Turnin' poop. First attempt at hot composting horse poop. Well first attempt at composting at all. #compost #grownostr #permaculture
Discussion
Let us know how it went.
Thanks. I will. Not since I was 3 years old have I been so excited about poop.
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that’s a nice ol’ pile of poop
I salute you sir
What are you doing to compost it? Just wetting it and turning it? We started stabling a horse on our property and it starts to pile up. I'd love to do this.
I layered it with brown material and then waited about 4 days to turn it. Then turning it every 2-3 days. (Or when my back isn't broken) the temperature has gotten up to about 150* f.
It is trial and error at this point. With a pinch of sweat equity.
I've been trying to compost for years. It wasn't until I took the course at the Soil Food Web School that I really understood the what and why of it.
The most important thing is maintaining aerobic conditions. If you see white ashy spots inside when turning, that means it went anaerobic. The white stuff is actinobacteria, which suppresses fungi in the soil. This usually happens when there's too much nitrogen and the bacteria population explodes, using up the oxygen faster than it can diffuse into the pile. Really high temperatures, like 165F+ is a sign that you need to turn the pile or jam a tool handle into it and make a chimney.
Using a cheap compost thermometer, recording daily temperature measurements in a spreadsheet, and graphing it over time gave me the feedback I needed to dramatically improve my piles.
Attached is data from my first pile this season. It's not heating up quick enough due to lack of nitrogen.
Thanks for that. I thought the white ashy was a beneficial fungus at high temperature. Good to know otherwise.
So much to learn. 🤯
We have different methods. I have an annual pile in my chicken yard that everything compostable goes into. Everything. The birds scratch through. I turn it once usually around August. Runs from March-March then a new pile is started.