09 May
Troubleshooting your home compost.
Home composts can be tricky things that, just like your pet, need love, care and attention. Even the best green-thumbs can encounter problems with their home composts! So here we share some common issues and some helpful tips on how to fix them.
And if you need any extra advice, we've linked some more experts in the world of home composting down below!
Pile not heating up.
- Problem: Needs more nitrogen.
- Solution: Add more green materials.
Smelly Compost.
- Problem: Not enough oxygen, too wet, or not aerated enough.
- Solution: Add more dry brown materials to soak up moisture and generate more carbon, aerate compost by turning more frequently.
Tip: If you’re adding food scraps, make sure to add browns as well (leaves, wood chips etc) otherwise your home compost may turn into sludge.
Pests.
- Problem: Too wet, too much food waste, or it may contain non-compostable materials.
- Solution: Remove items which cannot be composted, especially animal bones, meat and products, add more dry materials, cover compost with a lid.
Slow Composting.
- Problem: Not enough nitrogen, may not be aerated enough or too dry.
- Solution: Add more green materials, water, and turn more often. Make sure to cut up your material to help it break down faster.
Dry compost.
- If your compost is too dry, it may not break down properly.
- Solution: Add more water or wet materials to your compost.
decent Tip: Compost can be very harmful to dogs, so make sure your four-legged friend doesn’t get their snout in it!
In case you missed it in our last blog post, here's our guide to decent products, and which items are home compostable!
Need some extra help? Here are some experts in the world of composting...
- @thecompostcollective
- @kelmarnafarm
- @kaitlyngrowz
- @blue_borage
- @compostable.kate
- @marfskitchengarden
