How to Speed up Composting: Here are 5 Tips to Faster Decomposition

One of the major problems with composting is it takes a lot of time. Now, being an organic process it does take time to complete and you cannot make compost overnight. But you can definitely speed up composting process if you follow the below-mentioned points.

We have discussed compost earlier also. This article will focus on some of the steps that will improve the decomposition speed of the pile. So if you are looking for how to fasten up composting, this article is for you.

One of the headaches people feel when making compost is that most of the time they do not get the desired result. In most cases, they don’t follow the basics.

In this post, we will give you some simple but very important tips that will accelerate the composting process speed drastically. And what more, it will also result in good quality compost. So let’s start:

Five simple things that will speed up your composting process are:

1. Chopping and shredding your composting ingredients.
2. Always using a proper mix of brown and green materials.
3. Keeping a proper moisture balance.
4. Regularly moving the compost pile.
5. Adding microbes to the compost pile.

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Now that you understand the steps let us explain why these 5 steps are so important to speed up any composting process

No 1: Chopping and Shredding:

The first thing to remember is to chop the composting ingredients into finer pieces. The finer the materials easier it is to decompose.

Whenever you are adding composting materials into the bin take some time to shred them into small tiny pieces. You can do it manually with scissors or knives.

Now if you seriously lack time or energy to do this manually or the materials are too large, use a mulcher like this to shred. It will save you a lot of time.

Chopping and shredding increase the surface area of the pile. As a result, the microbes start working faster and in turn, accelerate the composting process.

Chop your composting ingredients into finer pieces. The finer it is easier it is to decompose. Click To Tweet

No 2: Use A Proper Mix of Brown and Green Materials:

We have discussed various composting ingredients in our earlier article. It is essential that you choose your ingredients wisely. Ingredients such as dry leaves sawdust, wood chips, etc are generally rich in carbon (C). They are also called Brown ingredients.

On the other hand kitchen scraps, grass clippings, fresh cow dung, etc is rich in Nitrogen (N) and are called Green ingredients.

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A proper mix of Carbon and nitrogen in the pile is a prerequisite that will increase the speed of decomposition.

Keep a good mix of Carbon and nitrogen in the compost pile. It will speed up composting tremendously. Click To Tweet

No 3: Make A Proper Moisture Balance:

Moisture is crucial for the smooth decomposition of the pile. But while adding water you need to be careful not to exceed the limit. Too much or too little moisture will dampen the whole process.

Generally, if your pile contains more than 60% water it will result in stinky anaerobic oxidation whereas less than 35% water means it will not decompose properly as the microbes will not be able to continue their metabolism process.

Though it is very tough for anyone to measure the moisture to such an accuracy, the thumb rule of moisture is that you make sure that your pile has water contents that of a “wrung sponge”.

Moisture is crucial for the smooth composting. It shouldn't be too high(more than 65%) or too low(less than 35%). Click To Tweet

No 4: Keep Them Moving:

It is one of the keys to proper decomposition.

Remember cooking? You just cannot leave the vegetables in an oven without continuous stirring. The same logic applies in composting too. If you don’t stir them frequently most of the pile will not get decomposed.

The best principle is to turn the pile every 3 days. Take the material from the center of the pile and replace the center with lesser composted materials on the other sides of the pile.

Now, we understand that this can be troublesome for many of us. If you want to avoid mixing with your hand you can use a tumbling composter like this that will make your mixing process easier. Just turn the composter a few times once every couple of days.

Moving the pile helps in better air circulation and proper distribution of the microbes throughout the pile which results in faster decomposition.

Turn your compost pile every 3 days. It creates better air circulation and proper distribution of the microbes throughout the pile. Click To Tweet

No 5: Add Microbes To The Compost Pile:

Microbes are the main cause for de-composting your pile. If you make a new pile and perform the above actions properly you will get microbes inside the pile within a few days.

You can definitely fasten the process by adding a bit of microbe mix or a little bit of decomposed material from your earlier compost. It will provide the pile with instant microbes which will proliferate much more quickly and also make the decomposition faster.

Whenever composting, add a bit of decomposed material from your earlier compost. It will fasten up your composting process. Click To Tweet

So do you follow these steps? If not, try applying them to your pile and see the result. Share your experience in composting with us.

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