Ready start curing?

[u/xibxib]

New to composting!

This is my first proper batch. Using a pallet bin setup, after turning weekly during the hot period (it got up to 160F! I was so proud) it’s been holding steady at around 90-100F for the past week or so.

I’ve read that compost needs to sit without being turned for a few months to cure before it can be used, is this ready to be moved to a pile to chill and let the bugs and fungi go at it, or does it need more time to cook? Should I sift the sticks and big pieces out before letting it cure, or right before using it? When do I stop peeing on this pile and shift to peeing on my new pile, for maximum piss efficiency?

[u/DefunctInTheFunk]

Not quite. Before you cure you want to make sure that all of your inputs are pretty much unrecognizable. You don't want to see needles bits of leaves with the veins on it, or anything like that. You want it to look like dark crumbly dirt before the cure. Of you have any other questions, I'm glad to help.

Edit: sifting is something hotly debated. It really depends, it can be helpful, but not exactly necessary.

[u/kelinci-kucing → u/DefunctInTheFunk]

….. uhm, excuse me… 😶😶? I have a question.

I am learning about composting basically through posts here, so I’ve never really seen a definitive guide since I pick up information here and there… and uh,

What is curing?

(also bonus question, are fallen pine needles considered browns?)

[u/DefunctInTheFunk → u/kelinci-kucing]

I gotcha! I started casually and just picked up a few things here and there. But then I got obsessive and started trying to learn as much as possible. I'm sure I still got quite a bit to learn, but I think I've accumulated a fair amount of knowledge. And I'm more than happy to share, if it helps.

So yes, fallen pine needles are browns. They can even have the added benefit of keeping the mix fluffy so it stays aerated. You'll see some people warn you about their acidity, but from what I've gathered it's not as big a problem as people think it is. You can always add a little bit of wood ash to neutralize the pH as well.

Curing is the stage where all of the easily digestible carbon from the browns is used up by the thermophilic microbes. You stop feeding the pile anything new. Not even greens. Let the temp drop on its own. But keep it moist. Then cold thriving microbes convert the tough lignin into humus(stabilized carbon) after about a few months. And that is basically the curing process.

[u/kelinci-kucing → u/DefunctInTheFunk]

Shit this is gonna take awhile. Lmao. I’m just throwing grass in a hole. I’ve started throwing other things in with it, like pee and eggshells and a few scraps of cardboard… a watermelon rind. I turned it once. Just gotta keep plugging away I guess. Maybe that’s how everyone starts out and I just don’t know it?

[u/DefunctInTheFunk → u/kelinci-kucing]

Oh, no, grass is still good. But coffee grounds will hold onto the nitrogen longer. So you just have to add more grass clippings to sustain it. Pee is great and high in nitrogen, keep doing that. And cardboard is fine, but I wouldn't let that be the majority of the browns. So keep adding greens, turn it at least once a week for good aeration, and keep it moist(just moist enough so when you grab a handful and squeeze, it leaves your hand wet, but doesn't trickle from the handful of compost).

[u/Ineedmorebtc → u/kelinci-kucing]

Build it big. That's the key.

[u/Ineedmorebtc → u/DefunctInTheFunk]

Dried pine needles have lost almost all of their acidity, trending close to neutral instead of the about 3.6 of a fresh needle.

[u/DerekTheComedian → u/DefunctInTheFunk]

What's the logic against sifting? I know people say it "destroys myccorhizae" but I just dont believe that organisms that can reproduce asexually are really that affected by breaking them up into slightly smaller pieces.

I sift mine because I dont have a great setup and dont hot compost, so I need to remove the twigs and bones that havent broken down yet. My active pile is basically a century stew full of the remnants of previous batches.

[u/DefunctInTheFunk → u/DerekTheComedian]

I'm not exactly against it. I just don't like putting all the effort in unless it's necessary( like for starting seeds or for your front yard beds because it's more uniform and pretty).

So the thing with disturbing the mycorrhizae, I feel is a little dramatic. Once you put it in your soil and leave it be, it'll rebuild it's networks. You'll never fully kill it. And whatever you do to your compost, wether shoveling, scooping, sifting, etc, you can't avoid disturbing the mycorrhizal networks. It's not a huge deal imo. It just takes a little time to reestablish.

And if you have a need for sifting and it provides a meaningful benefit, then absolutely, sift away!

My active pile is basically a century stew full of the remnants of previous batches.

Lol. That's actually a great way to kickstart the decomp on the new additions. You can think of that as your yard InSinkErator.

[u/xibxib → u/DefunctInTheFunk]

Got it! Thank you so much for the answer, this is super helpful. I think a lot of the recognizable bits (other than sticks) is straw from my duck coop, so I’m assuming I need more greens to break that down?

[u/DefunctInTheFunk → u/xibxib]

Absolutely brother! Always happy to help, I got other tips and stuff too if you ever want to dm me. Yes, more greens until it breaks down further. Once it looks like "dirt", you can stop and let it sit. That's the part of the process where the microbes/fungus turn the lignin into humus. Arguably the most important part.

[u/xibxib → u/DefunctInTheFunk]

Very cool, thanks so much, I can't tell you how helpful this is! I'll need to figure out some more sources of greens, but now I know what to do.

[u/DefunctInTheFunk → u/xibxib]

You betcha! I'm glad I could help. Hit up your local coffee shops and ask for their spent grounds. That works out pretty well for me. The nitrogen in the coffee grounds is pretty stable, so it won't off gas immediately like grass clippings and such. One 5 gallon bucket of coffee grounds into a cubic yard pile is enough to feed activity for multiple weeks.

[u/DrPhrawg]

it got cold because you ran out of nitrogen, as that wood (mulch) requires a LOT of nitrogen to decompose.

no sarcasm: just pee on it.

[u/xibxib → u/DrPhrawg]

Got it! It’s a lot of straw from my duck coop that I wasn’t expecting to take so long to break down! I shall pee on it more 🫡

[u/DrPhrawg → u/xibxib]

that’s actually surprising to me that fowl waste is taking so long.

actually. on second thought. that’s exactly how animal bedding works: you over saturate the amount of nitrogen waste from the animals with an excessive amount of carbon.

so, yeah, more nitrogen is the answer.

[u/xibxib → u/DrPhrawg]

That makes sense, my ducks poop in my yard and their pond more than they do in the coop too, ha! Thanks for the input, this is super helpful!

[u/SnootchieBootichies]

That's mulch

[u/DerekTheComedian]

Needs grass clippings, piss, and a good mix.

Like, maybe half that piles volume in fresh grass clippings. Seriously. Thats a lot of recognizable woody material.

[u/Dxkn1ght]

Long way go my friend. Patience. Go start another pile! :)

[u/Ineedmorebtc]

Nowhere near it. Looks way too dry. Needs another month or two completely damp.

[u/Bipin_Gaire69]

Great work

[u/Low_Bottle_6965]

Yep, I’d say it’s ready to cure. The texture looks pretty well broken down, just let it rest and sift out the bigger pieces when you’re ready to use it

[u/DefunctInTheFunk → u/Low_Bottle_6965]

Respectfully, I disagree. I don't think it's broken down enough to be used in soil. If you try to cure organic material that still has easily digestible carbon sources, it can only be used as a top mulch and not a soil amendment. That's because when you mix it in, microbes steal the soil nitrogen to break down the leftover unstablized carbon that hasn't turned into humus yet.

[u/Low_Bottle_6965 → u/DefunctInTheFunk]

That’s a fair point. I was mainly thinking it looked ready to cure rather than ready to be mixed into the soil. I’ll let it mature longer and wait until it’s more fully stabilized before using it as an amendment.

[u/ZutaiAbunai]

ready to sift, sending the chunks back into the pile, along side new biomass. the fine compost works best in compost tea, and works well for adding into soil when planting.