Living · 6 pages · 12 min
Why compost needs air
The hot earthy kind of decay uses oxygen, and packed wet rot is another path.
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From the opening
Compost needs air because the decay that turns a pile into crumbly, earthy material is mostly aerobic. The organisms doing that work use oxygen, and without it a different set of organisms takes over and the pile becomes a wet, sour, slower rot. The opening covers oxygen selecting the decay path, pores blocked by water or mats, and earthy smell versus sour smell.
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Inside
- Oxygen selecting the decay path
- Pores blocked by water or mats
- Earthy smell versus sour smell
- Moisture films still have to stay
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Aerobic versus anaerobic decomposition
- Pore space and oxygen in a compost pile