Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and
Compost Use
Leslie Cooperband
University of Wisconsin
Department of Soil Science
General Definition of
Composting
CO2
Organic
Matter
Minerals Organic
Compost matter,
Water Pile minerals,
water,
Micro- microbes
organisms
A=mesophilic
160
B=thermophilic
Temperature
140 C=mesophilic
120 D-maturation
oF
100
90 Active Phase Curing Phase
70
50
A B C D
Time
Microbial Food Quality
Carbon compounds
• carbohydrates
• cellulose
• hemicellulose
• chitin
• lignin
• fats, oils
Ease with which compounds are
broken down:
No O2 Adequate O2
Feed the microbes and let
them do the work for you!
Examples of composting
technologies
Simplest technologies are composting bins
or backyard piles
Passively aerated static piles using PVC pipes
Using PVC pipes inserted diagonally into
compost piles promotes convective air flow
Making and turning compost windrows
with a tractor-pulled windrow turner
Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting or Worm
Composting
• Using worms that are natural “eaters” of
organic material (red wigglers most
common)
• Requires high moisture, moderate
temperatures (40-80 oF)
• Best to feed worms pre-ground food
waste including vegetable scraps,
coffee grounds, egg shells
How to Maintain Compost Worms
• Construct a shallow bin (either plastic or
wood—wood “breathes” better)
• Recommended sizing: 1 ft2 per lb. of food
waste/week
• 1 lb. worms for food waste from household of
3 people (1 ft. X 2 ft. X 2 ft. size bin)
• Add bedding for worms-shredded paper,
leaves, peat moss
• Add food waste every few days or 1X/week
• Add new bedding if compost gets too wet
How to Harvest Worm Compost
• Segregate old material to one side of bin; add
new bedding and food scraps; worms will
migrate to new food source.
• Dump compost out of bin and put light on
compost pile; worms will move away from
light; collect them at bottom of pile.
• Remove contents of bin; place new bedding +
food waste in bottom and cover with burlap;
put finished compost on top of burlap; worms
will migrate into new material below burlap.
Compost Use in Urban Soils
Characteristics of Urban Soils
• Highly disturbed
• Common to plant in subsoil
• Topsoil imported from somewhere else
• Subject to compaction, erosion
• Subject to over fertilization
• Subject to flooding/poor aeration
Disturbed, degraded soils no
longer perform important
“ecosystem functions”
•Infiltration
•Water retention
•Absorption of nutrients
•Degradation of pesticides, pollutants
•Stabilizing soil temperatures
SOILS ARE HIGHLY
Soil Management
Soil Function