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CompostandComposting

WhatisComposting?
Composting

is

Natures

way

of

recycling nutrients. Natural recycling

occurs on a continuous basis in the
natural environment.
Composting

is

the

controlled

decomposition or breakdown of organic

matter by a large number of mixed
populations of microorganisms in a
warm, moist, aerated environment.
Composting

is

process

of

transformation of raw organic materials

into

biologically

stable

humus

substances, suitable as plant nutrients.

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WhatisCompost?

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Compostistheresiduecreatedfromthedecompositionandrecombining ofvarious
forms of plant and animal life such as
leaves, grass, wood, garbage, natural
fiber, bones or any natural bio mass
materials.
Those organic materials are composted
by time, water, microorganisms, sun and
air, producing a substrate improved in
structure and nutrients, easily utilized by
plants for their growth.

Naturehasitsownwayofcomposting

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Composting is not a new idea. Nature teaches us composting principles.

In the forest, composting happens as leaves
pile up on the forest floor and begin to
decay.
Eventually, the decaying leaves are returned
to the soil where living roots can finish the
recycling

process

by

reclaiming

nutrients from the decomposed leaves.

the

WhatistheValueofcompost
1. Compostcontainsplantnutrients
2. Compostimprovesthephysicalconditionofsoils
3. Compostincreasesthewaterholdingcapacity ofsoil
4. Compostprivilegesplantrootpenetration
5. Compostpreventssoilerosion

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6.

Compost concentrates
farm residues

7.

Compost promotes soil

health
and
plant
productivity

8.

Compost
help
to
combat
plants
pathogens and weed
seeds
Compost releases nutrients slowly

9.

Compostingprinciple

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For the farmer, composting consists in

managing his farms bio mass and animal
manure and to process them in a way
that the decomposition will be optimal,
giving him in return, an improved
homogenous, black, soil like substrate
rich in plant nutrients, adequate to
sustain crop growth.

All organic matters like straw, leaves,

grasses, kitchen waste, coconut fiber,
wood chips, weeds, algae, old thatch
roofanimal
manures
can
be
composted.
Composting
is
farming
microorganisms
and feeding them with farm residues
and available bio mass.

EnrichedComposting
To optimize the animal manure and the bio mass
available to the farmer, it is best to build a compost
pile by altering layers of DRY carbon rich material
(coconut fiber, trees leaves, straw, old thatch roof)
with GREEN protein rich material ( greens, weeds,
kitchen waste, water hyacinth) and ANIMAL
MANURE ( cow, dunk, buffalo dunk, horse dunk,
chicken manure)
By following this technique the farmer can create
4 times more enriched compost, than by the traditional
way which consists in piling cow dung without
adding extra biomass to the pile.
It is not the decomposition of cow dung witch creates
compost but the decomposition of BIO MASS. The
more diversity of bio mass into the pile, the more rich
bio active end produce we get. Cow dung acts only as
an inoculants, providing billions of microorganisms to
the pile, accelerating the decomposition and
composting process.

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Precautionsforcompostpilepreparation

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1. Compost pile should be made ideally under a tree shade to avoid moisture
loss.
2. Compost pile should be always made near a water source.
3. Dry and green organic materials should be mixed alternately with animal
dung to balance the Carbon/Nitrogen ; Dry/ Green ratio of the pile.
4. The more diverse dry bio mass and green bio mass are used to build the
pile, the more rich and bioactive will be the compost end produce
5. Compost pile should be done in upperground area to avoid water
stagnation during rainy seasons.
6. The pile should be ideally 4 feet large by 5 feet high, to promote a good
heat build up and metabolism. Estimate the length of the pile according to
the organic materials that are available for composting.

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Inputsusedforcompostpreparation

Coconutfiber

Dryleaves

WaterHyacinth

Ash

Greenleaves

Panchagavya

Freshcowdung

EM

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RawInputsProcessing
Coconutfiber

Water

Oxygen(O2)
Organicmatter
Vitamins
Minerals
Nutrients
Microorganism

Water
hyacinth
Greenleaves
FreshCow
dung
Water
Ashes
Panchakavya

Freshcompostpile
FinalEndProduce

EM

Inputs

Carbondioxide
(CO2)

Heat

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Suitablematerialsforcomposting
Proteinaceous

Carbonaceous
Hay&straw

Minerals

Allfreshanimalmanuresfrom Limepower
cow,sheep,pig,horse.

Sawdust&woodchip

Tanksilt

Barkclips

Fishwaste

Woodash

Seaweeddried

Allgreenplantmaterials

Oldcompost

Drycropssuch asrice,
corn,maizestalks

Driedleaves

Coconutfiber

Fruitwastes

Bonemeals

Kitchenwastes

Eggshells

Seaweedmeal

Borewellsoil

Freshseaweed

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Unsuitablematerialforcomposting
1. Plants,whichhavebeenrecentlysprayedbypesticideorherbicides
2. Meatscraps,astheymayattractsratsandotherpests.
3. Diseasedplantmaterials.
4. Hardwoodandhardplantsstems.
5. Stones.
6. Persistentperennialweeds.
7. Metals
8. Plastics
9. Glasses

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TheCompostingtechnique
Land Selection
1. The composting area should
be under tree shade and
upper ground area.
2. Clean the ground with a
local tool from all weeds,
thorns.
3. Level the surface where the
compost heap is to be build.

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Marking the pile size

1. Mark the area of the
with

heap

a rope or spade.

2. The pile should be minimum

4 ft wide, and up to 30 ft long,
or as long as it is practicable.
3. The height of the heap should
reach ideally 5 feet high.
4. These dimensions allow the creation of a body where the biochemical and
biological process can happen

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Firstlayer Drymatter

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The First layer should be filled with

Dry Biomass @ of 15 cm or 6
inches. The Dry layer represent
input into the pile of
carbon,
cellulose and lignin materials.
Water the dry layer until saturation
and before the water leaches out of
the pile.

The Dry layer can be made with

forest leaves, straw, dry weeds,
coconut waste, old roof materials,
woodchips
virtually any dry
biomass of relatively small particle
size.

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Spread on

top of the dry matter,

ashes & organic growth promoters

like panchagavya and decomposers
like Em @ 2 cans. Each can contain 10
liters water plus 300 ml panchagavya
and 500 ml of Em per can.

Ashes
Ashes bring in phosphorus which
prevents pest. EM act as a microbial
decomposer and speed up the break
down of the pile and Panchagavia
enriches the pile of growth promoting

Panchagavya+EM

substances.

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Secondlayer Cowdung

SpreadtheCowDung evenlyontopofthedrymatter@5cm(2).

Waterthecowdungifitisnotfresh.
Cowdungrepresentsthenitrogenandthemicrobial inputintothepile.

Thirdlayer Greens

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TheThirdlayershouldbepreparedwithGreens@15cm(6inches).

Greenscanbeweedscollectedonthesideoftheroadoronthefields, kitchen
waste,waterhyacinth,seaweeds,greentreeleaves

Themorevarietyofgreens,thegreaterthenumberofchemicalcompounds inthefinal
produce.

Iffresh,thegreenlayerdoesnotneedwatering.

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Fourthlayer Cowdung

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SpreadtheCowDung evenlyontopofthegreenlayer@5cm(2).

Waterthecowdungifnotfresh.
Cowdungrepresentsthenitrogen andthemicrobialinput intothepile.

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Fifthlayer Drymatter

Repeattheprocess ofalteringDry Manure Green layersuntilthe

heapreachestherecommendedheightof5feet

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Sixthlayer Cowdung

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Seventhlayer Greens

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Eightlayer Cowdung

Moveon,followingthesamesequences:Dry Cowdung Greens Cowdung Dry

untilthecompostpilereachestheheightof5feetminimumormore.

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1/2completedcompostpile

3/4completedcompostpile

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Thelastlayer Soil
Forthelastlayer,weshouldadd5cm(2)ofsoil,topreventthe
toplayerstoflyawayincaseofstrongwinds.

Overallprocessofcompostpreparation

Pile size

First layer Dry matter

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Second layer Cow dung

Compost turning & rebuilding

Third layer Greens

Ready Compost after 90 days
Fresh Compost pile

Fourth layer Cow dung

Last layer - Soil

compost pile

compost pile

Naturesmiracle!
Happensrightinfrontofyoureyes!

Black, good smelling, homogenous, fine particle, humus like,

material- substrate is obtained

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Aftercareandattendingthe
compostpile
The centre of the heap should get
very warm, possibly hot enough to
burn a bare hand (check by
maintaining a stick in the pile).
If this fails to happen, common
reasons includes the following :
The heap is too wet excluding the
oxygen required by the compost
bacteria, in that case add dry material.
The heap is too dry the bacteria do
not have the moisture needed to
survive and reproduce, in that case
just water the pile.
There is insufficient protein (nitrogen
rich material), in that case add greens,
manure ( protein rich materials)
Not enough air will result in slowing
down the composting process Turn
the heap once a month.

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Turningthecompostpile

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When the high temperature of the pile

begins to drop, indicating that the food
source for the fastest acting bacteria (in
the center of the pile) has been largely
consumed, the pile should be turned.

To turn the pile 2 labors should

manually dig out the compost from
one width of the pile and pile it
behind them where it gets rebuilt.

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It takes about 4 hours with 4

labors to turn and build back a
pile of 6 to 8m long.
When turning the pile does not
result in a temperature rise, there
is no reason to turn the pile again.

Inoculatingthecompost
pile,withdecomposers,
whileturning

Moisteningthecompostpile,
whileturning

Rebuildingthecompost
pile,afterturning

Rebuildcompostpile,
afterturning

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Compostturningfacilitates

Aeratesthepile
Thepilewarmsup
Speedsupdecomposition
Inner
thermophilic
zone

- Redistributesmicro organism
Mixesthebio massingredientsofthepile

Coolertemperatures

Whenisthecompostready?
After the heating cycles stop
( after about 3 months)
When the compost pile has
turned

into

an

homogenous,

black, fineparticles, humuslike

appearance
Earthy smell

ReadyCompost

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homogenous,black,fine
particles,humuslike
appearance

Wherecancompostbeused?
Whenisthecompostready?

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Asasoilamendmenttoincreasesoil

organicmatter,fertility,waterholding
1. Afterheatingcuringstop.
capacity,plantgrowthandyield.
2. Checkforhomogenous,fineparticle,humuslikeappearance.
Useasbasalapplicationforcashcrops
3. Earthysmell.
andhorticulturalcrops.
4. Maturitytests.
Useastopdressingforlawns,garden,
Potmixturefornursery
shrubsandtrees.

Howcancompostbeused?

Basalapplicationinpaddyfield
1. Asasoilamendmenttoincreasesoilorganicmatter,fertility,waterholding
capacityandinfiltrationrate.
2. Usedasbasalapplicationforcashcropsandhorticulturalcrops.
3. Useastopdressingforlawns,gardens,shrubsandtrees.
4. Makecomposttea(newarea).
Pitmixturefortransplanting
vegetableseedling

Annadana

TheCompostingprocessfactors
1.Moisture

2.Aeration

4.Temperature

Soil & Seed Savers

3.Particlesize

5.Nutrients

Moistureofthecompostpile

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All organisms require water for life. The

optimum moisture content of the
ingredient for composting is 50 to 60%.
For practical purposes, the materials
should be as damp as a squeezed out
sponge.
Wet the mixture and ingredients initially
or conveniently during the pile building
process.

Moisteningmaterialswhilecompost
preparation

Moisturecontent
shouldbeasdamp
asasqueezedout
sponge

Moisteningwhileturningthe
compostpile

Aerationofthecompostpile
An adequate supply of air to all parts of
a compost heap is essential in order to
supply oxygen for the organisms at
work.
Aeration is achieved by :
mixing initials bulky biomass elements
which have trapped air in their structures
( fibers, dry leaves)
avoiding compacting the bio mass
mixing materials of different sizes and
textures to create air gap.
turning the heap once a month to re
oxygenate the pile.

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Particlesizeofthecompostmaterials

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The smaller the size of the

particles of organic material, the
greater

is

available

the

for

decomposition

surface

attack
by

the

area
and
micro

organisms.

The ideal particle size must range

from 2 inches and up to 1 to 2 feet
long and to 1 inch thick.
If your bio mass materials are too big,
just chop it with a sickle, before
integrating it in the compost pile.

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Temperatureofthecompostpile

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Someoftheenergyreleasedbythebreakdownoftheorganicmaterialis
givenoffasheat.

In the first stage,

The micro organisms multiply rapidly and the temperature rises (Warming
up).

During this period sugars, starches and fats are broken down. When the
temperature reaches 60 c, the fungi stop working and the breakdown is
continued by actinomycetes.

Ahightemperatureisnecessarytokillallweedsanddiseasecausing
organisms(pathogens).

Whentheheaphasbeenthroughthetemperaturepeak,thematerialisno
longerattractivetofliesandvermin.

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In the second stage,

When cooling down, the straws, leaves, fibers and stalks are decomposed
mainly by the fungi, which reinvades the heap from its cooler regions.

This breaks down the lignin and cellulose into simple sugar.

Then antibiotics are released and the larger soil creatures, especially the
worms move in.

Temperature is directly proportional to the biological activity within the

composting system.

As the metabolic rate of the microbes accelerates, the temperature within the
system increases and visa versa.

Maintaining a temperature of 70 c or more for 3 to 4 days favors the

destruction of weed seeds, fly larvae and plant pathogens.

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Temperaturephases
Mesophilic
Phase
20 40C,
afewdays

Thermophilic
Phase

Curing
Phase

50 75C
after7daysuntil
45days

Cooling&maturation
severalmonths

Temp

Fumesemerging,whileturningthe
compostpile,indicateshigh
temperature

Time

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Distributionoftemperatureinthe
compostpile

1. Internaltemperaturescanbeas
highas70to80C
2. Centerofthepileisdominatedby
themostheattolerantbacteriae.g.
Bacillus)
3. Edgesofpilesupportdiverse
populationsofmesophilic

Inner
thermophilic
zone

bacteriaandfungi
Coolertemperatures

Increased benefitsofcompost

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1. Reducestheneedoffertilizers
2. Increasesthecropyieldandplantquality
3. Betterplantestablishment,survival&growth
4. Improveswaterconservation,reduceswateringrequirementsand
promotesmoistureconservation
5. Reducesincidenceofplantdiseaseandsopesticideusage
6. Reducessoilerosion&leachingofnitrateintogroundwater

Compostandnutrients
1. Compostcontainsafullspectrumofessentialplantnutrients.
2. Compostcontainsmacroandmicronutrientsoftenabsentinsyntheticfertilizers.
3. Compostreleasesnutrientsslowlyovermonthsoryears,unlikesynthetic
fertilizers.
4. Compostbuffersthesoil,neutralizingbothacid&alkalinesoils,bringingpHlevels
totheoptimumrangefornutrientavailabilitytoplants.

Composteffectson cropgrowth
Cereals&Sugarcane
Paddy

Ragi

Crop
growthis
excellent
in
composted
field
Sugarcane

Cumbu

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Compostpromotesexcellenttaste,sweetness,
nutritionalqualityandplantshealthinvegetablecrops

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ClassesofMicroorganismsinvolved
inthecompostingprocess
Theyare
Mesophiles mediumtemperaturemicrobes
Thermophiles hightemperaturemicrobes

Generally,
Composting

begins

at

mesophilic

progresses into the thermophilic range.

temperatures

and

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Mesophilic microbes
BacteriaandFungi arekeyplayers
Faunaandprotozoaarealsoimportant
Decompositionofreadilyavailablesubstrates,likesugars,proteinsand
starch
Excessenergyisreleasedasheat,causingthepiletemperatureto
increase

Thermophilicmicrobes

Heatlovingbacteria,actinomycetes andsomefungiarekeyplayers

Heatintolerantorganismsgodormantordestroyedlikehumanand
plantpathogens.

Hightemperaturesacceleratebreakdownofproteins,fats,and
complexpolymers

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Protozoa
Activeintheearly
phasesof
composting
Processsmallerbits
oforganicmatter
Preyuponmicrobial
populations
Recyclesnutrients

[MaryStromberger,SoilMicrobiology,CSU]

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Bacteria
Single celled prokaryotes
Smallest living organisms
Most numerous group in
compost
Responsible for most of the
decay and heat generation
in compost
Nutritionally diverse

[MaryStromberger,SoilMicrobiology,CSU]

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Actinomycetes
Filamentousbacteria
Producegeosmin
Degradersofcellulose,
hemicelluloseandlignin
Importantduringthe
thermophilicandalsothe
coolingstages

[MaryStromberger,SoilMicrobiology,CSU]

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Fungi

Multicellulareukaryotes
Includemushrooms,molds
andyeasts
Usuallyfilamentous
Decomposersofcomplex
plantpolymers(cellulose,
hemi celluloseandlignin)

[MaryStromberger,SoilMicrobiology,CSU]

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Fauna

Importantinthebeginningofthecompostprocess
Grindscoarsematerialsintosmallerbits
Increasessurfacearea:volumeratio
Improvesaccessoforganicsubstratestomicrobes

Earthworms

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Earthworms come last, when the materials have been partly degraded by
the microbes
They thrive on rotting vegetation, manure and microorganisms
They concentrate further, in their cast, some precious nutrients
They generate mucus and other execrates which enriches the compost end
produce

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Microorganismsassociatedwithcomposting
Microorganism

Mesophilicphase

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ThermophilicPhase

Bacteria

Pseudomonas,
Bacillus,
Flavobacterium,
Clostridium

Bacillus,
Thermus

Actinomycetes

Streptomyces

Streptomyces,
Micropolyspora,
Thermoactinomyces,
Thermomonospora

Fungi

Alternaria,
Cladosporium,
Aspergillus,
Mucor,
Humicola,
Penicillium

Aspergillus,
Mucor,
Chaetomium,
Humicola,
Absidia,
Sporotrichum,
Torula(yeast),
Thermoascus

[MaryStromberger,SoilMicrobiology,CSU]

Nutrientatworkinthe
compostpile

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The composting process depends upon the action of microorganisms,

which require:

a source of carbon to provide energy

and nitrogen to provide protein for their cell development.

The simplest method of adjusting the Carbon / Nitrogen ratio is to mix

together different materials of high and low carbon and nitrogen contents.
For example, straw, woody and fibrous materials which have a high C/N
ratio can be mixed with materials such as manure, dung, kitchen waste,
greens, which have a low C/N ratio.

It is desirable that the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, C/N ratio, is in

the range of 25 to 35 part of carbon for 1 part of nitrogen.

CarbontoNitrogenratio C/Nration

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Accordingly, the ideal ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) is 30 to 1 (measured

on a dry weight basis).
This ratio governs the speed at which the microbes decompose organic waste.
Most organic materials do not have this ratio and, to accelerate the
composting process, it may be necessary to balance the numbers which is
achieved by mixing different Dry and Green bio mass and manure materials.
The C : N ratio of materials can be calculated by,
Example,
If you have two bags of cow manure (C : N = 20 : 1)
One bag of corn stalks

(C : N = 60 : 1)

By combining you have a C : N ratio of = (20 : 1 + 20 : 1 + 60 : 1) / 3

= (100 : 1) / 3
= 33 : 1

C/Nratio
ofdifferent
organic
elements

Vegetablewastes

1220:1

Alfalfahay

13:1

Cowmanure

20:1

Apple

21:1

Leaves

4080:1

Cornstalks

60:1

Oatstraw

74:1

Wheatstraw

80:1

Paper

150200:1

Sawdust

100500:1

Grassclippings

1225:1

Coffeegrounds

20:1

Bark

100130:1

Fruitwastes

35:1

Poultrymanure(fresh)

10:1

Horsemanure

25:1

Newspaper

50200:1

Pineneedles

60110:1

Rottedmanure

20:1

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Annadana

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Maturedcomposthasthefollowingproperties

Property

Value

pH

6.0 8.4

Solublesalts
Nutrientcontent
(N+P2O5+K2O)

010mmhos/cm
2 5%

Organicmatter

30 70%

Moisturecontent

40 50%

C:Nratio

<12:1

[MaryStromberger,SoilMicrobiology,CSU]

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PhysicalandbiologicalqualitiesofCompost
1.PhysicalBenefits
improvedsoilstructure
reducedsoildensity
increasedsoilpermeability
resistscompaction
minimizeerosion
increasewaterholdingcapacity
2.ChemicalBenefits
modifiesandstabilizespH
increasescationexchangecapacity
enablessoilstoretainnutrientslonger
reducesnutrientleaching
providesnutrients
3.BiologicalBenefits
providessoilbiota
promotesoilhealth
suppressesplantdiseases

PhysicalBenefits
Composteffectsonsoil physicalproperties
Improvedsoilstructure
Greaterwaterholdingcapacity

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Composteffectson Soilstructure

Increasedsoilporosity

Reducedsoildensity

Increasedgasexchangeand
waterpermeability

Greaterwaterholding
capacity

Composteffectson Rootzoneenvironment

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Improvedrootzoneenvironment

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CompostresistancetoErosion
Reduceswindandwatererosion

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Composteffectsonsoil cationexchangecapacity

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Increasescationexchangecapacity

[MaryStromberger,SoilMicrobiology,CSU]

Annadana

Composteffectson soilnutrients

SourceofN,P,Kandmicronutrients
Organicnutrientsaremineralized
overtime

OrganicN

NH4+

NO3

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BiologicalBenefits
Composteffectsonsoil biologicalproperties

Stimulatesmicrobialgrowth
andactivity
Induceschangeof
microorganismsspeciesin
soilcomposition
Promotesearthworms
Suppresssomeplantdiseases

Ourexperienceinlargescalecompost
production
`

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Tsunami land rehabilitation project , in this project, we rehabilitated 500 acres of

tsunami affected paddy land by using organic agricultural techniques, benefiting
2600 direct beneficiaries (525 farmers and their family) and 1,250 landless labor
beneficiaries.
This project included 5 different tsunami affected villages in Marakanam block,
Villupuram district, Tamilnadu and was funded by the French red cross, France.
We implemented a package of different organic techniques from which compost
was one of the important component.
The farmers were donated 3 tones/per acre of enriched compost, as agricultural
inputs for their main field preparation.
The compost was prepared by trained women landless labor from each particular
village, through a cash for work program.
We achieved 2,200 tones of compost and provided 15, 000 paid work days for
women landless laborers.

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2200tonesofenrichedcompost preparedwithlocalorganicmaterialsinlarge
scalebylandlesslaborbeneficiariestorehabilitatetsunamiaffectedagricultural
paddy landin5differentvillages.

Sourcingout
materialsforcompost
preparationinlocal
areabylandlesslabor
beneficiaries

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Waterhyacinth

GreenLeaves

Compostpreparation

Weeds

Thiscompost
producedbythe
land lesslabor
beneficiarieswas
distributedtothe
farmers

Annadana

Thecompost
preparationprovided
workingopportunities
forpoorpeopleinthe
localvillageitself

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Compost making
contributestolocal
income

Womenreceiving
cash forwork

15000paidworkday
weregeneratedform
thecompost
preparation

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Compostprovidedtothefarmers

Compostreadyforbroadcasting

Composttransferredfrom
compostyardtopaddyfield

Broadcastingcompostinpaddyfield

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Agoodcropstandis
recordedinall
importantstageslike:
tillering,flowering,
panicleinitiation,
milkyandmaturity
stages

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Results obtained from this project

Soil & Seed Savers

By implementing the package of organic nutrient management,

the average paddy yields increased by 45%, in comparison to the last 15 years
yields records .
In average the farmers are harvesting 25 bags of paddy (1.9 ton/ acre) against
15 bags (1.1 tone/ acre) previous to the project organic rehabilitation .
(Sources : social survey of beneficiaries previoustsunami yield ; government records
for the area ; our own documentation of yield during the project)
Beneficiaries cost of production was reduced by 60% through
the rehabilitation program by donations of organic agricultural inputs.
Beneficiaries learnt new high yielding sustainable cultivation techniques.
Thepaddyyieldswereincreasedduetotheimplementationofanorganic
systemofcultivation,whichcompostapplication isoneofthemajor
importantparameters.

Annadana

Compostforeveryone!

CompostattheAuroville
BotanicalGarden TN

Soil & Seed Savers

AtAnnadanawe
promotecomposting
oflocalnatural
resourcesinmany Compostinprivatefarm
differentfarmsand
(Dune)Pondicherry
locations
Composthavebeen
madeunderour
guidancebymany
diverspeopleusing
diversbioresources

Compostatcommunity
farm Sirghazi TN

Compostingis
recyclingnatures
wealth!

Compostatvillagelevel
Koonimedu TN

Haveagreat
compostingsession!
CompostatTarafarm PDY

CompostatAnnadana
Farm Kodaikanal TN

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Forfurtherenquiries,contactusat:
AnnadanaSeedBank
AurovilleBotanicalGarden
Auroville,Villupuramdist,Tamilnadu 605101.
Email:seedbank@annadana.com
Phone:04132622667

Formoreinformationlogontoourwebsite
www.annadana.com

Thankyou