Composting mistakes often involve ventilation or incorrect compost. We show the five most common composting problems and how to avoid them.

If you want to harvest a fertile compost, you should consider a few elementary things

Your own compost is a piece of independence. But quite a few compost heaps go moldy because something fundamentally wrong with their operation. We explain the most common mistakes when composting.

Composting is a multi-step process involving a wide variety of microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, insects and worms. The living conditions of this very diverse group of organisms determine whether, how and how well the composting takes place. Factors such as temperature, pH and the ratio of carbon compounds to nitrogen compounds influence the activity of the little helpers. We've summarized the top five cornerstones of successful composting to help you avoid making the following mistakes.

1. Compost too dry or too moist

Like us humans, the organisms involved in composting consist largely of water and can only survive and reproduce diligently in a sufficiently moist environment. Water is also necessary for dissolving, softening organic structures and transporting nutrients. If the rotting material - i.e. the habitat of the organisms - is too dry, all composting processes run very slowly or not at all. But even the opposite extreme is not an advantage and can be a mistake when composting: A pile that is too wet contains too little oxygen for the aerobic (air-breathing) microorganisms that make up the bulk of the small beneficial insects. In this case, too, they have difficulty in effectively promoting composting. To ensure that your compost is not too dry or too moist, you should observe the following points:

  • A composter should be in a partially shaded, sheltered location
  • A composter must be open at the bottom, water must be able to drain off unhindered
  • The compost must be protected from drying out by a coverbecome
  • In very dry, hot periods, a compost should be watered occasionally
If your organic waste isn't turning into compost, it could be too wet or too dry
2. Poorly aerated compost

It is not only due to too much water in the rotting material that there is a lack of oxygen in the compost heap. The type of material being composted also affects ventilation. If a lot of fine, moist and easily decomposable material is piled up, it soon collapses, trapped oxygen is breathed out and veritable "dead zones" for aerobic microorganisms arise. Therefore, regular rearranging or careful alternation of fine with coarse material is an extremely important factor in avoiding mistakes when composting.

3. Compost too low in nutrients or too rich in nutrients

Different organic materials have different levels of stability: nutrient-rich, soft material is easily broken down, while nutrient-poor, stable material is almost impossible for microorganisms to crack. If only very stable, decomposition-resistant material ends up on a compost heap, its decomposition is very inhibited. In this case, a universal fertilizer such as our Plantura organic universal fertilizer should help. Conversely, with exclusively soft, nutrient-rich material, all structures are immediately broken down and mineralized into nutrients. However, there is hardly any material left over for the formation of humus molecules, and the compost loses a lot of volume. The end product is extremely nutritious and should be used as a fertilizer rather than as a soil conditioner. A mixture of stable, nutrient-poor material and soft, nutrient-rich material is therefore optimal.

4. Composting Mistakes: Lack of Beneficial Organisms

Without composting organisms, there is no composting. The no helpers can get into your compost in the following way:

  • The composter stands on open, vital soil from which organisms migrate
  • The compost is "vaccinated" with the compost of a run-in heap
  • A "compost starter" with permanent forms of living microorganisms is used

5. Using the wrong compost

Another mistake in composting is using the wrong material. It should be very clear that only organic material belongs on a compost. Glass, metal, plastic or other man-made materials cannot be composted. Also cooked foodsMeat leftovers and dairy products in particular do not belong in the composter. They attract rats or raccoons or are colonized by unwanted guests such as maggots and fly larvae.

Seed weeds and root weeds do not belong on the compost heap

Because the shells of raw eggs can be contaminated with salmonella, these should also be excluded from composting. And to save yourself a lot of trouble, keep root and seed weeds out of the compost pile, too. When these germinate in and around the heap or continue to grow, they spread unwanted wild herbs throughout the garden via the compost.

If you would like to deal with the subject of composting in detail, you will find our compost overview article here, which will take you to all special topics.

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