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Walrus_Infested
doobilicious



Registered: 10/28/03
Posts: 299
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
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The Walrus Compost Tek
#7544041 - 10/21/07 06:55 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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So I am considering my first grow soon and decided that I want to use compost as a substrate. Not only for mushrooms but I have many houseplants that will benefit from a home made compost. I am making this post not so much a tek as it is more of an experiment than anything. I would like anyone to chime in and help with composting tips too. This is what I've got some far.
I figured a suitable composting container to be a rubbermaid trashcan with a locking lid. These babies are tough and can take a serious beating, which will be very important in the mixing process.

Now I need ingredients to compost with. I went down to some local stables and filled a 10 gallon rubbermaid with some nice HPOO

Needed some more organics so I went down to starbucks and got some of the "Grounds for your Garden". On the way home I saw a pumpkin patch too and figured I could get an ugly one or two for cheap. Instead they gave me some already rotten ones for free. Big time score.


I did my best to pulverize the pumpkins in with some dry leaves and grass to add some brown ingredients to the mix.

Put all those things in my trash can and found the easiest way to mix was to just kick the sum bitch all around the yard.

Also decided to add a bit of gypsum (drywall) to keep it a tad on the no greasy side of things.
Now I needed to fill this can full of holes in order to get proper ventilation for the composting cycle to be fully up to speed. I Drilled about 20 or some holes in the bottom for good drainage and many holes evenly spaced all around the sides. This allows for gases to escape as well as to ensure the compost doesn't turn too soupy.

Had to go old school after the cordless battery died.

And the finished composting bin.

I filled the bin with water until I started to see water coming out of the bottom holes.

Tied a rope on the locks so the lid wouldn't come apart and I gave it one last tumble and this is the final product to begin composting.


Now I know that shit gets soggy when things breakdown down so I decided to fab up a catch pan using a new oil drain pan so save these nutrient rich goodies that will drip out for later use.


And here she sits in her final resting place on the side of my house where it will get plenty of sun to help with the composting process.

I plan on checking temperature and moisture levels every few days and given it a turning to ensure things are properly mixed still.
I hope this turns out good, let me know what you guys think!
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jeetered
Stranger



Registered: 07/07/06
Posts: 3,055
Loc: no clue
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that looks pretty sweet to me!!!
the tea is magnificent for your lawn and garden too!
nice write up!
+5 for you!
I really have no tips for you other then make sure everything stays turned well.
Keep us posted!
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Walrus_Infested
doobilicious



Registered: 10/28/03
Posts: 299
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: jeetered]
#7544087 - 10/21/07 07:05 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thanks for the kind words jeetered. Yeah I can imagine the tea being good, shit it almost looks good enough to drink.
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syntroniks
Stranger Danger
Registered: 10/18/07
Posts: 76
Loc: Assen, Holland
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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mmmmmmmmm, now THAT's recycling. I'm sure you can grow plenty of crazy shrooms on that stuff!
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mycocurious
Mike O. Kuerias



Registered: 02/09/07
Posts: 1,265
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In my humble opinion... you're going to need to throw in some more browns (leaves, straw, newspaper, cardboard, etc.) because you have a ton of greens in there at the moment and it might get super stinky (ammonia) as such...
--------------------
Don't mistake my tone for a "matter-of-fact" attitude. I'm just presenting what I believe to be correct, until I'm corrected... - How Myco-Curious Prepares Coir & Compost Substrates - How Myco-Curious Builds A Bulk Humidifier - How Myco-Curious Builds An Automated Greenhouse ------------------------------------ figgusfiddus said: Keep in mind that inoculating or whatever in front of a flow hood won't help your bad substrate, your bad inoculant, your bad sterile procedure, etc. etc. etc. It's not a +3 flowhood of magic, it's just a tool.
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Ogla



Registered: 02/16/04
Posts: 11,314
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Yeah, i had made my own compost for my tobacco grow and found myself putting it aside for mushrooms. It is a mix of Coir, Vermiculite, compost, 2-3 dozen banana peels, strawberries, Cow and Horse dung. Can't wait to use it.
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syntroniks
Stranger Danger
Registered: 10/18/07
Posts: 76
Loc: Assen, Holland
Last seen: 16 years, 1 month
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: mycocurious]
#7544224 - 10/21/07 07:32 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Does poo count as green or brown because I can see it being ammonia rich
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meatcakeman
the search for bodhisattva



Registered: 07/03/07
Posts: 8,380
Loc: el sol
Last seen: 10 years, 9 months
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for a second there i thought you were gonna use walrus 
-------------------- 大开眼界
 
Hasta siempre, comandante.
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mycocurious
Mike O. Kuerias



Registered: 02/09/07
Posts: 1,265
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: syntroniks]
#7544319 - 10/21/07 07:51 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
syntroniks said: Does poo count as green or brown because I can see it being ammonia rich
All poo is a mixture of greens and browns but fresh poo is much more green than brown...once it's be aged a couple months it becomes more of a brown. And the coffee grounds and the pumpkin would also be green.
--------------------
Don't mistake my tone for a "matter-of-fact" attitude. I'm just presenting what I believe to be correct, until I'm corrected... - How Myco-Curious Prepares Coir & Compost Substrates - How Myco-Curious Builds A Bulk Humidifier - How Myco-Curious Builds An Automated Greenhouse ------------------------------------ figgusfiddus said: Keep in mind that inoculating or whatever in front of a flow hood won't help your bad substrate, your bad inoculant, your bad sterile procedure, etc. etc. etc. It's not a +3 flowhood of magic, it's just a tool.
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Ogla



Registered: 02/16/04
Posts: 11,314
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: mycocurious]
#7544591 - 10/21/07 08:50 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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i find it hard to believe that you've been registered with the shroomery since 2003 and haven't done a grow yet. I guess good luck with everything
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Walrus_Infested
doobilicious



Registered: 10/28/03
Posts: 299
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: mycocurious]
#7544747 - 10/21/07 09:31 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
mycocurious said: In my humble opinion... you're going to need to throw in some more browns (leaves, straw, newspaper, cardboard, etc.) because you have a ton of greens in there at the moment and it might get super stinky (ammonia) as such...
Thanks for the info. Is there any brown which you feel is superior? I have an over abundance of all of those things you suggested. Also, how will I know if my moisture content is spot on?
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Walrus_Infested
doobilicious



Registered: 10/28/03
Posts: 299
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: Ogla]
#7544762 - 10/21/07 09:34 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
losfreddy said: i find it hard to believe that you've been registered with the shroomery since 2003 and haven't done a grow yet. I guess good luck with everything
I've been more into hunting, just now getting started in cultivating my own.
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mycosis



Registered: 08/20/07
Posts: 19,727
Loc: USSA
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i'm very interested in compost right now and plan on starting my own soon for the spring...
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mycocurious
Mike O. Kuerias



Registered: 02/09/07
Posts: 1,265
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Quote:
Walrus_Infested said:
Quote:
mycocurious said: In my humble opinion... you're going to need to throw in some more browns (leaves, straw, newspaper, cardboard, etc.) because you have a ton of greens in there at the moment and it might get super stinky (ammonia) as such...
Thanks for the info. Is there any brown which you feel is superior? I have an over abundance of all of those things you suggested. Also, how will I know if my moisture content is spot on?
The mantra of composting is to use whatever is handy and would otherwise be wasted however, for premium content, I prefer fallen leaves and neighbors will be happy to give them to you for free if you don't have any large trees on your lot. Just make sure to go through the trouble of shredding them first with a lawnmower, leaf-blower (if it doubles as a bagged shredder) or some other kind of chipper/shredder of some sort.
Also, there is a lot of misinformation that if the contents of your compost are acidic then your compost, too, will be acidic - especially in regards to oak leaves and/or pine needles and this is fundamentally untrue. Although, I wouldn't recommend using pine needles, or any form of an evergreen/cedar in your compost because many of those species contain natural anti-fungals in their sap.
--- If you go the newspaper route, The easiest way to shred them down into manageable chunks is to wet them up and then mix them up with a paddle-whip drill bit or by hand until they shred up. You can pour the whole sloshy mix into the the compost if you'd like, but I tend to drain it out first because I monitor my moisture in my compost as almost as carefully as my substrates. Both require precisely the same amount of water in terms of "field-capacity".
Finally, one last tip. A great way to "kick-start" the decomposition process in your compost is to take a couple shovel-fulls of healthy soil from a nearby garden bed and mix it in thoroughly with your compost. This is effectively "spawning" the right bacterial and fungal microbes into the compost to begin colonizing and decomposing it. Once you have some actively composting compost, you can use that instead to kick-start your next batch.
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Don't mistake my tone for a "matter-of-fact" attitude. I'm just presenting what I believe to be correct, until I'm corrected... - How Myco-Curious Prepares Coir & Compost Substrates - How Myco-Curious Builds A Bulk Humidifier - How Myco-Curious Builds An Automated Greenhouse ------------------------------------ figgusfiddus said: Keep in mind that inoculating or whatever in front of a flow hood won't help your bad substrate, your bad inoculant, your bad sterile procedure, etc. etc. etc. It's not a +3 flowhood of magic, it's just a tool.
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Walrus_Infested
doobilicious



Registered: 10/28/03
Posts: 299
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: mycocurious]
#7546517 - 10/22/07 11:44 AM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thanks for all the help mycocurious +5 Shrooms to you!
I just added some more alot of leaves with an unavoidle amount of pine needles too. I live in georgia and it's impossible to not get them in anything. Added a bit of newpaper too, I have a paper shredder so it was no problem. Here is my current batch as of today:

Can you suggest a good tool to mix with? I've been using a pitch fork and a hoe, but neither can get down to more than half way of the bin.
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Slimz
.-~*´`*·~-experience-~*´`*·~-.




Registered: 10/03/07
Posts: 3,588
Loc: Maryland
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yeah.. tie the lid back on and kick the sum bitch around sumore
-------------------- Lazy Drywall Tek (no powdery mess) This series will blow your mind and confirm what you already know to be true. The Pharmacratic Inquisition Best Thread Ever ! ! !
me if you have questions about lasers Although i may advise others in a general way regarding all types of mushroom grows, and may even post question from other forums about growing "active" mushrooms, i only grow non-"active" mushrooms and edibles. FeelFamily resident tech guru
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Walrus_Infested
doobilicious



Registered: 10/28/03
Posts: 299
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: Slimz]
#7546719 - 10/22/07 12:34 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Slimz said: yeah.. tie the lid back on and kick the sum bitch around sumore
That was easy before I added the water, but that bitch is fuckin heavy now.
Rolling around a 100 pound trash can is about as cool as aids.
I wonder if I can ram a mini rototiller in that bitch, cool as hell, but i bet shit would be flying everywhere.
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mycocurious
Mike O. Kuerias



Registered: 02/09/07
Posts: 1,265
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It's a real PITA when you fill it up more than halfway, huh? The best option would be to empty into a wheel-barrow, mix it up and shovel it back in. Still a huge PITA but if the garbage can can't take the strain of being rolled around it's pretty much your only option.
As for tools, google a "garden claw" almost all hardware stores carry them and they're very handy for something like this...
--- By the way, lay off the watering for a week or so, if you have drainage on the bottom it's too wet. It only needs to be about as wet as a damp sponge in the center of the pile - or in other words, "field capacity".
Lastly, unless your collecting the leachate of the bin so that it won't ruin the area you're storing the composter, I wouldn't be attempting to save that stuff. It's very icky icky and while in small quantities it can bolster the local "soil-food-web" (google the term for more info) too much of it can have the opposite effect and turn the area of your garden into a slimy, smelly sludge.
Just remember, quintessentially it's the same nasty drip you smell off the back of a garbage truck... not to be mistaken for compost_tea which is something wholly different altogether.
--------------------
Don't mistake my tone for a "matter-of-fact" attitude. I'm just presenting what I believe to be correct, until I'm corrected... - How Myco-Curious Prepares Coir & Compost Substrates - How Myco-Curious Builds A Bulk Humidifier - How Myco-Curious Builds An Automated Greenhouse ------------------------------------ figgusfiddus said: Keep in mind that inoculating or whatever in front of a flow hood won't help your bad substrate, your bad inoculant, your bad sterile procedure, etc. etc. etc. It's not a +3 flowhood of magic, it's just a tool.
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Walrus_Infested
doobilicious



Registered: 10/28/03
Posts: 299
Last seen: 10 years, 2 months
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Re: The Walrus Compost Tek [Re: mycocurious]
#7547113 - 10/22/07 02:21 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
mycocurious said:
Lastly, unless your collecting the leachate of the bin so that it won't ruin the area you're storing the composter, I wouldn't be attempting to save that stuff. It's very icky icky and while in small quantities it can bolster the local "soil-food-web" (google the term for more info) too much of it can have the opposite effect and turn the area of your garden into a slimy, smelly sludge.
Just remember, quintessentially it's the same nasty drip you smell off the back of a garbage truck... not to be mistaken for compost_tea which is something wholly different altogether.
Ok I'm glad you told me this, because I thought that WAS the compost tea. Whats the differences here? Can I super-dilute the shit thats coming out now and water plants with it?
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resptodd
I reject yourreality andsubstitute myown



Registered: 10/16/07
Posts: 674
Loc: Michigan
Last seen: 1 year, 10 months
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Rid the pine needles. the acidity will kill. Just take a look underneath a pine tree, see anything living?
-------------------- Damn! I'm having fun! Just keep the GD monkeys away.
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