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COMPOST Not too much, not too little
The many details that make up the composting process combine to exert an influential effect on obtaining a good end product. Water is the most important substance in compost and in all the phases of the composting process. Too much is not a good idea, and neither is too little.
By Jos Buth, Mushroom Advice Network Holland
josbuth@gmail.com
Water comprises 92% of a mushroom, so it therefore plays a critical role in the entire cultivation process. Water has the greatest influence on compost quality and, inherently, on production. Less than optimal water management in the compost during phase I will always result in inferior production. During a course once at Penn State University in Pennsylvania (USA), all the composters present were asked to name what they thought was the most important element of compost. All those people, with their amassed knowledge and experience, answered unanimously: water. When questioned on the major factor that caused Trichode- rma infections the answer was; too much water. Just as water is essential to, but at the same time threatens life, excess water is detrimental to compost, but a deficit is equally as harmful.
At the start of process Homogeneity is the most important point to pay at- tention to in the water management of the composting process. The most serious mistakes are made due to insufficient attention to uniform water dosing at the right time. Many companies use water, or slurry, at the start of the process to soften raw materials such as straw and hay. This can be done by immersing the
bales of straw in the liquid for a few minutes – the dwell time depends on how tightly packed the bales are. Very large companies with high production volumes are un- likely to use this bale dunking method because of the limited treatment capacity. These companies tend to use mixing lines equipped with string removal systems and sprinklers to wet the straw. The volume of water, the uniformity and how the water is mixed through the straw all significantly impact on the ultimate quality of the process. Manually adding water will always encourage less uniform, or poor, compost. Watering systems, such as watering booms placed over the bales after they have been dunked, have their limitations and depend on how many bales are stacked up during the sprinkling treatment. Using a water tank and a loader to mix the straw is also a system with restrictions and will not give a fully homogenous end result. There is a huge difference between adding water to straw that has already been softened using a certain pre-wet treatment and duration before being mixed with other raw materials, and adding water to straw that has not been given pre-wet treatment. Raw materials mixed with straw that has been pre-wet – i.e. already softened straw- will show a far quicker temperature rise after being mixed with chicken manure. The temperature in
The position of the spray pipe in the head filler (here at the Pic- cioni farm in Ontario, Canada) is optimal, just in front of the inocula- tion rod, so that water is mixed through the compost at the same time as the spawned compost is being filled. Spraying spawned or spawnable compost while the room is being filled is a good way of steering the moisture content.
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