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Strange things happened to your composter? See how to solve your problems

Joining a composting system at home, buying a home composter, is cheap and easy, but it requires care with its maintenance. In this way, organic waste can be recycled and transformed into humus with the work of earthworms and micro-organisms. Follow below some steps on how to solve certain problems in the composter.

• Composter: what it is, how it works and its benefits
• Earthworm: environmental importance in nature and at home
• Humus: what it is and what are its functions for the soil

excess humidity

In the case of composting with earthworms (vermicomposting), excess moisture makes it difficult for the worms to move around, because the compost becomes slippery and affects the aeration of the process. To find out if your home composter has excess moisture, squeeze the mixture to check if there is any dripping of liquid or not. If there is dripping, add more dry material (preferably sawdust, dry leaves, dry straw material and dry plant soil). Then stir the mixture.

• Moisture in compost: very important factor

If your composter is dry, add bits of moistened coconut fiber, fresh vegetables or even water. Learn more in the article: "Humidity inside the compost bin: a very important factor".

Always try to regulate the humidity and keep it at 55%. Also check that the air is circulating properly. Liquids also interfere with the temperature of the composting process. According to a study, materials with 30% moisture inhibit microbial activity and a material with more than 65% can provide slow decomposition, nutrient extraction and anaerobic conditions.

Temperature

For dry composting, stick an iron rod into the mixture to act as a thermometer. The temperature should be around 60°C. If it is below it means that the process is slow, which can be caused by low humidity. So do the moisture test, but if you don't, you probably have very little organic material. Then just add more waste and mix again. See more in the article "Basic conditions for composter maintenance: temperature and humidity".

unpleasant odors

Vermicompost compost exposed to sun and rain equals bad smell. Because, if this system receives water and heat, the mixture will ferment, that is, generate methane and other gases and eventually give off a bad smell, which may cause an imbalance in the system's pH. If this happens, remove the lid of your composter for a while, stir the contents and add a little more dry material and do not add new residues for a couple of days. When depositing the residues, try to dose the dry material with the wet one - with this, you avoid excess moisture, and consequently, the bad smell.

worms running away

Earthworms may start to flee the compost due to environmental conditions. If the system runs out of food or if the humidity is too high, they will escape the compost and probably die, so it is important to follow the steps explained above to control for these factors.

Another reason that can cause a problem is excessive heat, which can be caused by the ambient temperature itself or by the natural process of the thermophilic phase. For the first cause, it is necessary to move the composter to a place where there is shade and ventilation. To protect the earthworms from the natural heat generated by decomposition, separate the bed of the earthworms from the waste so they can take refuge in unfavorable conditions. You can leave the already stabilized material in one corner, the humus itself, and in the other corner add food and sawdust residues.

The addition of certain elements to compost can cause earthworm poisoning. Take care not to add chemical-containing sawdust or high amounts of aromatic herbs; if this occurs, remove these elements and leave the box uncapped for a few hours.

Earthworms also have predators: ants, centipedes and centipedes are their natural enemies. Monitor the compost bin to see if this is the reason, if you find any of these bugs, use natural repellents and continue monitoring for the next few days.

Acidity

At the beginning of the process, the pH should be around 5 and it should finish stable between 7.0 and 8.5. To maintain the ideal pH, the presence of oxygen is necessary, in dry composting, the frequency of aeration should be higher (two to four times a week) and, in the case of vermicomposting, it is possible to turn the organic material only once a week , as earthworms tunnel in the piles, which greatly promotes aeration. Do not add anything mineral or chemical to the mix to regulate the pH. Learn more about pH in the article "What is the influence of pH on compost?".

To measure the pH of your composter, you can purchase meters that are simple to use, you can find them in the eCycle Shop. Or you can make your meter at home - see how in the article "Do it yourself: homemade pH meter".

Drosophila

Care must be taken when placing fruit peels such as bananas and papayas in the compost bin. This is because, depending on the regulation of humidity, the husks attract the famous Drosophila, also called the fruit fly or Drosophila melanogaster. These insects are very annoying and lay eggs in shell residues, which, when thrown into the mixture, can sprout. Therefore, the ideal is to regulate the humidity and, when generating the residue, leave it in a closed container until it is introduced into the compost bin.

But, if the flies appear, it is recommended to use neem repellent, a tree that has several benefits for health and the environment (see more on the article "Neem: the tree with benefits from the root to the leaves"), The product can be purchased from the eCycle webshop.

Another tip to ward off drosophila is to make a concentrated lemon grass tea and sprinkle it on the mixture. And always regulate the humidity, but do not use any type of poison to ward off flies.

Another tip is to apply citronella oil on the walls of the boxes from the outside, to keep insects away, as citronella is an excellent natural repellent (take the opportunity to see more examples in the article "Six types of plants work as a natural insect repellent "). In addition, there is a natural trap to eliminate drosophila that can be made in your home with simple materials, see how to make a trap with a PET bottle in the article "Learn how to eliminate drosophila with a homemade trap".

To reduce the appearance of the fruit fly, it is also possible to add a rehydrated layer of coconut fiber to the compost surface. For more information, read the article "Tips for those who want to get rid of fruit flies in compost".

fly larvae

The famous white larvae that appear in the compost bin without explanation may come precisely from the fruit flies that are attracted by the high humidity of the compost. Many people get desperate when they see these larvae, thinking that all the compost will be lost, but very calm. As they are larvae and not yet mature enough, these unwanted animals end up dying and turning into compost, since, at certain times of decomposition, the temperature rises considerably and the worms flee to cooler places, leaving these larvae to be "decomposed" .

An alternative to prevent flies from laying their eggs in the compost is to use protective screens in cases where the compost bin needs to be kept open for a long time.

Another fundamental precaution is to check that the food remains are not already contaminated when placing them inside the compost bin. See more in the article "Flies and larvae in domestic compost: causes and solutions to the problem".

But if the white larvae still appear, rest assured: they help the worms by breaking down the waste molecules into smaller molecules, facilitating the digestion of the former. In addition to the mesh, a population control of these larvae can be done by turning the compost every two or three days, keeping the newest material mixed with the oldest.

Tips

Food scraps are welcome for earthworms, but avoid those that cause problems, such as citrus peels, animal fat, salty food scraps, meat, garlic, onion, wheat derivatives, dairy products, black nuts, rice, most types of paper (because of the ink, which can harm these worms). In addition, it is worth noting that paper can be recycled, as well as wood treated with pesticides or varnish. But these residues slow down the process, as they are difficult to decompose, which causes pests and even the death of the worms. See the article "What can you put in the composter?" other items to avoid in your home composter and what to do with them in the "Not going to composter, now what?" story.

Several animals can appear in the compost bin, but don't worry as they are beneficial and facilitate the work of the worms. Understand better which species can appear and what they do in the article "Which little animals can appear in compost?".

Coffee grounds can be added to the compost pile because it is rich in nutrients (such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus), retains moisture, warms the compost bin, and gives off a milder smell than methane. And without the smell, insects are not attracted to the compost bin. Only earthworms that like the smell of fermentation and musty coffee grounds are attracted, which is very good for you, because of the fundamental role that earthworms play in composting. Just be careful with the amount, because too much coffee grounds in the composter will cause too much moisture. Discover other uses you can make of coffee grounds and understand how it can help your plants.

There is a technique in which it is possible to arrange the residues in sequential rows, thus, the consumption of residues by earthworms occurs more uniformly. On one side, leave some humus, so that the worms can enjoy, and on the other, deposit the residue tracks sequentially in rows next to each other and then in layers.

It's also good to put a piece of brick in the tank reserved for the slurry, as that way you create conditions so that the worms that land near this tank don't drown, and can climb back to the wall. There is a model of domestic composter that brings together three stacked boxes, the last one being reserved for slurry, which is one of the results of composting and which, mixed with water, can become a biofertilizer for the plants.

There is another model that has already been adapted so that you do not need to place the brick, it is the Humi composter. Learn more about her in the article: "Humi: the domestic composter that combines style and practicality".

To learn about different types of composters, take a look at the article: "Domestic composting: how to make and benefits".

See the table below for a summary of solutions for possible problems in composting: