Home Gardening Sealed Composting: Easily Solve the Odor Problem
Many people have tried kitchen waste composting and been scared off by the smell, beating a retreat. More than 90% of them chose sealed composting without knowing its key points.
Sealed composting is the only composting method that uses anaerobic fermentation, and its composting period is very long, taking 4 to 6 months to fully mature.
Some gardening friends wonder: since sealed composting smells so strong and is so slow, why does the Editor-in-Chief still introduce it?
The reason is that it is a very convenient composting method, and the operation is extremely simple, making it arguably the most suitable composting method for home gardening among all gardening composting methods.
Steps for Implementing Sealed Composting
1 Collect kitchen waste
Collect kitchen waste and drain it as much as possible. If there are larger pieces of kitchen waste, cut them into small pieces first to help shorten the fermentation time.
2 Place the compost bin filter screen
Open the compost bin and place the filter screen at the bottom.
3 Add rice husks
First pour in a layer of rice husks, which helps absorb moisture.
4 Add soybean meal
Add soybean meal or rice bran, only a small amount is needed.
5 Add kitchen waste
Add kitchen waste, spreading it as evenly as possible to a depth of 3 to 5 cm.
Editor-in-Chief's tip: For a family of four, adding kitchen waste about once every 2 days is enough. If the amount of kitchen waste is too much, please process it in layers.
6 Sprinkle on microbial inoculant
Add microbial inoculant to speed up fermentation and reduce odor.
7 Make the kitchen waste compact
Press the kitchen waste firmly with your palm.
8 Sprinkle on coffee grounds
Add tea leaves, coffee grounds, tea seed powder, and other things that easily absorb odors to reduce the smell.
Editor-in-Chief's tip: If no one in the family drinks coffee, you can go to a cafe and ask for free coffee grounds. Used tea leaves from tea brewed at home can be dried and kept for later use, and you can also go to black tea shops or tea art houses to ask for used tea leaves.
9 Completely cover the kitchen waste
Cover with another layer of rice husks or potting soil until no kitchen waste is visible.
10 Production complete
Press firmly with your palm and it is done; after finishing, remember to close the lid tightly.
Editor-in-Chief's tip: A sealed compost bin will produce liquid fertilizer. After it is made, it should not be placed on the ground; it should be placed on a rack or chair, at least one plastic bottle's height above the ground, to make it convenient to collect the liquid fertilizer later.
11 Collect liquid fertilizer
After 7 days, use an empty plastic bottle to collect the liquid fertilizer from the bin's outlet; after that, collect it once every 3 days.
Editor-in-Chief's tip: Fresh liquid fertilizer should be the color of orange juice with a slightly sweet fragrance. If the color is too dark or the smell is pungent, it means the liquid fertilizer is not fresh enough and should be collected earlier next time.
12 Leave it for a month and a half
After the compost bin is full, let it sit for 3 to 4 weeks, pour the semi-mature compost soil into a wooden box, cedar bucket, or large flower pot, then leave it for another month and a half. During this time, turn and stir it 1 to 2 times a week, cover it but do not cover it tightly, and you will find that there is less and less undecomposed material.
Editor-in-Chief's tip: When pouring the semi-mature compost soil into the wooden box, if it feels very wet, you can add more rice husks and mix well to adjust the moisture, and wait for the compost soil to mature naturally.
Little trick: Fermentation is slow, so you need microbial inoculant to help
Because sealed composting uses anaerobic fermentation, it is not prone to worms, but the biggest problem is odor; moreover, its fermentation speed is very slow, so microbial inoculant needs to be added, which can both speed up fermentation and reduce the smell.
There are many kinds of microbial inoculant soil sold on the market, as well as microbial inoculant active liquid, and gardening friends can buy them according to their needs.
Editor-in-Chief's tip: If the microbial inoculant on hand happens to run out and it is not convenient to buy more immediately, you might as well pour some of the collected liquid fertilizer into the compost bin. It contains a rich number of live bacteria and can help decompose kitchen waste.
Features of Sealed Composting
- Type: anaerobic composting
- Contents: raw kitchen waste, cooked kitchen waste, fallen leaves
- Space: must be operated outdoors, such as on a balcony, terrace, courtyard, or rooftop
- Precautions:
1. Keep the kitchen waste bucket tightly covered at ordinary times.
2. There is odor when adding kitchen waste, so please act quickly.
3. Add microbial inoculant to help remove odor.
4. Drain the water every 2 to 3 days.
Grow on the Balcony
Not bad, right? Through the detailed implementation steps and the features of sealed composting summarized by the Editor-in-Chief, is it easier for gardening friends to choose and use this composting method?
Don't be impatient, next the Editor-in-Chief will also talk about other composting methods and techniques. Gardening friends who want to compost for their own use, please wait for the Editor-in-Chief to explain them one by one.
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