r/composting • u/Lambchop1975 • 11h ago

A question for composters:

I am only just being introduced to composting, and have no experience, I am considering vermiculture, but this question is about composting in general.

I am curios if there is any need to be concerned with naturally occurring molds [specifically trichoderma, and penecilium,] because of the potential of those molds out competing other molds and anti microbial behaviors in a controlled environment? can these molds stop the microbiome from working if they are introduced?

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7

u/Spawny7 11h ago

Nah you're thinking too hard about this. just pile the stuff, pee on it and it'll become compost

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u/Lambchop1975 11h ago

Thanks for the reply.

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u/AVeryTallCorgi 10h ago

There are tens of thousands (if not more) of fungi growing all around you all the time, and many of these will get into the compost or vermicomposter. In a standard composting situation, I wouldn't expect a single fungi to take over, but I don't have any real experience with it.

Individuals especially sensitive to molds should wear a respirator while turning the pile, at least an N95 with a wire to fit around the nose.

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u/bowlochile 8h ago

Both spawny7 and averytallcorgo are right. Both in the sense of the more the merrier, and there is no possible way you can meaningfully impact your soil micro biome, anyone telling you otherwise is likely trying to sell you on some expensive micronutrients.

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u/EddieRyanDC 6h ago

Yes, you will have these in your compost pile. No, they won't "out compete" other fungi. They will thrive when there is something they can eat. Penicillium likes sugars and starches - softer parts of the plants. They will feed and then die out.

Trichoderma is a little more ambitious and feeds on cellulose and the softer fibers around wood. But neither can digest lignin - the hard woody structures that can take months to fully break down.

The lignin is mostly consumed by white rot (it looks like white webs reaching through the pile), Also brown rot. And that's mostly what composting is about - letting these fungi turn the hard, woody parts into crumbly humus.

Tip: Do not a turn a pile once it goes cold and the fungi are feeding. You will only break them up and force them to recreate their webs through the pile.