expert, for sure.

[@davidsawyer1599]

Patience is all you need. 9 cubic yards of dirt to cover where a dog a lived. Then the soaking of dirt and soaking of cardboard layered on top. Then 18 inches of wood chips. Lots and lots of wheelbarrow loads. Never turned. Watered every other day for a month. Then left it to rainfall. 2 years later it is all coming together. You are on the right track.

[@arrzfr]

I think it heavily depends on where you live. In a dry, arid climate like large parts of California, Spain, Australia etc. wood chips will take forever to break down naturally, if you don‘t water them.

[@Jay-tk7ib]

AJ Burton, you should check out what this guy discovered in comparing his woodchip covered walkways with his composted raised beds. It amazing what woodchips will do for you over time. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3TXkpmLnNR2jpI

[@narekhartenyan5134]

Thanks for information, already subscribed!!! Approximately how long will it take a pit with a width like yours of cow and horse manure with straw mixed to be completely composted in order to turn every other day???????

[@salfordcityboxingacademy3754]

very good analysis

[@1cleandude]

Great video brother thanks! I assume you’re not cover the piles anymore? Thanks 🙏

[@alfonsomunoz4424]

Diego, are you an engineer? I have two science degrees, but my mindset is more of an engineer than a scientist. I don't care why something works, just kinda wanna know how it works. That said, I also have a few compost experiments going on in my backyard. One I turn actively, one I don't. I've always turned my compost, so it's a test of discipline for me not to turn one. Both are wood chips so they'll break down slowly. In the winter I'll again make two piles of leaves, one I turn and add greens, and one I just leave alone. Take care.

[@SlackerU]

IDK if it'd be worth experimenting with but knowing what a 500 gallons aerobic septic can do I wonder if a 12,700 cubic inch 55 gallon drum with a 40lpm ($65) air-pump could produce enough biosolids to pay for itself. A 1118 cubic inch bag of biosolids costs ~$27.81 so that's 5-6 bags worth ($136-$163) in a half filled 55gal drum. I don't know if a wet-aerobic method would make it more pleasing but I do know my septic doesn't stink when properly operating. Maybe the wood chips could be used in a way shorter period than waiting for mushrooms to eat it up.

[@littleredhen3354]

I only turn my compost once or twice depending what's in it and that's usually late fall and early spring. Summer piles don't get turned at all because they have way more greens and break down fast. Florida is backwards though. Either too hot and dry, too wet, too cool. Every pile is different.

[@suqingmei6266]

How often should we water the piles?

[@vincentdavid7874]

I move at the beginning of summer and I have the lake shore in my back yard and the lake weed make an excellent green part in the compost

[@Coptergirljs]

I have a no till garden and have a lot of trouble composting chicken bedding (fine wood shavings and chicken manure) so many times I will put this mixture along with a little bit of fresh grass clippings in a pile, It sits there for a few months and at the end of the growing season I will cover one of my no till mound garden with this incomplete compost. It seems to work. What I don't understand is why last year and this year I have no cucumber beetles. Last year I had potato beetles, this year none. This is the third year I haven't tilled, but have always put lots of stuff on my garden. I had flea beetles this year, but not as bad as last year. Everything you read about keeping insects down is about tilling under last years soil. '

[@guitarguyjoefry]

So the no till has more bugs? Have you tried Diatomaceous Earth?

[@umiluv]

Composting book I read said that hot compost is needed if you want to compost diseased plants and/or weeds. You need it hot to kill the pathogens and weed seeds. The book recommends slow composting unless you need compost asap.

[@2ndSprings]

Rage against the compost dogmatism, my brother.... actually, rage against all dogmatism, eh..... oh, and rage, rage against rage. :-) Keep on keepin' on with these excellent and educational videos . We appreciate them.

[@aron8949]

Any thoughts on fire dangers of composting? I’ve seen eucalyptus woodchips piles ignite and burn structures and trees.

[@DiegoFooter]

Maybe it’s just me but I’ve never had piles get even close to be in that hot where they could ignite. I think piles also have to go into anaerobic in order to produce some flammable gases to ignite but don’t quote me on that.

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Is it better to do the 3x3 fenced in style?

[@biteme9486]

I'm using shredded leaf powder as my carbon source and aged urine as a nitrogen source. Would that be fast or slow to break down? Or somewhere in the middle?

[@DiegoFooter]

My guess is fast.

[@vivalaleta]

I saw microfungal growing when I turned my compost and I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Isn't this like plowing?

[@greensnapper1602]

Keep Turning

[@user-no6ty3ml8f]

Yes

[@heiterschlenker5988]

I suggest „...and how fast, you need the Material to break down...“ to complete this excellent thinking

[@sethmoking]

Why did you wear a mask when turning? Is that to prevent breathing in mold? I've been wondering lately if I'm damaging my health by turning grass clipping piles that have a lot of white in them and breathing that all in.

[@cchurch5037]

Very interesting video - wondering if you are ultimately “breaking” those fungal hyphae at “end use” anyway when you scoop up compost from your pile to use on your beds/ trees etc anyway? Perhaps in situ is the way to go ... not very practical though in many cases 🤔 - but that’s the fun of compost making ! It’s always different 😉

[@DiegoFooter]

You are breaking them, but that's OK, because they have done their work already at that point (the material is broke down). Also, everytime you break them you create a new growing tip which is beneficial when added to the soil, but not when you are trying to break down an in-situ pile.

[@cchurch5037]

Diego Footer ok got it - thank you so much for the reply 🙏.

[@seanmcguire7974]

I've had gray ash in my pile. It was extremely dry in the center too

[@arrzfr]

Spot on. I have the impression that recommendations of „what works“ are heavily biased towards a specific context. Someone in Wales, U.K. has different materials available at different atmospheric conditions than someone in California, or central Italy.

[@DiegoFooter]

100%

[@JoseReyes-xs3js]

I notice. My compost is cooking good now and it smell good like forest woods and i see steam and smoke coming out specially at night and early mornings . I use to always have cold compost but now with theses heat compost i see alot of Mycelium all over my compost . my cold compost process takes about 2 month and hot compost hopefully takes a month .now i put everything in it i even let my chickens play in it for a few days . I put pine shaving grass clipping leaves chicken poop bio char live earth worms left over fruit scrapes ect ect im going make acidic compost for my acidic plants too .

[@busker153]

You're not right or wrong. You have a lot of good observations. I would only make one recommendation. Buy a microscope. It takes all the guess work out of the whole process. I ordered one a few days ago, and can hardly wait for it to arrive!

[@SeattlePioneer]

[@damedesmontagnes]

I use rabbit and chicken manure/bedding has sawdust and straw in it. I always get the awful ammonia smell. Adding shredded cardboard helps, also pine shavings.

[@adamdmer]

Another thing to consider when you add water - is it chlorinated ? If yes, then let it set overnight in a bucket before applying to the compost pile. Chlorine is added to my municipal water supply in order to kill germs (micro-organisms) so you don't get sick from drinking water. I wait for the chlorine (a gas) to undissolve from the water in the bucket before I add it to the compost pile because I don't want to harm germs in the compost pile. I just let the water set out overnight before putting it into the compost pile. Also, I put it the aged water into spray bottles and spray the dry leaves with the water, so as to leave plenty of spaces for air to get into the pile.

[@sharonchew2144]

To determine the quality of each compost pile you'd need to send samples out for lab testing, most importantly including a biological analysis for diversity of aerobic microorganisms and beneficial fungi. It would be fascinating to see these test results for each of your piles comparing inputs and differences in management with resulting quality.

[@DiegoFooter]

It's a good idea.

[@greighenning9091]

@@DiegoFooterdid you do the lab comparison?

[@growsoilbiology]

My guess on temps; Actively aerated, temp rise & fall for first couple of turns then trailing off. Passive aerated pile. Slow burner, not too hot. Control pile, the anaerobic core will stay warm for months. Interested to keep up with this

[@charliemcgriff7643]

Hey freind you're a great teacher

[@DiegoFooter]

Thanks 🙏

[@jackman6256]

I know this may sound odd or even crazy I've went into garden spot I dug holes about 3 foot deep An pour in vegetable cans cover with green stuff then papers Covered it back with garden soil plus compost hum why ? Isn't that what landfills do ? An look At their finish soil it is rich Plus you can do same with dead animals like fish birds ect That to me all together will start Rising the soil from deep up I can be wrong but giving it a try Plus I've also burying dead tree limps All this is down 2 to 3 feet

[@Kristoffceyssens]

If you cut up myceleum, tt has multiple points to start growing again no?

[@clovergreen9959]

Makes sense.

[@marschlosser4540]

Mine never get turned, earthworms, birds, and bugs do it for me. When back in the swamps of Penna black bears did it.

[@andrewhill4986]

Do all three and mix’n’match

[@markskibo5159]

According to the Byrds, YES !!!!!

[@ralfnuggs165]

Nah, always turn it man. You don’t HAVE to, but it’ll definitely help keep it hot and speed it up. Ultimately making a better finished product regardless of what you start with. But I feel what you’re saying.

[@jimotoole5413]

Good video. We'll done.

[@mjc91950]

Awesome

[@matthewboersma7185]

Anaerobic bacteria might actually break down certain materials way better as well. Often times depending on material once again you might have to make sure your pile is really moist possibly even covered... I have always took compost as the same way I do my garden.. when it comes to growing anything, it often comes down to timing of action to whatever stage of development the growth is. At a certain peak point in anaerobic cultures destroying them allows aerobic bacteria to have that dead culture as a feast to jump start the aerobic process. And honestly I think that's actually what you're doing when you turn piles.. so unless you're aerobic bacteria isn't present your anaerobic bacteria isn't getting any more populated/faster if you turn it a million times.. for instance if you're turning it before any culture starts to thrive. It's the same concept as the mycelium growth concept here.. mycelium breaks down raw materials.. so at a certain process in the breakdown turning your compost increases air on what was culturally thriving materials now dead that get consumed again by more creatures in the end.. it's really hard to explain in a comment that's probably a million long already. Diversity of organisms i believe might do better than trying to promote one favorite of those that consume decaying materials.... Not that there is ever just one.. its just a thought on strategy.

[@nathanrupley]

Do hyphae die when the are broken?

[@DiegoFooter]

No. You actually just generate new growing tips. So in a way it could lead to more growth but I’m not totally sure on that I have to talk to a mycologist.

[@nathanrupley]

@@DiegoFooter Thanks, that is what I was wondering. Appreciate the response. Great video.

[@dannyhughes4889]

Certainly creates a lot of "Food for Thought".

[@robinham2796]

So, if my compost went cold, that’s good? I don’t see any breaking down at that point

[@thaifreeburma]

Think of heat as the equivalent of an accelerator pedal (truth be told the heat results from intense biologic activity). I've recently hot composted and achieved really good results; I also discovered that the subsequent maturation process is another really essential element. Some weeks after they cooled to a stable temperature I scraped away the uncomposted surface (these piles are open to air and sitting on bare earth) and was shocked that it was dryish, really crumbly, very dark ruddy brown gold! Apart from a minor amount of woody grass stems and twigs I was looking at poo - creepy-crawlies and slitheries had eaten most of the heap and turned it into a magical material. Bushes and saplings that had been in the doldrums (at best), almost all were rejuvenated within 2-3 weeks of mulching. One final note: I have windwall (slow) compost rows up to 10m / 30-40ft long mostly built of grass and some herb. Like the hot-compost heaps I'm not turning them but I do incorporate perforated plastic pipe into the piles. After about 3-4months the windrows have composted about half-day but we have a comparatively warm climate.

[@robinham2796]

Thank you. I have since learned from Gardner Scott that is still activity even in a cold compost. Just different microbes. I turned two of my 3 yesterday and yes, thee is activity just no heat. The Siberian blast just stopped the heat up. I poured 2 gallons of urine in the middle Also, Added a lot of wet cow manure. Not gonna worry anymore..

[@thaifreeburma]

@@robinham2796 I mixed a really good potting soil today; 1:1:1 top-soil:compost:coir to pot up some tree saplings; Diptercarpus alatus and Shorea roxburghii - two of the forest sentinel species in SE Asia. They can grow as high as 135ft with a 3-4ft diameter.

[@zaklloyd4335]

The Koreans say anaerobic far outweighs aerobic. It's just more time consuming. I'm currently looking into Bokashi, which looks very interesting and very simple.

[@DiegoFooter]

Won’t work for woody materials, but with the right inputs it is an option.

[@aron8949]

Chickens tear it down, I pile it back up.

[@davidhalfaday844]

If will allow me to add an link check this video from Dr Elaine Ingham. Start at the 55 minute mark. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqvXmYSvgsaEl7M. I agree with you that we need different compost, which depends on the materials you start with, the only thing I would suggest here is where are you starting from, and where do you want your soil to be at. I think that can play into what type of compost you use, when you adding compost to your soil.

[@noralaurel4735]

I look at Mother Earth.....no turning in the forest, no turning for me.

[@thaifreeburma]

"Too much dogmatism" - that really could be the motto of our time. May I add: 'and never enough back-ground knowledge utilised intelligently'..?

[@mariagillinson8527]

I wonder if the size of the pile matters too!

[@rugidrugs3673]

Diversity is key to resilience 👍👍

[@KrazyKajun602]

I agree, I am receiving chipping of limbs and leaves all mixed into 10 cu ft piles. I have received already 200 cu yards of material, but what I am doing is creating smaller windrows of this material that are 4ft high, by 5ft wide about 120 ft long. I would hate to have to turn over the windrows all the time.

[@cchivers2665]

You should be turning it every two days to keep the temperature up.

[@DiegoFooter]

What if you don't want to keep the temperatures up?

[@cchivers2665]

@@DiegoFooter Then do it the other ways he has i.e. the control and the cooler one. But it you want to kill seed and other things and cook the compost heap faster, it needs to be hot.

[@Soilfoodwebwarrior]

How about you just make one type of compost that's balanced correctly. In that uses a balanced source of food products for your microbes and thus produces a balanced end product as well 60% carbon 30% greens 10% high nitrogen it's not that hard.

[@DiegoFooter]

That wasn’t the experiment.

[@charlespatterson8457]

I don’t TURN COMPOST EVER

[@adolthitler]

Elaine Ingham would agree with you.

[@northstar5971]

With the 100+ years humanity has been composing certainly there is a PhD thesis out there that did what you are attempting

[@larryb6489]

You are trippin Diego! Pile it turn it spread it plant it eat it and bidang do it all over again

[@Owl4909]

DEI compost

[@Anonymous-si7oc]

Get to the friggin point