Composting

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Composting

• By Marc Landry CEPIT
• Organik Touch

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• Organik Touch
• We specialize in organic fertilizers,
  landscaping, lawn maintenance, horticulture and
  alternative solutions for gardening
• We also offer landscape design, consultation,
  project management and conferences
• We offer biodegradable, phosphate free household
  cleaners

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Quick facts

• The Department of Environment estimates that for
  every ton of organic material diverted from the
  landfill, there is a reduction of 15 tons of CO2
  equivalent
• A Feasibility Study completed for the NSWC in
  2007 estimates that over 5000 tons of organics
  are sent to the landfill from Northumberland
  County each year.  

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Basics of composting

• Simple process of nature.
• No need for specialized equipment or special
  knowledge
• We need to know how to separate the ingredients
  (greens and browns)
• Trial and errors

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How composting works

• In nature, organic wastes are broken down
• through a combination of biological and
• chemical processes. Biological agents like
• worms, insects, fungi, bacteria and other
• micro-organisms "chew up" the materials,
• which are further transformed by oxidation
• (exposure to air), reduction and hydrolysis
• (exposure to water).

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Successful composting

• The right amount of water and air to keep the
  biological and chemical processes functioning.
• The right temperature. For the purposes of
  composting, the warmer it gets, the better. In a
  cool environment, the composting process slows
  down.
• The right CN ratio. This ratio will affect the
  speed of decomposition. Ideally, your CN ratio
  should be thirty to one..
• The right container. You can build your own or
  buy one from your local hardware store or garden
  supply centre.

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Keys to success

• Air
• Humidity
• Turning
• Material (size and mixture)

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Building a composter

• Building your own composter will allow you to
  design a unit to suit your specific needs.
• A composter can be made of wood, concrete blocks,
  wire mesh or almost any material you have
  available.

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Key features in a composter

• A lid that protects the pile from rain and snow
  and allows you to control how much moisture gets
  in.
• Holes or vents to allow air circulation.
• A means of removing the final product.
• Access for turning the pile

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Vermi composting the basics

• Red worms are simply the best method of
  composting kitchen waste
• designed over millions of years into the fastest
  natural composters.
• They will happily turn kitchen waste into compost
  or vermicompost.
• The castings are thick, dark, nutrient rich
  compost that will result in increased garden
  yields and indoor plants to thrive.

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• Worm composting, or vermiculture, requires very
  little work, produces no offensive odors, and
  helps plants thrive.
• You can compost vegetable scraps, fruit peelings,
  bread and grains, tea bags, coffee grounds and
  filters and well-crushed eggshells. Do not
  compost meat, bones, fats, dairy products, salt
  and vinegar.
• Your red worm can consume 2 to 3 pounds of waste
  for ½ pound of worms and 3 to 5 pounds for a
  pound of worms over 10 days.

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Compost recipe

• You can use the simple rule that compost needs to
  be about 2 "brown" and 1 "green"
• Learn to C/N ratio to balance the recipe

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• Algae
• Bone meal
• Coffee grounds
• Eggshells
• Feathers
• Flowers
• Fruit and fruit peels
• Grass clippings (fresh)
• Hair
• Manure
• Seaweed
• Tea Leaves
• Vegetables and peelings
• Weeds

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C N Ratio - GREENS
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• Buckwheat hulls
• Coffee filters
• Corn cobs
• Cotton/wool/silk scraps
• Grass clippings (dried)
• Hay
• Leaves (dead)
• Paper
• Peat moss
• Pine needles
• Sawdust
• Straw
• Tea bags
• Wood chips
• Wood ash

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C N Ratios - Brown
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• Pet wastes
• meat, fish, fats and dairy products
• insect-infested or diseased plants

• Materials contaminated by synthetic chemicals or
  treated with herbicides or insecticides
• Weeds with mature seeds, and plants with a
  persistent root system
• Leaves of rhubarb, oak and walnut contain
  substances toxic to insects or other plants
• Painted products
• Contaminated ashes
• Bio medical waste

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Building a compost pile

• Gather both "green" and "brown" ingredients,
  enough to make a compost pile measuring at least
  1 meter (3 feet) in each direction (high, wide
  and long).
• Chop or shred into small pieces as much of the
  material as possible
• Layer 15 cm (6 inches) of well-watered "browns"
  and 7.5 cm (3 inches) of "greens," mixing the two
  layers together.

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Troubleshooting

• Smell
• An earthy scent is normal and inoffensive, but a
  well-built compost shouldn't produce unpleasant
  odors.
• If it does, your problem is either too much
  "green" stuff (ammonia smell) or too little air
  (rotten-egg smell).
• First, aerate the pile. If the odor persists,
  turn and rebuild the pile with more "brown"
  materials.
• What if the compost pile doesn't heat up?
• The odds are that an inactive compost pile just
  doesn't have enough "greens" or
• The pile is too small
• Check if the pile is moist

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Benefits of compost

• It helps hold moisture in the soil making your
  plants more drought-tolerant.
• Compost releases nutrients slowly when your plant
  needs them.
• Compost adds macronutrients (nitrogen,
  phosphorous and potassium) and micronutrients
  (calcium, magnesium and boron) to the soil.
• Compost allows your plants to become healthier
  and stronger. The result is that they are much
  more resistant to disease and pest problems.

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• Thank you!
• Organik Touch595 Woodland Dr EastNorth
  Tetagouche, NBE2A 4Z1Tel [phone] Fax 506
  545 6504www.organik.nb.catouche.organik_at_nb.aibn.
  com
• In collaboration with