Subject: Composting Methods

I would like to share with other friends, two of the composting methods developed: 1. Composting coir pith, and 2. Composting weeds.

1.0 Composting coir pith :

Coir pith is a waste from coir industry. This is a major industry, where coconut is produced on large scale. During the process of separating fibre from coconut husk, large volume of pith gets collected. The pith, containing about 30% lignin and 26% cellulose, does not degrade fast, posing a major disposal problem. This can be composted by using the fungus - Pleurotus sp and urea, the method of which is described below:

1.1 Composting one ton of coir pith:

1.1.1 Materials Required

i. Five spawn bottles [250 g] of Pleurotus sp.

ii. Five kg of Urea

1.1.2 Key Steps

i. Select an elevated shady place or put up a thatched shed.

ii. Level the surface and mark an area of 500 cm x 300 cm.

iii. Spread 100 kg of coir pith, to start with.

iv. Spread one bottle [50 g] of Pleurotus spawn over this layer.

v. Spread 100 kg of pith again.

vi. Spread one kg of urea uniformly.

vii. Repeat the process using the whole volume of pith [1 ton]

viii. Sprinkle water to maintain a moisture level of 50 - 60%.

Sprinkle water again when the moisture percentage goes below 50%.

Well decomposed black compost will be ready in about a month. The C:N ratio is reduced to around 24 : 1 and the N content goes up from 0.26% to 1.06%.

2.0 Composting Weeds

This method has been developed for composting the weeds like Parthenium, Water Hyacinth [Eichornia crassipes], Cyperus [Cyperus rotundus], Cynodon [Cynodon dactylon] etc.

2.1 The Method

2.1.1 Materials Required

i. Trichoderma viride and Pleurotus sajor-caju consortia-250 g

ii. Urea - 5 kg

2.1.2 Key Steps

i. Select an elevated shady place or put up a thatched shed.

ii. Mark an area of 500 cm x 150 cm.

iii. Cut the material to be composted into 10 - 15 cm size.

iv. Spread 100 kg of cut material over the marked area.

v. Sprinkle 50 g of microbial consortia over this layer.

vi. Spread 100 kg of weeds again.

vii. Spread one kg of Urea uniformly.

viii. Repeat this process till the level rises to 100 cm.

ix. Sprinkle water to a moisture level of 50 - 60%.

x. Cover the surface of the heap with a thin layer of soil.

xi. Sprinkle water if necessary, so as to maintain the moisture level around

50 - 60%.

xii. Give a thorough turning on 21st day.

The compost will be ready in 40 days.

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Source: Crop Production Guide 1999, Published by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.

 

3.0 From the Sidelines of Vermi Composting:

¤ Vermi composting is the method of composting organic wastes using earthworms [Lumbricus sp].

¤ Pigmented / small worms found in the upper 25 cm of soil surface are better performers.

¤ Local worms do a better job than the transported ones, owing to their better adaptation to local environment.

¤ Composting should be done in a shaded place to protect the worms from direct sunlight and rain.

¤ If cow dung is used, it should be shade dried and powdered before use [fresh dung should not be added].

¤ If any other dung is used, it should be mixed with equal quantity of cow dung before use.

¤ Two thousand adult worms can be accommodated in 100 x 100 x 30 cm bed.

¤ Ten kg of adults convert one ton of waste per month.

¤ One kg of adults converts 5 kg of waste per day.

¤ Thousand adult worms weigh approx. one kg.

S Ramasami

Head - Biofertilizer Division

Madras Fertilizers Ltd, Chennai, India.

email:<dama@md3.vsnl.net.in>