Composting With TheNewGuy

shouldn't be your only brown ~idk #s but it should be a small portion of the pile

seems like sawdust takes a while to break down

Anyone compost indoors without a lot of trouble? I'd like to try in my basement, but am concerned about odor mostly. Ideas?

You can use a compost sak for what youre trying to do or build a worm bin but you can also use the compost sak as a breathable worm bin...as for the odor make sure you have the right browns: greens ratio down..

Tweetybird said:

Anyone compost indoors without a lot of trouble? I'd like to try in my basement, but am concerned about odor mostly. Ideas?

Click to expand...

Lots of people run worm bins under their kitchen sinks without problems. Bokashi is also an option. Everything stays sealed up until the end when it smells kinda like apple cider vinegar.

Eek! I'm too scared of worms... I know they are lovely, just can't get over the creepiness. So I will more at bokashi. I have a good amount of green, but not so much brown. It's very cold here in fall/winter (now) so an outdoor bin would take years probably.

You don't need brown materials with bokashi. Even fish scraps are cool in moderation. Just be sure to let it sit in the soil for a couple of weeks before planting with it and you're good to go.

Here's a link to get you started--it can be super cheap if you make your own bokashi bran. http://newspaperbokashi.wordpress.com/make-your-own-free-bokashi-starter/

This is fantastic info. Thank you

Here's another great source of info on the bokashi bran production
http://www.hawaiihealingtree.org/?p=163

Tweetybird said:

So I will more at bokashi.

Click to expand...

There's a bokashi thread here: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=162237

and an EM-1 thread here: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=103402

Woaaaaa...dont confuse this with the bennie Rhizopus which produces chitosan and synergizes with other bennies.

This write up makes compost not worth it. You can get the same results without such effort. I just took a note from mushroom cultivation and applied that to bennie cultivation. Works well, and is easy. Grow complex bennie cultures on steril substrate. Also, I have a selective sub for a particular fungi/bacteria system; works well with a quick open air microwave pasteurization. Basically, your bennies at the hydro shop for cents on the dollar applied at enormously higher rates serving as organic nutes for the plant.

Also, I am growing compost measured at 150-170 for +7 days now. Observed wild fire fang just happening randomly (mixed the sub on the ground because dust actually is a good source of thermophiles). It is mildly anaerobic and smells of horse dung. My compost is derived from saprophytic bacterial bennies (many bennies are mutant phenos of standard bacteria, so heat up your plant enhancing bennies for superposting)

TheNewGuy2012 said:

BEWARE THE Cobweb Mold!!!
View Image
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]
Cobweb mold or Dactylium Mildew (Hypomyces sp.)

A cottony mycelium grows over casing. When it contacts a mushroom, the mycelium soon envelopes the mushroom with a soft mildewy mycelium and causes a soft rot. It is also a parasite of wild mushrooms.
Cobweb mold is darker than mycelium... almost grey as compared to white. The difference in color is sometimes hard to tell for somebody that hasn't seen them side by side before. Cobweb has several other indicators... the one that sticks out is the speed of growth. A small patch the size of a dime will spread to cover an entire jar/casing in just a day or two. Cobweb is also very very fine strands, while mycelium tends to be thicker ropes.
Cobweb mold is favored by high humidity. Control strategies include lowering humidity and /or increasing air circulation.

Why is ammonia bad? I use it a lot and favor ammonia sources in flower. Never liked high nitrate formula. I get the pH thing, but that is easily managed.

[/FONT] Pasteurization: The air and compost temps are held at 135-140f for 2-6 hours. The purpose of pasteurization is to kill or neutralize all harmful organisms in the compost, compost container and the room. These are mainly nematodes, eggs and larvae of flies, mites, harmful fungi and their spores. The length of time needed generally depends o the depth of fill. Deeper compost layers require more time than shallow ones. In general, two hours at 140F is sufficient. Compost temperatures above 140F must be avoided because the inactivate fungi and actinomycetes while at the same time stimulating the ammonifying bacteria. If temps do go above 140F, be sure there is a generous supply of fresh air.

Click to expand...