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re: preparing poop for use as fertilizer
17 may 2000
wrote:
>i am still trying to perfect this technique for the manure my big dogs
>produce. the bedding/grass (dried works best)/leaves and the piling
>part i have down; the percentage of biomass i recall to be about 20/1
>(right, nick??); the odor i have not conquered yet.
the reaction rate isn't very sensitive to c:n ratio. optimal conditions
include 25:1 c:n and 50% moisture and at least 15% o2, when the reaction
can proceed at 20% per day by volume.
>turning the compost helps, as does liming the stack. however, i do not
>really know how much lime to use....useful suggestions welcome.
i've heard lime isn't helpful, and turning isn't needed in an "aerated
static pile."
>...keeping the compost heap to four feet diameter or less works the best!
au contraire, i've heard that a pile of at least 3' diameter works better
than a smaller pile, because it has a lower (heat-losing) surface to
(heat-gaining) volume ratio. tractor supply's $130 grain aerator is said
to aerate up to 500 bushels of grain at up to 700 cfm.
i'm working on a "compost furnace" which would use an oxygen sensor and
a grain aerator to maintain some minimal level (eg 15%) of o2 in a compost
pile, with a humidistat and solenoid valve in series with a soaker hose
to keep the compost moisture content at least 50% when a thermostat says
a greenhouse needs heat...
nick
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