ᐅ How can I speed up the decomposition of my compost?

Created on: 2 May 2018 07:10
K
kaho674
Hi,
it seems like we are doing something wrong with our compost. About three years ago, we had a lot of grass clippings and piled them all up. Now, when we wanted to spread it as soil, it turned out to be a slimy, tar-like mass with grass still visible inside. We also used a rapid composter, but it seems to me like a complete scam.
Is there any trick to help the green material decompose faster?
Y
ypg
2 May 2018 08:25
Bieber0815 schrieb:
A pile of grass is not compost ....

That's right. I once read (and this is how we do it) that compost can be made from a variety of materials. These include eggshells, coffee grounds, uncolored cellulose tissues, ash, vegetable scraps, fruit scraps without citrus, some leaves, a small amount of grass clippings, and garden waste without thick branches. It's all about the right mix 🙂
kaho6742 May 2018 08:31
Yes, the problem was probably that before moving in, we piled up 2000 m² (about 21,500 ft²) of cut meadow grass, which was about 1 m (3 ft) high. At that time, we didn’t have a mulcher yet, and the construction workers wanted the material removed before they started.

Now it’s different. On the second compost heap, there is a mixed assortment of materials. By the way, we don’t add eggshells because they are too high in lime for the soil.
C
chand1986
2 May 2018 08:32
We removed the bottom layer once a year and mixed it through the top layer at the same time. I call this layering or rearranging. It worked really well.
K
Knallkörper
2 May 2018 09:21
A handful of fresh earthworms on top, that speeds things up a lot. In our newly established garden, I also spread 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds) of earthworms last year to bring some air and life into the soil, because the delivered topsoil was completely worm-free.
B
Bieber0815
2 May 2018 10:55
Everything is correct! Otherwise, just google: Kompostfibel.
kaho6742 May 2018 11:09
chand1986 schrieb:
We removed it once a year from the bottom and mixed it through at the top. I call it layering or rearranging. It worked great.

What do you mean by "removed from the bottom"? How many "piles" do you have?