Compost question

[LiberalEsto]

The stuff in the middle of my compost heap is black and almost as hard as rock. I don't have the physical strength to turn the pile, so everything is compressed as more stuff is added. I also noticed there didn't seem to be any worms in the compost, even where the stuff is looser. And there are lots of tree roots growing in it.

My question -- is there something wrong with this compost? Can I use it in the garden or not? I was worried when I didn't see any worms, even though they are plentiful everywhere else in the yard.

The only things we've put into the compost are chopped fall leaves, some vegetable scraps, and once in a long while, clippings from our organic lawn.

Thanks!

[XemaSab]

1. Too much carbon, not enough nitrogen and water

Do you have a friend who can turn it? :shrug:

It needs a BIG stir.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Thanks

It does look like coal in the center.

I think I'm going to empty it out, bit by bit, and relocate the container away from those tree roots.

[HamdenRice]

3. I would need a lot more info!

I can't even picture what you're describing. How did tree roots begin to grow in your compost? Is a tree growing out of it? Or do you mean you tried to compost some tree roots?

Off the top of my head, it sounds like you have wet soggy leaves. In my experience they are the main thing that can make a really big, hard, heavy lump of the kind you are describing. Leaves can get very soggy with rain. If the lump is black, that usually means it got wet and soggy and was decaying "anaerobically" instead of "aerobically". That just means that no air was getting to the decaying matter. If no air can get in, you don't get worms (which breath air) or aerobic bacteria. Anaerobic compost stinks; araerobic compost doesn't. You can save anaerobic compost by turning it and adding stuff.


And if it's cold where you are, could it be a frozen block of leaves and ice? Because normally compost doesn't get hard as a rock under any conditions.

Is this in a bin? A pile? How big is it? How old is it, if you haven't turned it in a long time?

My experience is that making good compost, sadly, is muscle intensive. If you are using one bin, it's a good idea to take it all out, mix it and put it back. At some point, you have to stop adding stuff so you get ripe compost that you can add to the garden.

I think I have to buy a second bin, because it's very hard to manage putting new stuff in with using ripe stuff. As long as you keep putting new stuff in, you don't get ripe compost.

[LiberalEsto]

4. I'll try to describe it

We have 2 bins about 48 inches across and 36 inches high. Each is a long piece of plastic with 1 inch air holes all over it. The ends of the plastic are joined together to make a hollow cylinder, which is set on the ground. The materials are put into those cylinders. The county sells these for $5.

Unfortunately we have two huge silver maples in the back yard. Their roots get into everything. The roots grew up from the ground underneath the compost bin and started circling around in it, sucking up nutrients. It's a battle just to hack the black composted material out because of the roots. I'm sure the other one has the same problem. I don't know if there is any place in the back yard that is safe from the maple roots.

The material at the bottom of the bin is hard and dry. It's definitely not frozen. There is some softer compost above it. I guess the pressure of all the leaves and grass clippings compressed the stuff at the bottom. However everything smells nice like compost is supposed to.

We have too many leaves every fall, thanks to the silver maples, even though we leave about 1/4 of the yard unraked as a natural area with native plants. It would probably take 4 or 5 compost bins to handle them properly but they would take up a lot of space. Whatever we don't compost, we recycle with the county in big paper bags.

Hope that's enough info.

[HamdenRice]

5. It's probably compacted compost

I emptied my bin yesterday and was looking for what you describe. At the bottom, the stuff can get very compressed, so I suppose that's what it is.

There is a danger that if it was composted anaerobically, it developed acids which would not be good for the garden. All you have to do is break it up and recompost it.

My guess is that you may be leaving your compost for too long, if you are getting tree roots and compacted compost. Most years, I empty mine about twice a year. As for the tree roots, that sounds pretty difficult. Can you move the bins every 6 months or so when you empty them?