Aerating Your Compost Pile
Why would soil need air? Isn’t it made up of dirt, leaves, and worms? Yes, but soil is a lot more than that. It’s made up of microorganisms that love oxygen and use that oxygen to decompose rotting plants and turn them into soil.
Soil also contains the roots of plants, and these roots need somewhere to go. Soil that doesn’t contain a lot of air holes is a difficult place for plants to live, since there are fewer places for roots to make their way through and less water for those roots to access. Air is an important part of a garden, and it’s a particularly important part of a compost bin.
Why Aerate The Compost Pile?
When you’re creating new soil, or compost, it’s especially critical that air be involved in the process. Compost is made out of fruit and vegetables, leaves, paper, and anything else that you throw into the bin.
All of this matter would simply sit in the compost bin without rotting if it were not for the help of organisms that help break down organic materials. These organisms include bacteria, fungi, protozoa and actinomycetes. Fungi are very good at digesting lignin, the stuff that holds wood together. Bacteria are very good at making the compost pile heat up and move more quickly into soil.
One of the reasons you need to aerate your compost is because of the bacteria. Your goal is to encourage fast and effective decomposition. Most of the microorganisms in the soil are bacteria. Some bacteria like oxygen, while others can work without it. The one who work without it are called anaerobic bacteria.
While composting can still occur with these bacteria, they are very slow. They also produce stinky byproducts like methane, nothing that you want to have dominating your compost. Your goal is to move the compost pile into an environment that aerobic bacteria will love, so that the compost becomes finished more quickly and smells good while it’s composting.
Ways to Aerate The Compost Bin
How can you add air to the compost bin? Some homemade bins actually have an air pipe down the middle. However if your compost is smelly and slow and you’re using a commercial bin, what is a compost-owner to do?
The simplest way to aerate a compost bin is to get an aeration tool. This is a stick with wings on the end. You plunge the stick into the compost, open the wings, and move the stick around, moving air into the pile as you do so.
Tumbler composting bins can be expensive, but they are also excellent at adding air to the compost. They produce finished compost very quickly because of the amount of aeration the compost receives. Some tumbling compost bins rotate on a central pole that goes through the bin like a cement mixer, while others tumble top over bottom.
Those who are looking for a low-tech, low-expense option may choose to go for a wire-covered bin. These homemade bins are good for larger properties or places without a large concern about rodents, since the wire mesh on the sides means that animals may enter the bin. However, they automatically provide air to the outside of the compost.
Whether it’s with a simple compost tool or with a bin specifically designed for the purpose, adding air to your compost bin is a must. If you want compost that smells good and produces a fabulous soil amendment in a hurry, then aeration is the way to go.
Lars Handley is a master composter based in Dallas, Texas. Visit his How to Compost instructional site to see text and video that teaches how to make compost. Dont miss the Composting Questions page where you can ask any composting question and get a personal response.