Winter Composting

Also Included in this newsletter:

• New Benchmark System in Pennsylvania
• O2Compost Q&A - Does aerated composting truly kill weed seeds?

Helpful Tips for Composting in the Winter

Composting is easy; however, composting during the winter months can present some challenges. 

With aerated composting, we induce airflow intermittently through our mix of materials (e.g., food scraps, horse manure and stall bedding, landscape debris, etc.) and by doing so, we establish and maintain aerobic conditions throughout the compost pile. The bacteria that are doing all the work for us (without turning the pile) thrive in an oxygen-rich environment and the result of their metabolic process is the generation of heat. 

Challenges arise when winter air temperatures drop below freezing. Here are three helpful tips for composting in the cold winter weather: 

1. Make sure the mix going into the bin has a moisture content of 60% - 65%; and
2. Minimize the airflow during the first 30-days of composting, or
3. Shut off the blower during extreme cold weather, and open up the valve to allow the air to flow passively up through the pile due to convection (heat rising in the pile).

Read the full article on our blog to find out how to resolve cold weather composting challenges with O2Compost. 

Research Leads to O2Compost

New Benchmark System in Pennsylvania

The owner of Five Leaf Clover Farm followed the research and constructed this beautiful Benchmark to compliment their barn. Read more to find out what valuable advice these composters have for you.

O2Compost Q&A: Viability of Weeds

"I have to present information to a potential customer to encourage them to use my compost product. The organization is worried about weeds. Can you help me with this specific issue?"

ANSWER: Over the years, I have gathered professional and clinical information regarding the viability of weed seeds in aerated compost. If you are looking for more data to support the destruction of weed seeds in your finished compost product, considering the following:

From "The Composting Handbook", Chapter 3, Page 84:

"An effective temperature target for destroying weed seeds is 60°C (equivalent to 140°F). The critical temperature on the weed species, the time of exposure, and moisture (dry conditions tend to protect seeds). Most weed seeds cannot survive a threshold of 55°C even for a few hours. The vast majority of weed seeds are destroyed within an hour between 60° and 70°C (158°F).  (Dahlquist et all, 2007)."  Link to the Dahlquist Study.

Additional Links:

• Composting to Reduce Weed Seeds and Plant Pathogens
• Time and Temperature Requirements for Weed Seed Thermal Death

Schedule Your FREE Consultation Today!

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