making a thermophillic compost heap Pt 1

*now supported with documentation www.phasm.co.uk/?page_id=82 * how to construct and build aerobic compost for the promotion of thermophillic bacteria in the rapid and beneficial production of humus for fertility building

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• aerobic
• thermophillic
• compost
• humus
• sustainable
• agriculture
• organic
• soil
• fertility
• garden
• green
• nature
• how-to
• eco

[samirbalonmano]

I was wondering is it possible to put some PVC tubes in compost, through which water would circulate, and that water would heat vegetables in hoop house during the winter? Maybe all of this should be near and in one hoop house, or green-house? What do you think about that Sir? Best regards!

[greenman023]

@samirbalonmano

hi samir, not having had any experience although the idea has crossed my mind I would have thought it was potentially possible but similarly potentially complicated!! compost as a source of heat though has been used for centuries... the Victorian (English) used to use the heat in glass houses to grow pineapples whilst the French used to part bury a heap, cover it with soil and plant melons... I suspect that the use of pipes complicates turning...but not impossible to achieve

[SFIAustralia]

Hi Malcom, I am curious to see if you have done any microbiological tests on your compost, I noted you spoke about gypsum helping to lock in the nitrogen via ammonium sulphate, have you found this has effected your Fungal biomass ?

[greenman023]

@SFIAustralia

strict answer... none.. that said test (if you are referring to direct sampling) are largely superfluous because the spatial variability is so great it reveal less than nothing... however the following generalizations are known to be true... a temp above 60 degrees celcius is sufficient ti kill all animal & human pathogens but insufficlent to kill the majority of the mesophiles and their spores...(this occurs at temps above 70)

[greenman023]

@greenman023 above 70 you start to sterilize ... very bad thing to do! which is why a heap should not be taken to thistemp (70 degrees celcius)

at this temp 60-70 whilst densley populated the diversity is minimal... the thermopiles are aggressive MF! nobody eat at their table!

subsequent repoputation occurs from the spores and resting microbial pop as the temp subsides.. as well as from the atmosphere....

when the compost is used the microbial poputaion then become victims of the rec soil

[greenman023]

@greenman023

contrary to pop belief adding mircobes to soil is largely pointless.. in nature their is a rule.. possession is nine tenths of it.. in the soil its nearer 10 tenth than not... the exitsing micriflora will nearly always dominate & thrive on any added through compost or expensive elixiers (ie EM)

as for fungi, the majority are imperfecti... they don't like petri dishes & even ehen they do they don't fruit & outside of expensive molecular techniques they are impossible to identify

[gojuryukarateka]

@samirbalonmano using compost to heat water works somewhat. the problem is it steals heat energy and therefore interferes with the composting process. i have used showers heated by hose coils within the compost heap. they worked ... but weren't very efficient.

[samirbalonmano]

@greenman023 It's great to know that about Victorian and French, thanks!

It is complicated, but its also complicated to get oxigen into compost piles, to get it more and faster warm.

I mean, this is great stuff, and 60 degrees Celsius is VERY good, specialy in winter...

I am very interested about this, and I think this is green energy, that greener can't be no more.:)

I wish you a lot of good luck in your work, and thanks for usefull informations!

[samirbalonmano]

@greenman023 I was wondering is it possible to put some PVC tubes in compost, through which water would circulate, and that water would heat vegetables in hoop house during the winter? Maybe all of this should be near and in one hoop house, or green-house? What do you think about that Sir? Best regards!

[greenman023]

@greenman023

send me an email (malcolm.mcewen@gmail.com) and I will send a word copy by return....