The Benefits of Controlled Heat Biodynamic Compost
Biodynamic Researcher and Mentor, Bruno Follador, monitors compost temperatures. Green tarps help control compost temperature and moisture.
Mentor, colleague, and dear friend, Christopher Mann, adds crucial water element to hot summer
compost row in East Troy, WI.
|
 The common ‘ink cap’ mushroom- Coprinopsis atramentaria- thrives in the first weeks of hot compost.
An effective compost system sits at the heart, the foundation, of any food production effort as it is essential in building microbial and humus structure in the soil to provide healthy, nutrient rich foods. Yet not all composts are equal. There are as many types of composts as there are qualities of those composts. A poorly digested compost heavy in unbroken down organic matter taxes the soil microbes, because they must then activate to finish digestion, taking invaluable nitrogen from the soil to aid in the decomposition of the carbon and organic matter. Spectrums of decomposition strategies range from slower, cold composts and vermiculture (worm based compost) on one end to heavily turned and mechanically pulverized compost on the other.
Compost from either end of the spectrum can have detrimental effect on soil microbial life and in-turn less nutrients are made available for plants. It is especially problematic when these composts are applied to soils that have lost their microbial function due to years of chemical and synthetic inputs and are no longer able to properly digest raw manures or undigested compost. Controlled Heat Compost lies in the middle of the decomposition spectrum. This method of composting creates an environment where heat loving, thermophile bacteria, fungi, and micro-organisms live, thrive and digest rapidly to harness, hold, and make available essential macro-and micro-elements found in the raw materials. The resulting humus-structured compost plays a vital role, not only in building soil fertility, but in creating a resilient humus layer that responds to growing climate shifts through moisture retention and gradual nutrient release. Controlled heat compost also promotes living microbial forces that are the foundation for proper nutrient transfer to plants and nitrogen fixation and provides insoluble and stable nutrients that release over time. Controlled heat compost systems achieve fast, humus-structured finished compost in 2.5 - 5 months depending on ambient temperatures, process success, and in part by using biodynamic compost preparations. Six different herbs and plants, pre-processed using biodynamic techniques, are used to inoculate the compost windrows at two intervals, providing increased heat and acceleration in decomposition rates. Compost rows are then covered with Toptex Compost Tarps to increase heat, support aeration, provide a dark environment for early stage fungi decomposers, retain and reflect moisture and reduce carbon loss and odor. Controlled heat biodynamic compost, due to its fast heat production, is especially effective at killing pathogens and weed seeds, and reducing and isolating chemicals and GMO's. GROUNDED llc created Angie's Gold Premium Compost using controlled heat biodynamic compost systems best practices. |