Compost

[Aforek]

Hello, I started a compost, I followed videos and I think I'm doing the right thing :the compost itself in my opinion is good, all the waste is decomposed, it does not smell bad, humidity etc ok, but one thing surprises me; in the videos in Europe, lots of little animals that decompose, but for me, no animals: only bacterias, invisible

moreover here the ground is very good, everything grows very well, but no earthworms; is this normal? I live in Prachinburi province Thank you for your opinions

[Pogust]

Heavy use of chemical fertilizers and sprays will kill off soil life and reduce worms and other life forms. Earth worms need humus content, decomposing plant matter that they feed on. By using compost and mulch you will add what worms need and they will come back again. The habit of burning everything instead of returning plant matter to the soil is a bad thing in Thailand.

 

[Pouatchee]

On 8/17/2023 at 3:13 PM, Aforek said:

moreover here the ground is very good, everything grows very well, but no earthworms; is this normal?

in 20 years here i have found that thailand has very few worms. sometimes i can smell them dying in puddles after rain but overall there really arent that many. i guess it is the naturally sandy soil here 

[silicastorm]

The making of Poo ya Mak - Composting.

 

Yes also here in the Kalasin area, I rarely find earthworms or other creepy crawlers in the soil. But making a layered composting pile after several months is filled with worms and other crawlers.

 

Items in the layers

 

1. Dried cattle or buffalo dung

2. Rice husks

3. Coconut husks chopped (if available)

4. Cutting from the legumes in the garden ... old cabbage leaves etc

5. Dredging the segments from the bottom of a pond

6. Soil

7. Table scraps minus any meat from animals (can bring predators to dig in compost)

8. Wood chips from fallen branches, trees, shrubs, etc

 

What other items are people using that are low-cost?

 

I am doing a lot of soil restoration now after leasing the land for 5 years to another farmer while I was overseas....

Edited October 21, 2023 by silicastorm