Re: [compost_tea] Lime in compost

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 20:21:39 EDT

The compost needs to still be in active growth of the organisms phase. So, I
like to add the calcium at the beginning of the composting cycle.

With commercial compost, you need to turn 5 times, in a fifteen day heating
cycle, which means you have to get the original recipe right. We have people
who are claiming back to ambient temp, using our approaches, in 15 days.
Hum..... I want more data. Grin!

Back-yard, you use a different recipe, which allows one turn on day 7, and
then you finish composting over the next 2.5 months.

Arden Anderson, who is the co-conspirator on this approach, likes to add the
lime toward the end of the composting cycle, as long as the compost is about
100 degrees when you add the lime, so the organisms are still active enough to
immobilize the calcium on the biomass.

Which is best? Stay tuned, Arden and I are experimenting. Maybe others
could experiment too and give your input on what works best.

Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institue Cambridge, New Zealand
Soil Foodweb Inc., Hilversum, The Netherlands
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho




Received on Thu Jun 24 2004 - 21:35:13 EDT

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