#compost help
6 messages in this thread
My compost pile is not working. My 10 year old daughter and came up with a
science fair project: to see what makes compost work. The idea was to get
some compost going and then put a sample into two containers. Sterilize one
and not the other and then measure the temperature of each to show that
bacteria and microorganisms make compost work. There is also the background
reading about composting and garbage. Anyway the science fair is two weeks
away and the compost pile is cold. We live in Tucson so nights are in 40s
and days in 60s. What can I do to get it going. I'm willing to cheat. Where
can I go and get some compost. I'd go and buy a bunch of compost and switch
piles while my daughter is sleeping. Is anyone in TUCSON listening?
Hello Rick,
You might try adding a nitrogen fertilizer to the compost to get things
going. Check with a local nursery, they should have a brand to reccommend.
Good luck!
Alison
Rick, I know the problem of helping the kid with a project and wanting to
keep things scientifically pure and still have the kid feel good about the
project–complicated stuff this parenting deal. Here is a possible
solution. Living in Tuscon may complicate things, but what you need is
some compost bioactivator of some kind. A number of companies sell the
stuff but Ringer has an 800 number and might be able to FedEx the stuff to
you asap. 1-800-654-1047. Ask for a 5 lb bag of Compost Pile Recharger
($7.98). That stuff will get your pile going so you can do the experiment
in time. It takes about 3 to 5 days to get the pile heated up again.
Another problem might be that your pile is too small. You need a pile that
is at least 3x3x3 to get it to have enough critcal mass to heat up.
Compost materials in a jar will never heat up. Let us know if you need
more help in moving the cause of science forward.
Jeff,
Thanks for the number of Ringer. I ordered the recharger 2nd day air. So I
will have it by this weekend. I guess the package will explain what to do.
I have a pretty big pile, about the size you suggested, but it has been
neglected since last summer. But from what you say, we will not be
successful in making some small piles (say the size of a kitchen garbage
can) to do the experiments on. That is, they won't heat up if they are that
small–is that what you are saying?
Thanks for you help
Rick, I'm assuming your daughter has to be able to go in to school on a
specific day and demonstate her experiment. Therefore, you can have two
piles at home; one that is cooking and one that you have sterilized, maybe
just a week before the show and tell. Then the morning of the
presentation, you can take a gallon of the sterilized stuff (hopefully room
temperature) and a gallon of the active stuff (hopefully over room
temperature) and your daughter can take it into school. The differences
will diminish within a day I suspect. The other approach is for your
daughter to take temperature readings daily for a week or so and that is
her proof.
Rick, interesting idea for a compost trial. Maybe a bit too ambitious
though. You should have no problem getting a pile to heat up in 2 weeks…
if you have enough nitrogenous material, e.g. manure, fresh green matter,
kitchen waste, PROVIDED that you also have enough mass. You really need
about a cubic yard of material to maintain heat in a pile. Anything smaller
just won't do. Let's hear more about how you've contructed your piles.