Working With Activated Compost 

Composting is a landscaper’s perfect trick to getting the best looking and growing plants around. There are a lot of bits and pieces that go into getting the best compost like including activated compost, finding the right spot to put it, utilizing the correct materials, and finding patience.

What is activated compost?

Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been served with oxygen, which creates a porous, fine material and is used in many industrial, commercial, and household applications. Charcoal has a million tiny pores that essentially work like a sponge to absorb any toxins. Using activated charcoal in garden soil or activated compost is a very effective way to remove certain chemicals since the charcoal substance can absorb almost up to 200 times its own weight. Activated charcoal can also help with removing unpleasant aromas like smelly compost.

What is the process of composting?

There are a couple of different methods for composting. Onsite composting is where organizations that are going to compost small amounts of wasted food can compost onsite. Yard trimmings and small quantities of food scraps can be composted onsite. Composting can significantly reduce the amount of wasted food that is thrown away. Animal products and large quantities of food scraps are not appropriate for onsite composting.

Vermicomposting is where red worms in bins feed on yard trimmings, food scraps, and other organic matter to create the compost. The worms can break down this material into high quality compost. The worm bins can be sized to match the amount of food scraps that will be turned into castings.

It typically takes around three or four months to produce castings that are usable, so it is a somewhat lengthy process. The castings can then be used as potting soil.

Turned windrow or aerated composting is suited for big volumes such as that generated by entire communities. It is even collected by high volume food-processing businesses (e.g., restaurants, cafeterias, packing plants) and local governments. It will produce large amounts of compost, and local governments may want to make the compost easily available to residents for a low or no cost.

Aerated composting involves organizing organic waste into long piles called “windrows” and adding air into them occasionally, either manually or mechanically, while turning the piles. The prime pile height is around four and eight feet, with a width of about 16 feet. This size pile for aerated composting is large enough to produce enough heat and maintain the correct temperatures. It is also small enough to permit oxygen flow to the windrow’s core.

Large quantities of diverse wastes such as grease, yard trimmings, animal byproducts like fish and poultry wastes, and liquids can be composted through this aerated method.

Aerated static pile composting produces compost relatively quickly, about three to six months for a big pile.

It is perfect for a relatively homogenous mix of organic waste. It works well for larger generator amounts of yard trimmings and compostable municipal solid waste, like landscapers, local governments, or farms. However, this method does not work great for composting grease or animal byproducts from food processing industries.

Organic waste is mixed in a large pile in aerated static pile composting. To add air to the pile, loosely piled bulking agents like shredded newspaper and wood chips are added in layers so that air can pass throughout the pile.

How do you start composting?

First, you will want to choose the perfect compost bin. Deciding between a pile and a bin is the first step to composting. A bin can keep everything nice and neat, while a compost pile is a lot easier to add things to.

An open pile is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It is a heap of compost on the ground. You are able to add more to the pile or turn it as it decomposes. You can use a tarp to cover the pile, which can control moisture and lock in the heat, or you can let it sit alone to allow it to decompose uncovered.

For bins, there are a couple of different styles that you can make yourself or purchase for composting bins. A bin is a really great way to keep the decomposing material heat and contain the compost in one spot. Some of the options include a multi-bin composter which has multiple composts at different stages going at once. Another is the tumbling composter which is a rotating bin where you can switch up the contents from a center axle. Lastly, the wooden composter is the easiest to make yourself.

Now, where should you put the compost bin or pile? A perfect location to choose is a spot that is in the sun, flat, and can drain properly. Along with these qualifications, you should choose a location that is most convenient for you because you will be walking pretty frequently to it.

Next, what goes into compost? Well, the list is pretty long. There are a wide variety of materials that you can add to your compost, like paper egg cartons, dried leaves and grass clippings, bark, shredded brown paper bags, and coffee filters, as well as activated charcoal for activated compost.

To maintain your compost, you need to continually add layers to your compost throughout the composting process. To do this, you can save any waste from the kitchen under the sink, in plastic containers on the counter, or even in your freezer. Every time you add any food or yard waste into the compost, ensure that you top it. To accomplish this process, first mix in new materials with the lower layers already in the pile. Then, ring out materials but keep the moisture to a certain level to maintain the same moisture level as the rest of the contents. Lastly, turn or mix compost about once a week to breakdown material and eliminate any order.

What can you do with your compost?

There are quite a bit of different uses for your compost and activated compost. First, there is mulch. Activated compost can be used for mulch to spread among plants, trees, the lawn, shrubs, and your garden. Second, you can use it for compost tea. Compost tea is the liquid that is released from the compost naturally, and you can take this liquid and pour it over flowers and plants.

Along with this, there’s also the lawn top dressing where you can apply the dressing from one to three inches of the lawn and mix it with the rest of the soil when you decide to plant. Lastly, you can use activated compost as a soil amendment. To do this, dig two or four inches down and add the compost there, mixing it with the rest of the soil when you choose to plant.

In general, when using activated charcoal in compost, you should try and limit your use of activated charcoal to around a cup of charcoal for each square foot of compost. There is one stipulation: if you use commercial compressed charcoal, make sure to read the label and don’t add it to your garden if the product contains any lighter fluid or other chemicals that can make charcoal more susceptible to light.

There are two different charcoals, horticultural and activated. First, horticultural charcoal has many great qualities, but unlike activated charcoal, it doesn’t have those spongy air pockets, so it can’t absorb toxins or odors. However, horticultural charcoal is a very lightweight material that can improve poor soil by increasing the soil’s moisture-retaining capabilities and improving drainage. It may also reduce the leaching of nutrients from the soil.

Benefits of Composting

There are so many benefits to composting. Composting enriches the soil and helps retain moisture to suppress plant diseases and pests, keeping your plants healthy. Activated compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi. This fungi then breaks down organic matter to create humus which is a rich nutrient filled material. Activated compost will help many aspects of your garden.

Contact Tracer Companies today and solve all your landscaping needs!