- Why implement compost?
- Best time to turn to compost
- How often to turn compost?
- Required material
- Implement compost: step-by-step instructions
- frequently asked Questions
Turning compost is a sensible measure for a number of reasons. Everything you need to know and step-by-step instructions for the correct implementation can be found here.
In a nutshell
- Turn over compost at least once a year
- Separation of degraded and unfinished compost
- Rearrangement for faster humus development
- Easy and quick to do
Why implement compost?
The main reason for turning/reassigning compost heaps is the rapid formation of humus and consequently faster use as fertilizer. In addition, a conversion ensures that less space is required, which makes it particularly useful when the composter is about to overflow. In detail, the implementation brings the following advantages:
- Loosening for improved air permeability accelerates decomposition by microorganisms
- new blending of materials for faster rotting
- Promotion of independent heat generation and even distribution for better living conditions of the microorganisms
- Reducing the volume by sifting out ready-to-use compost
dig up compost
Best time to turn to compost
A composter can theoretically be rearranged all year round, provided it is not frozen. However, the times in early spring and autumn bring the best arguments for implementation. In addition, for the optimal time, care should be taken that the compost heap has dried a little after several rain-free days.
Early spring/end of winter
When the temperatures in February allow the compost heap to thaw, the most suitable time for implementation has come. At this point, this helps reactivate the rotting process, which stops during the winter season. This leads to the following advantages:
- Microorganisms are awakened from hibernation and resume their work
- sufficient remaining time for humus development in time for the start of the gardening season
- Sieved finished material is already available for bed preparation and first fertilization
Fertilize with compost
Tip: The compost fertilization should only be carried out where "early" plant varieties are present, planted or sown. Varieties that only wake up from hibernation in May could be “disrupted” by compost fertilization too early.
Implementation in autumn
Plenty of compost usually accumulates in the garden during and after the summer season, for example from numerous lawn clippings, tree and shrub prunings and leaves. The last possible fertilization for most plants is in early autumn, so that this can be optimally combined with an implementation. In addition, the autumn implementation also has other advantages:
- from the first frost, pests in the compost heap die off continuously
- better aeration facilitates freezing, resulting in improved compost quality
- less gardening in the spring when fertilization is done in the fall
compost heap in winter
How often to turn compost?
Implementation should be carried out at least once a year. Depending on the required availability of humus, this should be done in early spring or autumn. However, there is nothing wrong with carrying out an implementation two or more times a year. Experienced hobby gardeners with high fertilizer requirements often even turn their compost heaps every two months so that valuable humus is available even faster. In the case of a lot of garden/compost waste, which is mainly the case in larger gardens with a lot of plants, it is advisable to turn it over several times a year, primarily to reduce the volume.
Required material
Before you start with the implementation, the following required utensils should be ready to hand:
- shovel
- digging or pitchfork
- large sieve plate or special compost sieve (size at least 80 x 80 centimeters, mesh size 19 x 19 millimeters)
- work or garden gloves
- if necessary, new compost container
- fresh garden/compost waste
compost seven
Tip: If you fill the sieved material into a new compost container when moving, you save a lot of work, because you can start layering directly after each sieving and thus "turn" it from top to bottom.
Implement compost: step-by-step instructions
| steps | activities |
|---|---|
| 1. Shovel sample | - Compost falls easily from the shovel, it is dry enough to turn |
| 2. Create new composter coating | - Use branches, wood chips, etc |
| 3. Sieve out material | - Remaining on sieve in new composter (top layers now as bottom layers) - Remove coarse branches, stones and other non-rotting material - sifted is ready hummus; is put aside |
| 4. Fill compost in the 3rd layer system | - 1st layer of unfinished "old" compost (between 20 and 30 centimeters high) - 2nd layer: Spread one or two shovels of ready-to-use hummus evenly thick on the surface - 3rd layer: add fresh garden waste |
| 5. Water the turned compost heap | |
| 6. Work the remaining mature compost into the bed soil |
implement compost
Tip: In order to achieve the goal of composting even better and faster, compost accelerator can also be mixed in. To prevent fungal infestation, the introduction of rock dust is also recommended.
frequently asked Questions
How to hold the sieve when turning?The more inclined you position the sieve, the more fine-grained humus will pass through the sieve. However, the sieve should not be too steep, so that sieving can take place at all and the material does not simply fall off to the side. An inclination between 45 degrees and 65 degrees is ideal for sifting out the best hummus.
What else helps to accelerate the maturing process of the compost?Frequent implementation is the best method. You can also water in dry weather conditions. The moisture promotes rotting and you get valuable humus correspondingly faster. You can also use manure made from valerian leaves, stinging nettles, fern fronds and compost as a compost accelerator. However, after fermentation, a 1:10 dilution with water is required. Then water the compost heap once or twice a week, depending on the weather.
What should be considered when using the same compost container?In order to promote rotting, it is important when moving that the previous stratification changes. This means that what was previously at the top of the composter now has to be layered at the bottom. You can compare this to a digging up, where the lower layers also go up and the upper layers go down. Accordingly, if you sift everything into one pile, you will have to "dig up" the immature, compostable material once so that the previous upper layers can be filled into the composter first.