Essay about The Decomposting Process or Soil Amendment

Composting is a method that converts the organic matter which has been decomposed and recycled into a fertilizer. For this reason; the composting process is also commonly referred to as soil amendment. It is one of the key ingredients of organic farming (Robbins Dustin 2011).This is also described as nature’s way of recycling, because composting is the biological process of breaking up of organic waste such as food waste, manure, leaves, grass trimmings, paper, worms, and coffee grounds, into an tremendously suitable humus-like substance. This biological process is performed by different micro-organisms like bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in presence of oxygen. Bacteria are the most actively involved group of microbes in facilitating†¦show more content†¦As a result, it is important to ensure that the waste is properly aerated to ensure that there is swift breakdown of the waste. 4. Water: micro-organisms need moisture although too wet can deprive the microorganisms from the oxygen they need to keep working. 5. Time: It takes weeks and sometimes moths, organic waste to be broken down and formed hummus-like substance. Compost designs are simple and inexpensive (Cornell Waste Management Institute 2014). They can be built at any location. Site selection is however very important when designing a compost site. It is important to ensure that the designs are built away from dwelling places in order to avoid air pollution. The direction of the wind should also be considered to avoid carrying the odour from compost to the homes. While preparing a compost pit, the waste should be arranged into two layers. The first layer should be made up of the green organic material, such as grass and leaves. The materials are rich in nitrogen. The reason behind using these materials on the lower layer is to improve on aeration. Since large air spaces are left between the materials, the rate of airflow will be increased in the compost. The activity of the bacteria is therefore promoted in the process (Turner Geraldine 2010). The upper layer is made up of the carbon based materials. Here, more dense materials such as ma nure and soils rich in nutrients can be used. Carbon rich