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Hotbin composters - any fire risk
On 08/08/2017 12:56, Martin Brown wrote:
I confess to being a little mystified that people have trouble getting lawn clippings to go. Mine go very quickly indeed provided that I don't compact them - peak temperature is reached in about three days. I'm adding about 1m^3 at a time and they are mostly gone within a fortnight. I think it is all a matter of scale. I find that it helps if the clippings are added as soon as they are cut and not left to dry out on the lawn before collection. With a petrol mower I can cut the grass when it is damp and tend to get better composting results when the moisture content is medium to high. To get a compost heap/bin hot, even during the summer, it does take a minimum quantity of composting material added at the same time. Even in the videos for the Insulated Hotbin they state that the claimed results are only achievable with the with a minimum fill with new material. I have a plastic dustbin in which I store torn up cardboard, paper shreddings and small amount of kitchen waste and the collateral damage from weeding. When I cut my lawn I get around 4 collection baskets of clippings or at the end of growing seasons when I get a large amount of plant material I add a couple of buckets of water to the dustbin with the card etc. and thoroughly mix the contents with the grass clippings or green material when filling/topping up a bin. I also add a small amount of fully or partially composted material from one of my other bins. This usually rots down fast in the summer months. If you have a bin that has 'stalled' the next time you have a large quantity of grass clippings of fresh green material mix the contents of the old bin with the new material. This may/will get you above the critical mass and probably result in faster composting. A tip for tearing up large cardboard boxes is to flatten them down and leave them outside until after a period of rain. Wet card tears easily and parcel tape etc. is easily removed. Just watch out for boxes that have a shiny fully printed images. The shiny bit could be a plastic layer but again can often be pealed off easily if the under-laying card is fully soaked. My recollection from my parents small garden was that grass cuttings on a cold heap often went slimy and anaerobic. But once there is enough materials tuning it over and re-mixing with woody material or torn up cardboard will get it started. I did originally seed my compost heaps with Garotta (sp?) which may have made a difference and might help get a smaller heap going well and hot. Just add a bucket of urine or if you have some privacy just pee on your heap. -- mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
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