O2Compost Hot Topics
Successful Manure & Waste Management
Test Piles
September 27th, 2007 by peter
The O2Compost Micro-Bin has proven to be a great success for horse owners with 1 to 4 horses. To date, we have sold over 200 Micro-Bin systems to farms and stables located throughout the U.S. and Canada. Virtually everyone has discovered that aerated composting not only solves their manure management “issues”, but it is also very easy to incorporate into their daily routine.
In an effort to continually refine the Micro-Bin approach to small scale on-farm compostnig, we have been conducting our own research to “learn by doing”. The following discussion pertains to the first of three tests that we are currently running.
Test #1 - Retention of Nitrogen with Sweet PDZ
As described on their website (www.sweetpdz.com), “Sweet PDZ is the leading stall freshener on the market and is the odor control and deodorizer of choice for thousands of horse, pet and livestock owners. Sweet PDZ is an all-natural, non-hazardous and non-toxic material (i.e. Zeolite, a naturally occurring volcanic mineral). It captures, neutralizes, and eliminates harmful levels of ammonia and odors. Sweet PDZ is a far superior alternative to lime products for ammonia removal and moisture absorption. Don’t risk compromising your horse’s performance.”
In discussing this product with their Sales Manager, Tom Menner, I asked if the ammonia (i.e. nitrogen) that is captured by their product is retained in the compost, thereby improving the quality of the finished product. Tom’s response was, “That’s a good question, I don’t know. How can we find out?”
To answer this question, we have set up one of my Micro-bins with 2.5 cubic yards of horse manure mixed with sawdust bedding. At the 3-foot horizon (about a foot down from the top), I placed five nylon mesh bags with different mixes of manure, bedding and Sweet PDZ (see illustration and table below). Each sample was prepared in an identical manner with the exception of the type and quantity of Sweet PDZ. The objective is to compost these samples for 60 days and then send representative portions of each sample to the laboratory to evaluate the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N). The samples will be pulled around Halloween and the lab test results will be posted here as soon as we receive them.
Plan View (Looking Down)
3 Responses to “Test Piles”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
will sweet pdz hurt the worms that I compost with now? As long as the top 6″ of compost doesn’t get too hot, will the O2 method work with my worms?
Sweet PDZ is an inert mineral (Zeolite) and should have no effect on worm health.
Our objective with composting is for the pile temperatures to exceed 131 degrees F for at least 3-days. These temperatures are much too hot for worms to survive, and therefore it is best to introduce the worms after the pile has begun the secondary curing phase at lower temperatures.
Ok Peter, thanks for the reply. On to the next question. while the horse manure accumulates the fly situation the first few days is THE problem, here in southern California. Any clues? It isn’t the compsting tinme that is the fly problem, but the first three or four days. Even if I cover the manure it develops flies. I do not want to spray with chemicals. Is there nothing to be done?Is there no natural way to knock down or control flies before the compost gets going?