What Is Compost and Composting?
Compost is made from fine ground branches, leaves or other organic material. When mixed with oxygen and water,
the organic material will decay or “compost.” A finished compost is excellent for turning into the top layer of
soil and will add nitrogen and increase the water holding capacity of soil. You can make compost at home in a pile
in your yard or in a bin that you make or purchase. Large scale composting is done at regional recycling
facilities
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Understanding the basic scientific principles and processes
involved in composting is key to successfully producing high-quality compost. Compost is the
uniform, stable, odorless, soil-like product of a natural, biological process known as composting.
The objective of composting is to encourage the growth of the naturally occurring, aerobic
(oxygen-requiring) microorganisms in the poultry litter. In the presence of
oxygen and water, microorganisms
feed on the
poultry litter. Some of the organic compounds in the litter are broken down into nutrients
and become part of the growing microorganisms. When the microorganisms die, the nutrients are
recycled again. Composting changes the physical and chemical characteristics of the original
organic material. The more resistant organic compounds remain and combine with the
microorganisms to form a humus-like material called compost.
Good-quality compost is a valuable soil conditioner. Compost
improves soil quality by adding organic matter, nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. The
addition of organic matter to many soils will improve the physical properties, including structure,
porosity, density and water- and nutrient-holding capacity. The addition of a large number of
different beneficial microorganism species and micro-arthropods contained in compost will benefit
badly degraded or heavily eroded soils common in construction sites and highway
projects.
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