[USCC] Composting, , active bacteria for early stage composting, promoting the microbial activity

[John A. Crockett]

I certainly agree with Mike Nevin in the theme of reducing particle size.
We shred to 1/8" and smaller, for the most part.  I agree that "elbow
grease" helps.  On our compost research silos, we use what we call an "S & S
Compost turner.  The S & S stands for Shoulders & Shovel.  It means that we
observe the material as we shovel it out of the silos, into a large mason
tub, stir it with a True Temper 18-046 'potato hook', and then shovel it
back into the silo, hydrating it as necessary, and pulling samples for
checking moisture content, and sometimes samples for assaying the microbial
population in another part of our lab.  

Rather than using some 'finished' compost as an inoculum, I would suggest
using some compost that is about 5 - 10% of the way through the composting
process, because it is likely to have more of the microbes that are the most
efficient composters in the early stage of the composting process.  While
our finished compost runs about 303 million active bacteria (21 billion
total bacteria), we get much higher active bacteria populations in one week
old compost, over 3.0E+9 per gram, dry weight, is not uncommon for us.
(that’s 3 billion active bacteria, per teaspoonful of compost).

And if anyone can get those populations of microbial master composters,
without using 'forced' aeration, I'd like to hear from them, learn how
they're doing it.  Within an hour I'll be monitoring the CO2 and oxygen in
the off-gas from at least four of our compost research silos, and checking
the rate of air flow going through the compost...  which are routine
procedures here in our compost research silo lab.  

We also run assays, to estimate the population of active bacteria in our
compost, and will be taking a close look at the fungi in some 3 week old
compost, that is almost as white as snow, very high fungal density.  Though
the ambient temperature in the silo room this morning is 39.4°, we've got
thermocouples reporting to our TempScan system temperatures in some of the
compost, in the 158 - 161° range, 120° above ambient.  I'll know better what
the rate of air flow is after I run those tests, and my guess is that it is
at least 8 times the volume of the compost, every hour.  I'll adjust the
aeration air flow rate to get 1 - 2% CO2 in the off-gas, because I have the
illusion that that provides the best working conditions for the microbial
master composters.

And through our own proprietary technology, much of the heat for my house is
coming from the surplus microbial metabolic heat from about 11 cubic feet of
early stage compost. 

IF some of you are really interested in learning more about composting, I
can tell you that I believe that our compost research silos seem to be an
awesome environment to learn about the composting process.  I think that our
compost research lab could be duplicated for under $10,000, NOT counting the
microscope and other parts used in the assaying.  To duplicate that part,
not counting space, would take close to $50,000.  And maybe that's what it
takes for those interested in achieving excellence and real professionalism
in composting, a real commitment to Kaizen, constant improvement.  

We believe that Research and Development is essential to achieve excellence
and long term success, just as much in composting as in any other business /
industry.

Working Together to Create a Sustainable Environment, 
John A. Crockett, a.k.a. Dr. Mike Robe 
Mother Nature's Farms, Inc.
(845) 225-7763
http://www.magicsoil.com/
jac at magicsoil.com