Hi Graeme ; Yes these were the kinds of numbers I was looking for. I'm only on my very first ever 5 gallon batch, and quite uncontrolled at this point. The sawdust is turning a dark brown color after 1 week and strong ammonia smell. Apparently this mrans too much nitrogen, but this is not a very bad thing at all, just off gasses as ammonia.
I'll start another batch using your numbers and let you know. Peggy I plan on doing the mushroom thing, but not yet. Thanks to all who responded. Best Regards, Peter G. Thailand --- Graeme Vagg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Peter, > > If your sawdust has a low moisture content (say > around 15%), I would use 1.2 > litres of LOF for each kilogram of sawdust. > > I don't know what an optimum time would be. With > turning daily you may only > need 5 to 7 days. Around 21 days might be needed. > Commercial compost > systems are required to let the heap stand for at > least 42 days before being > used (i.e sold to the public). A composting toilet > using sawdust as an > absorbant may take 2 to 3 years to process. Stable > manure with sawdust > takes three years to break down to the highest > quality compost but is usable > at a lower quality after one and two years. > > Graeme > > -------Original Message------- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: 01/03/05 07:08:59 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Compost with sawdust and LOF. > > Hi Kim ; > > LOF is Liquid Organic Fertilizer or what Keith calls > Household Compost Activator, in other words, urine. > > Yes I guess I could put in some grass or leaves, > which > is what most recipies call for. But two problems > with > that. One is I live in a concrete village. There > is > no grass or trees anywhere. That is no exageration. > I don't have a front yard or back yard. Just > concrete > everywhere. Nobody around here ever has grass to > cut, > so I can't just pick up someone elses cuttings > either. > In order to get some grass I would need to get in > my > truck, drive a kilometers, stop on some else'e > property and start cutting away. Lot's of free > sawdust fines though. > > Secondly, for my project in the near future, I will > have LOT's of wood after the hammer mill but not so > much greens. This is more a learning excersize. > > So I'm just investigating the possiblities of no > grass, ONLY sawdust and LOF. The wood is carbon, > and > the LOF is the nitrogen, and it should be possible > if > I can keep it aerated. Is it? What ratio? > > Truthfully, there are also a few small table scraps, > but very little. I live with my daughter and there > is > normally only a watermelon or orange peel per day. > Let's ignore that for the time being. > > If this doesn't work, I will go grass cutting, but > please humor me first. It should be possible with > just sawdust and LOF. Is it? What ratio? How much > time? Is strong ammonia smell normal? Is very > little > heat normal (I think not)? > > Once I get a formula and procedure that looks > correct, > I will do a 55 gallon drum. Already got the drum. > > Best Regards, > > Peter G. > Thailand > > > > --- Kim & Garth Travis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > While I am not sure what LOF is, I have used the > > very fine sawdust that I > > get from my table saw in my compost. Mine is used > > in our toilet buckets > > first, but it must be mixed with something that > has > > a little more fiber or > > it compacts. Compaction in a compost pile means > no > > oxygen, which is a > > problem. Mix some grass, well mulched into the > mix > > and it should work better. > > Bright Blessings, > > Kim > > > > At 06:06 AM 1/2/2005, you wrote: > > >Hi Keith ; > > > > > >Since I plan on making lots of compost from wood, > I > > >thought I would start experimenting with the > > abundant > > >and free sawdust from next door. > > > > > >I read the pages on JtF, but none comes close to > my > > >situation. The sawdust is REALLY fine, like > > blowing > > >sand. I will use a fly screen to keep it from > > coming > > >out the container holes. It should compost > quickly > > >because particle size is so small, if I can keep > it > > >aerated. > > > > > >Could you recommend a mix ratio and procedure > only > > >using sawdust and LOF to start? I am using a 10 > > gal > > >pail, turn it every day, and I get a strong smell > > of > > >ammonia after a few days. Not too much heat at > > all, > > >only a little. > > > > > >Best Regards, > > > > > >Peter G. > > >Thailand > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >__________________________________ > > >Do you Yahoo!? > > >Send a seasonal email greeting and help others. > Do > > good. > > >http://celebrity.mail.yahoo.com > > >_______________________________________________ > > >Biofuel mailing list > > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel > > > > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > > > > >Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > > >http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Biofuel mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > > > Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > > > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn > more. > http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250 > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? All your favorites on one personal page – Try My Yahoo! http://my.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
