Compost and Composting

Compost is a mixture of decayed

organic materials decomposed by
micro-organisms in a warm, moist,
and aerobic environment, (oxygen-
breathing) releasing nutrients into
readily available forms for plant use.
Why use compost?
• There is a need for sustainable production
through integrated nutrient management.
• Compost produces less methane than non
decomposed rice straw when incorporated in the
soil.
• It solves problem on declining yield.
• It also corrects micronutrient problems like zinc
deficiency.
What is composting?

Composting is the controlled decay of

plant and animal wastes to produce
compost, a dark, rich soil-like material.
Compost is added to the soil to improve
its structure and nutrient content.
What do compost organisms
need?
1. Balanced diet of compost materials compose
“Browns”
“Browns” are compost materials that are brown and dry. Examples are
sawdust, dried leaves, straw and small twigs and others. “Browns” are high in
carbon, which for microbes are energy food.

“Greens”
“Greens” are compost materials that are green and moist like kitchen wastes,
grass cuttings and the like. “Greens” are high in nitrogen, which microbes need
to make proteins
If you add about 3 parts of browns to 1 part of greens, then the compost organisms will have a
balanced diet.
2. Right amount of air and water
If there’s a right amount of oxygen and
moisture, microbes can rapidly grow and
multiply. If there is much or too little of
water, the microbes die.
Compost materials should have a thin film
of water around them, and lots of pore
spaces filled with air.
3. Right temperature
Organic materials will eventually decay even in
a cold compost pile but the decay process is
sped up in a hot compost pile. When bacteria
and fungi grow rapidly, they burn a lot of food,
and give off a lot of heat. If the compost pile is
big enough, the heat will build up inside the pile.
Bacteria that grow well at high temperature take
over and speed up the decay process.
Ways of Making Compost
1. Traditional method.
This is a slow process, requiring 3-4 months before
farm wastes are fully decomposed and ready for use
as compost fertilizer. This means that the fertilizer
can only be used after one planting season. This also
requires a bigger composting area. This method
involves only eight steps. It is inexpensive to produce
and requires no extensive input except labor.
2. Rapid method.
With the aid of fungus activator Trichoderma harzianum,
decomposition of farm wastes is accelerated to just 3-4
weeks.
3. Bio-enriched method.
Employing both fungus activator and a nitrogen-fixing
bacteria, farm wastes are first decomposed by
Trichoderma sp. for 2-3 weeks, after which the resulting
compost is inoculated with live N-fixing bacteria
Azotobacter sp. Incubation for 1 week produces a
nitrogen-enriched compost that can supply a rice crop’s
total N requirement, depending on the material used, soil
condition, and planting season.
4. Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting is a process that relies on
earthworms and microorganisms to help
stabilize active organic materials and convert
them to a valuable soil amendment and
source of plant nutrients.
Steps in Making Compost
A. Traditional way
1. Make the soil firm, and dig a trench around for excess
water to flow into.
2. Stack up about six (6) inches high of grass. Do not
compress.
3. Put 1-2 inches thick animal manure over the grass.
Urea or ammonium sulfate of about 1-2 kilograms may
also be used if available.
4. Put 1 inch thick of rich soil mixed with wood ashes, lime over
the pile.
5. Repeat the process over the pile until about 1 ½ meters high.
6. Water the pile to make it moist.
7. Thrust a pipe(s) or bamboo pole(s) with holes to allow air to
penetrate the bottom of the pile.
8. After three weeks, turn the compost over with the aid of a
garden fork. This is easily done by transferring into another pile so
that the bottom layer will now be on top, etc.
9. Turn the compost again bottom up after 5 weeks. Wait for 4
weeks to allow complete composting.
10. Water the compost during hot weather; cover the compost pile
with banana leaves during rainy days.
B. Making compost in 11 days
Materials
• Farm wastes: leaves, straw. hull, grasses, weeds fresh and dry.
• Fresh animal manure: carabao, cow, horse, chicken, goat, etc.
• Kerosene can or basket
• Eight pieces posts about 2” – 3” diameter at 5” high.
• Bamboo slats
• Shovel, garden fork, bolo
Procedures in Making Compost
Pile
1. Select a shady place in your yard that is somewhat
elevated and does not lodge water.
2. Construct compost pile measuring 1 X 1.5 square meter
by 1 meter high using the 8 posts and bamboo slats to
enclose the posts; allow space for air at the bottom.
3. Cut the farm wastes about 3 to 4 inches or smaller.
4. Wet these or soak in water for 5 minutes. If they are
plenty, spray waste water on the mound
5. Mix with equal amount of fresh animal manure; mix them well.
6. Stack up the enclosed place up to 4 feet high.
7. See if the pile is getting heated. If not, sprinkle with dissolved fresh
manure. It is important to have this heat in 24-48 hours
8. Reverse the pile; see if it is heating up. Keep it moist but not wet. If it
is not, hot sprinkle with dissolved manure.
9. Reverse the pile again; see if it is heating up. Keep it moist.
10.The pile must be cooling at this point, which means the compost is
done.
11. The resulting compost is ground (pulverized). If desired, let it stay
to decompose longer because the natural bark or coating takes a longer
time to deteriorate.
C. Vermicomposting

Composting is the process of converting

organic materials like leaves and animal
manure into “humus”, an organic matter
through decomposition by the action of
microbes and other organisms. Humus is rich
in nutrients and contributes to soil texture
and water retention.
The production of vermicompost is
timely since inorganic fertilizer is now
becoming very expensive and that
there is also an increasing demand for
organically produced agricultural crops
and an added benefit is that the
earthworm can be made into high
protein animal and fish feed
supplement.
Vermiworm species

Giant earthworm of Australia - (Megascolides

australis)
Giant earthworm of Banawe – (Pheretima sp.)
African Nightcrawler – (Eudrilus eugeniae)
The earthworm species most often
used in the tropics is the African
nightcrawlers, Eudrilus eugeniae.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE
EARTHWORM CHARACTERISTICS

• It is a true hermaphrodite.
• When 2 earthworms come together, they both get
pregnant.
• It is perfectly evolved so that even if you put
several species together, they will not cross breed.
• When sexually mature, they breed every week and
can produce 2-10 worms.
• They eat their weight per day.
• They breathe through their skin.
• They feed on microorganisms (fungi
and bacteria) in the soil
• They are active at night.
• Many are migratory
Advantages of Vermicomposting
Vs. Ordinary Composting

• Faster to produce (2-4 weeks with earthworms

as bioreactors)
• Less labor needed – worms do the turning over
• Granular texture (fine and grainy)
• Greater microbial diversity (beneficial
organisms)
• High-quality organic fertilizer (no soil present)
• Contains humic acid and plant growth
regulators
• Pleasant odor and does not “heat”
• Produces earthworm biomass
• The quality of vermicompost depends on
the materials used and the processes
applied.
– Vermicompost can be used in improving soil
texture and enhancing water-holding capacity of
soil.
– Vermicompost may be low in NPK but contains
essential micronutrients (e.g., calcium, magnesium,
manganese, copper, iron and zinc) not found in
complete fertilizers.
– Vermicompost has microbial activities that
promote plant health and pest/disease resistance.
Steps in Vermicomposting

1. Gathering of materials
Examples - rice straw, grass, leaves, kitchen
wastes, animal manure, used mushroom substrate.
These materials should be shredded as the
earthworm may not be able to digest them
effectively. Add some animal manures to increase
the nitrogen content of the materials.
2. Selecting the site
The site should be airy, dry, near
water source, and raw materials
for the food of the earthworms.
The area temperature should be
around 260C.
Selecting the Worm Housing
Wormbins/wormbeds may be made out of
different materials like iron bars, old plastic
basins, split bamboo, or hollow blocks.
Windrows
Windrows are piles of substrates that are
decomposed before feeding them to the worms.
They are usually about 1 meter wide and at
least a meter high and can be of any length as
desired.
3. Preparation of beddings
Bedding is the living medium for
the worms but also a food source.
A wide variety of bedding
materials can be used, including
newspapers, sawdust, rice straw,
pre composted manure, and dried
leaves.
Beddings for the
vermiworms
Anaerobic Stage (10-14 days)
Arrange the materials or substrate into
a bed about two (2) feet high under
partial shade like a tree. Cover the bed
with plastic for two weeks for anaerobic
decomposition by bacteria and fungi
present in the material until the
temperature will rise to about 70°C.
Aerobic Stage (30-35 days)
When the temperature of the bed
cools, remove the plastic cover. The
media should smell sweet.
Maintenance of the worm beds
• The moisture content must be 60-80% (when a
fistful is squeezed, a few drops of water should
drop).
• Place the earthworms on top, at the rate of 1kg
per square meter. Put sidings of hollow blocks or
sawali. Protect against birds, cats, rats, etc., as
well as heavy rains as nutrients will leach.
Harvesting, Drying, and Storing

• After 45-60 days, pass the materials through a sieve to

separate the worms from the decomposted leaves. The
worms can be recycled into other composting beds or
made into vermi-meal. The compost should be spread-
out to dry for one day ready for sale. The vermicast is
then prepared for packaging. The final products are
placed in bags ready for storage, distribution, or use.
TIPS:
Compost is ready to use when it is dark brown, crumbly, and has an
earthy smell.
• Manual extraction. Pick worms by hand and transfer them to a new
wormbed. The vermicompost may be allowed to dry in the shade for a
few days and then sifted if a finer compost is desired.
• Pyramids of egypt. In the shade, pile the vermicompost in such a
manner that it looks like a pyramid. After a day, you can harvest the top
part easily because the worms have gone to the bottom of the pile.
When you reach the bottom of the pile, you can extract the worms
manually.
Health Precautions

• The decomposing compost heap can generate heat up to

600C. Be careful in handling the compost while turning.
Wear protective gloves or footgear so as not to scald your
hands and feet.
• Composting materials and micro-organisms may cause
allergies, although they are non pathogenic. To avoid
inconvenience from itching, cover the nose and mouth with
mask; use long-sleeves; and wash body and hands after
working on the compost.
SELF-CHECK
A. Fill in the blanks. Fill in the blanks with the correct word or group
of words to complete the thought of the sentence: Write your answers
in your test notebook.
1. Applying the fertilizer material with water in the soil means
__________________.
2. The use of liquid form of fertilizer dissolved in water and sprayed to
the plants refers to ______________.
3. When fertilizers are placed in between rows of plants, the method
used is_______________.
4. __________ are chemicals which consist one or more inorganic
compounds applied to the soil to improve the growth and yield of crops.
5. The placing of fertilizer to the soil is called ________________.
B. True or False. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and
FALSE if it is wrong. Write your answer in your test notebook.
1. The soil is fertile if most of the elements are present in it.
2. Nutrients of the soil are lost by continuous cropping without
replenishing the elements used by plants.
3. Soil nutrients are not lost by soil erosion.
4. Organic fertilizer may come from plants, animals, guano, and
bone meal .
5. Organic fertilizer is best used because of the benefits it can
give to the soil, plants, and the environment.