question about earth worm casting

Im'One

Active member

• Jun 21, 2020

• #1

I had trouble getting my compost mixture to heat up. It was mostly horse manure. I had a bright idea of putting it in a barel drilling holes in the sides ro allow drainaqe and putting a aerated four inch sewer pipe in the middle. I then mixed in some soil that the earth worms had been in previously. In other words castings. This was three months ago.
The soil in the barrel looks like earth worm castings and is pretty well broken down. I saw one red wiggler in it.

For the purpose of my soil recipe, would this be considered EWC or compost?

Im trying to recyle last years soil. It has been sitting outside in tub with drain holes for a year. It was coimbo of ocean forest, happy frog peat and perlite in equal portions. I have added some peat and some of the compost but am not sure what proportions i sbould use.

I also have numerous other amendments to add.

 

V

Veggia farmer

Well-known member

• Jun 28, 2020

• #2

Horse manure is not so high in N to C, often a lot of sawdust that further complicates the issue of heat.

Its all humus in the end, so are we.

 

Im'One

Active member

• Jun 28, 2020

• #3

Thweres no sawdust, my mare is free in her one acre lot most of the time. So its pure manure with no bedding. I got good results from putting red wigglers in some that was already a few months old.
I mixed four parts used soil, one part biochar, two humus, two peat moss that was aged a few weeks outside, one part perlite, this made about four cubic foot.
I then added two cups azomite, two cups oyster shell, two cups kelp, two cups alfalfa meal, two cups blood and 2 cups bone meal.

I mixed them together and let them sit a few days.

 

L

LizardMan

Member

• Jun 29, 2020

• #4

I don't see any issue why a weed wouldn't grow in that mixture!!

 

V

Veggia farmer

Well-known member

• Jun 30, 2020

• #5

OK, still horse manure is still not easy to get hot, but hey, its good for the plants anyway!

Like the lizard says, I dont see any issue aswell!

 

M

Maple_Flail

Well-known member

• Jun 30, 2020

• #6

how old is the horse manure? was it matured at all before you started this process?

IMHO for majority horse manure, Under 6 months aged and unknown temp reached.

I'd heat it up again, and take not of temperature reached and duration.

Due to horse digestion, you are kinda still in the danger zone with their manure.. they don't process bacteria like cows. they can pass all sorts of nasty things through their manure.

fresh chicken/quail and/or Rabbit manure would be sufficent to re warm.

 

Im'One

Active member

• Jun 30, 2020

• #7

Yes the manure had sat on the ground for six month or longer. The worms pulverized it pretty well in the past two months or so.

 

Im'One

Active member

• Jun 30, 2020

• #8

Maple_Flail said:

how old is the horse manure? was it matured at all before you started this process?

IMHO for majority horse manure, Under 6 months aged and unknown temp reached.

I'd heat it up again, and take not of temperature reached and duration.

Due to horse digestion, you are kinda still in the danger zone with their manure.. they don't process bacteria like cows. they can pass all sorts of nasty things through their manure.

fresh chicken/quail and/or Rabbit manure would be sufficent to re warm.

Click to expand...

What should i watch for?
Will another several months sitting out make a difference? Im probably gonna put the rest on my strawberries and asparagus. And...outside plants stay outside...inside plants will be happy frog soil only with some extra perlite and amended as needed with bigbloom etc

 

M

Maple_Flail

Well-known member

• Jul 1, 2020

• #9

Im'One said:

What should i watch for?
Will another several months sitting out make a difference? Im probably gonna put the rest on my strawberries and asparagus. And...outside plants stay outside...inside plants will be happy frog soil only with some extra perlite and amended as needed with bigbloom etc

Click to expand...

Examples of zoonotic pathogens that can be found in horse manure are Salmonella spp., strains of Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Giardia, Cryptosporidia, and Campylobacter spp.

Click to expand...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topic... that,, Cryptosporidia, and Campylobacter spp.


6months + 2 months of worms.. should be good. Id still want to warm to 65*c for a couple days to be sure. i don't like messing with e.coli and listeria

IIRC usda sets minimum cook time of 2 weeks? but that is for fresh.(weeks for windrow, and 3 days for static. not sure the differnce in thier terms)

https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Compost_FINAL.pdf

 

ColaCalyx

Well-known member

• Jul 4, 2020

• #10

An easy way to start any compost pile is to piss on it.
But for any real hot composting to happen, where the temperature gets high enough to kill weed seeds and pathogens, is volume. Stack it high

 

Im'One

Active member

• Jul 4, 2020

• #11

I don't have nearly enough carbon. I will need sawdust or something like that

 

V

Veggia farmer

Well-known member

• Jul 4, 2020

• #12

If you have the chance use straw rather than sawdust. sawdust has a LOT of carbon. To get the right ratio straw gives more structure in the end. Air.

 

S

St. Phatty

Active member

• Jul 5, 2020

• #13

ColaCalyx said:

An easy way to start any compost pile is to piss on it.
But for any real hot composting to happen, where the temperature gets high enough to kill weed seeds and pathogens, is volume. Stack it high

Click to expand...

I have a 20 gallon bucket full of sawdust.

If I mixed in a few gallons of urine, will it actually start heating up ?

Everytime I have done hot compost, it took 4 cubic yards of biomass to have a hope of getting the pile up to 130 F.

 

4

40degsouth

Well-known member

• Jul 5, 2020

• #14

Hey everyone, l really hope you’re all well,
I’ve jumped in at the end of the thread, sitting around a campfire on my own and I’ve only read a couple of posts, so l hope I’m not opening my mouth to change feet.
Saw dust is a great additive for aeration and carbon. I don’t think it’ll get too hot if you wee in it, St Phatty but if you do, you’re worms will love you for it.
Sawdust should really be an ingredient in “The Alternatives To Perlite” thread, if it isn’t already in my opinion.
“Activated” sawdust is worthwhile at my location but we have hard wood, not soft wood pine.
Red wrigglers will eat it up like no bodies business, while sucking up ACTs and it makes a cheep mulch; here, it’s good stuff.
Cheers,
40

 

Im'One

Active member

• Jul 6, 2020

• #15

Yea well I have tons of horse and no sawdust
Even adding lawn clippings and leaves it cannot begin to get close to the ratio I need to heat up. So worms work my poo and make great ewc
I will use happy frog indoors and reuse it with worm poo next summer outdoors.
Problem solved.