When it comes to composting, there are quite a few things that must be controlled so be sure you keep them in mind. These include your feedstock and nutrient balance, the size of your particles, your overall moisture content, the flow of oxygen and of course your temperature. Our article goes further into what was already mentioned as well as some general information on aerated windrow composting.
Windrow composting
In order to properly control the rate of decomposition, you’re going to need to properly balance both brown and green organic materials. And if you didn’t know, green organics are simply scraps of food, clippings of grass and even domestic animal manure which contains a pretty high amount of nitrogen. Brown materials typically refer to your branches, dried leaves and wood chips; these of course have less nitrogen. So, be sure to experiment and have as much patience as you can when dealing with your desired feedstock.
When it comes to your particle size, you can increase the overall surface are for feeding by grinding, chipping and even shredding your materials. If you add smaller materials, you create a more homogeneous mixture while you increase your insulation. So, be sure to keep your particle size as small as possible.
In order to have your pile thriving, you’ll need to ensure that your microorganism‘s have sufficient moisture to live. So, be sure to add enough water to your pile so that your microorganism’s can make use of the nutrients. However, keep it moderate because you wouldn’t want to run into additional problems.
Self propelled compost turner for windrow composting
Additionally, turning your pile might also be a great idea since it aids with aerating the pile. When you aerate your compost pile, decomposition occurs faster. However, be sure that you don’t create too much oxygen since it can dry out your pile.
If you’re interested in producing large volumes of compost, the turned windrow or rather aerated composting is your best solution. With this method, compost is done by creating long rows of organic waste known as windrows. These are then aerated from time to time either by mechanical or manual means. And they are typically created to stand at a height anywhere between 8 and 4 feet and they can go up to 16 feet in width.
Due to the initial size of the pile, enough heat is created to successfully maintain an optimum temperature and it is small enough to ensure that the particles are small enough for the right amount of oxygen to flow through the windrow. However, even products such as animal by-products, liquids and even grease can be used for this method.
As we conclude, we have just looked at the factors which should be controlled during the windrow composting process. And we have also briefly looked at what the process entails. Additionally, this particular process requires a certain amount of patience to deal with trial and error as well as even the environmental conditions such as arid environments and even those that have huge rainfall in order to make it a successful venture.