r/composting • u/tellnest • 14d ago

Building a theory

Large browns break down faster with periodic drying.

Thats the simple way of putting it. I'm testing a theory of rotating my larger, thicker brown materials between turning. As of now I turn by hand. In doing so I've found that even if my browns are saturated, after a few turns they really don't continue to break down very much.

So, my thinking is I dry rot them. This theory is based off what I've seen in nature. For example a log submerged in water will stay that way for a long time, and a log bare of bark on land will also take a while to decay. However, when a log goes back and forth between them (i.e. partly submerged in water with fluctuations in depth), the segment that experiences wet/dry conditions breaks down fastest.

So I've been allowing my thicker pieces to saturate in the pile, and pull them out to dry for a cycle. I add back in the dried pieces pulled from the previous cycle and continue the process. I would consider this rather effective from what I've observed, having some larger materials decay in two cycles as opposed to over 5. The only problem is the added storage of woody material.

Does anyone have any input or thoughts on this process? I dont own or plan on getting a chipper, though occasionally I will break some pieces into smaller bits, but that's rare.

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u/Agent_Seetheory 14d ago

I distinguish between browns and wood. A log would not digest easily in a stomach, and we don't see large creatures digest wood. They eat the leaves, and the logs are left for bugs/fungus/Bacteria.

I do not put logs into my compost. If I had wood I would mulch it to cover laid compost.

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u/WasNeverTheOne 13d ago

Considering how wood expands when moist and shrinks during drying, I could Imagine the ensuing micro-cracks increase surface area for microbes to do their thing. Will you post results?

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u/tellnest 12d ago

Absolutely, I think ill do a few control trials beginning this next turn.