Calli's Conundrums

[greasemonkeymann]

oh absolutely!
I'm thinking that it's all in the starting materials, getting the proper ratio od hi-N, greens and browns, and then mixing them up correctly.
From there, it should be easier than what I'm doing
I'll catch you up with a good recipe later, gotta update before I forget what I was goingto write haha

hey guys, sorry I've been a lil absent recently, my shop is just getting blasted with work, probably more than I've ever seen it.
alright, so i'm fairly certain a couple things you could do that would get you better results.
first is that you would be better off in a symmetrical pile, that one is too tall, and simply gravity is making it anaerobic.
second is you want material in there that degrades slower to provide aeration, OR as some have suggested, adding biochar and other aeration to the pile is a great idea to keep it from getting anaerobic.
I like square piles personally.
old soil works well as a simple part of the compost that doesn't do much other than keep it's uniformity, which can be helpful in keeping the pile from settling.
also why I don't like to shred my leaves too, because smaller particles become clumped easier.


I also like to have a space at the bottom that is virtually empty, so like a pallet, or wood logs that keep it nice and aired out, sorta like a base to a hugelkultur type thing
I have had horrible problems with my compost going anaerobic if I water from the outside, the sprinkling tends to create almost like a shell of wet, then dried organic material that makes a non-breathable layer outside
I reaaaally recommend sprinkling water on all of the compost ingredients BEFORE you layer them, and do so very lightly, the amount of water in the grass clipping will help even out the moisture inside.
a drier compost pile will always be better than a wetter one
I like to think of a compost pile closer to how you build a campfire, with an emphasis of keeping it oxygenated as much as possible.
as far as the rockdust, I HIGHLY recommend building a pile with rockdusts, absolutely.
both rock dust and biochar i'd never make a compost pile without.
damnit...
got more customers..
i'll write more later
promise

 

[calliandra]

hey guys, sorry I've been a lil absent recently, my shop is just getting blasted with work, probably more than I've ever seen it.
alright, so i'm fairly certain a couple things you could do that would get you better results.
first is that you would be better off in a symmetrical pile, that one is too tall, and simply gravity is making it anaerobic.
second is you want material in there that degrades slower to provide aeration, OR as some have suggested, adding biochar and other aeration to the pile is a great idea to keep it from getting anaerobic.
I like square piles personally.
old soil works well as a simple part of the compost that doesn't do much other than keep it's uniformity, which can be helpful in keeping the pile from settling.
also why I don't like to shred my leaves too, because smaller particles become clumped easier.


I also like to have a space at the bottom that is virtually empty, so like a pallet, or wood logs that keep it nice and aired out, sorta like a base to a hugelkultur type thing
I have had horrible problems with my compost going anaerobic if I water from the outside, the sprinkling tends to create almost like a shell of wet, then dried organic material that makes a non-breathable layer outside
I reaaaally recommend sprinkling water on all of the compost ingredients BEFORE you layer them, and do so very lightly, the amount of water in the grass clipping will help even out the moisture inside.
a drier compost pile will always be better than a wetter one
I like to think of a compost pile closer to how you build a campfire, with an emphasis of keeping it oxygenated as much as possible.
as far as the rockdust, I HIGHLY recommend building a pile with rockdusts, absolutely.
both rock dust and biochar i'd never make a compost pile without.
damnit...
got more customers..
i'll write more later
promise

Ah thank you, I knew you'd hone in on what's really going wrong & turn my thoughts in the right direction!
Thinking on that, I'm pretty sure now the whole problem actually does go back to the lack of structure, not the ratio of my inputs, even though they are iffey too.

And perchance, I even got that confirmed: I was going through a compost class lesson, and when talking about structure, Elaine gets this wide grin on her face and says, "you will be blown away by how fast that actinobacteria starts to occur when your chunk size on your pile is way too fine to begin with."
YES? yes! haha

And she even specifies: we need to have 5% of our starting materials in chunks of ~1inch diameter for that NOT to happen. My wood chips? They're great in my wormbin because they're so fine, max sizes of half an inch.
So they're not going to solve the problem (and my worms get to keep getting the bedding they love so much ).

So I'm off to source something chunky enough but containing no poisons or antifungal resins (bag of fresh chips from the garden center? probably not), I'll start by looking for woody stuff in the garden (stems and stalks, dry branches) I can just chop up a bit...
Then to turn the pile, adding in that stuff, and try and make it wider than high (not sure I have enough fence, but I'll see what I can do).
That should sort it out!

However!
I also learned today that very probably I practically have no real hi N in there.
I had misunderstood "spring growth" as being hi N, like for a few weeks, while actually it's only that very first flush of it, the first leaves, the first grass clippings, that can be considered hi N.

Should I try finding some hi N to add into the pile too, seeing it's been going for 7 days total and nitrogen has certainly been consumed?
Since I have pretty much lost track of the C:N's, I'd be tempted to add an amount similar to the chunkies, kinda balancing that out... so 5% of volume.
OR should I pretend I'm starting over, and add the whole 10% .... at least theoretically?

Temperatures in the pile center were at 55°C this morning, so composting has finally started there, the ring of heat hasn't heated up more and is pretty steady at 58°C all around the pile.
So if it doesn't explode temp-wise in the course of the day, turning it is going to take it back out of composting mode anyway, might as well amend the mix while I'm at it...

Practically however, sourcing even 5% in a few hours won't work.
And the actinobacteria have gained ground over night, and there was a light whiff of ammonia that came with my moisture-test handful from inside the pile, so there is a reasonable amount of haste

So since I don't have any hi N at hand at all (the alfalfa still hasn't made nodules)... it may be more important to get that pile turned than to add any fresh stuff. Since this pile is getting messed with so much anyway, I could just turn to stop the anaerobic tendency and then, with more calm, find hi-N, add it in and start over then..

Ah if it weren't for the sheep manure, I really wouldn't mind, by now, just turning it once again to get it aerated, and then let it compost slowly over a few months...

As is, avanti galoppi! ------ to find a third of a tractor-basket's worth of woody chunks

 

[ANC]

All you need to do is cover the soil with 2 inches worth of leaves that have been put through a shredder or lawn mower, over winter. Calcium is also good as it loosens the soil

 

[ttystikk]

Ah thank you, I knew you'd hone in on what's really going wrong & turn my thoughts in the right direction!
Thinking on that, I'm pretty sure now the whole problem actually does go back to the lack of structure, not the ratio of my inputs, even though they are iffey too.

And perchance, I even got that confirmed: I was going through a compost class lesson, and when talking about structure, Elaine gets this wide grin on her face and says, "you will be blown away by how fast that actinobacteria starts to occur when your chunk size on your pile is way too fine to begin with."
YES? yes! haha

And she even specifies: we need to have 5% of our starting materials in chunks of ~1inch diameter for that NOT to happen. My wood chips? They're great in my wormbin because they're so fine, max sizes of half an inch.
So they're not going to solve the problem (and my worms get to keep getting the bedding they love so much ).

So I'm off to source something chunky enough but containing no poisons or antifungal resins (bag of fresh chips from the garden center? probably not), I'll start by looking for woody stuff in the garden (stems and stalks, dry branches) I can just chop up a bit...
Then to turn the pile, adding in that stuff, and try and make it wider than high (not sure I have enough fence, but I'll see what I can do).
That should sort it out!

However!
I also learned today that very probably I practically have no real hi N in there.
I had misunderstood "spring growth" as being hi N, like for a few weeks, while actually it's only that very first flush of it, the first leaves, the first grass clippings, that can be considered hi N.

Should I try finding some hi N to add into the pile too, seeing it's been going for 7 days total and nitrogen has certainly been consumed?
Since I have pretty much lost track of the C:N's, I'd be tempted to add an amount similar to the chunkies, kinda balancing that out... so 5% of volume.
OR should I pretend I'm starting over, and add the whole 10% .... at least theoretically?

Temperatures in the pile center were at 55°C this morning, so composting has finally started there, the ring of heat hasn't heated up more and is pretty steady at 58°C all around the pile.
So if it doesn't explode temp-wise in the course of the day, turning it is going to take it back out of composting mode anyway, might as well amend the mix while I'm at it...

Practically however, sourcing even 5% in a few hours won't work.
And the actinobacteria have gained ground over night, and there was a light whiff of ammonia that came with my moisture-test handful from inside the pile, so there is a reasonable amount of haste

So since I don't have any hi N at hand at all (the alfalfa still hasn't made nodules)... it may be more important to get that pile turned than to add any fresh stuff. Since this pile is getting messed with so much anyway, I could just turn to stop the anaerobic tendency and then, with more calm, find hi-N, add it in and start over then..

Ah if it weren't for the sheep manure, I really wouldn't mind, by now, just turning it once again to get it aerated, and then let it compost slowly over a few months...

As is, avanti galoppi! ------ to find a third of a tractor-basket's worth of woody chunks

What's the goal? A nice compost? High speed? Science experiment? I'm not sure what you're aiming for? It's fun to follow along even if I feel a bit lost lol

 

[Tim Fox]

What's the goal? A nice compost? High speed? Science experiment? I'm not sure what you're aiming for? It's fun to follow along even if I feel a bit lost lol

are you having another senior moment,, lol

 

[Mohican]

I uses a cross hatch of small branches and twigs to keep the layers more open. I have found that hydrolized fish is one of the best sources for fast N.
I have also read about using diluted H2O2 in the water to help oxygenate closed soils. It may work well in this instance. They called it Spanish Water.

 

[calliandra]

What's the goal? A nice compost? High speed? Science experiment? I'm not sure what you're aiming for? It's fun to follow along even if I feel a bit lost lol

haha! I want it aaaalll!

 

[calliandra]

I uses a cross hatch of small branches and twigs to keep the layers more open. I have found that hydrolized fish is one of the best sources for fast N.
I have also read about using diluted H2O2 in the water to help oxygenate closed soils. It may work well in this instance. They called it Spanish Water.

Wow thanks, that sounds more doable than the chunkies
And yes! I've been turning my mind to fish lately, not quite there yet, but it will come, surely! Do you make your own?

Actually, I was thinking of pee for a beat, but I don't have THAT much and no avid beer drinkers (whose diets I can trust, else I could just walk over to the next pub and ask for donations haha) in my immediate vicinity either. Also, given the pile is starting to smell of ammonia, not the right direction in this case maybe, especially since I just read a piece about ammonia also gassing off in aerobic conditions:

Ammonia odors can be formed aerobically as well as anaerobically, so the control strategies recommended for anaerobic odors may not apply. Noticeable ammonia losses primarily result from a low C/N ratio. The microorganisms are very efficient at utilizing nitrogen when that is the limiting nutrient. The smell of ammonia is an indicator that nitrogen is in excess, and carbon/energy is limiting instead. Ammonia losses are common when composting high nitrogen materials such as fresh grass clippings or manure, and are often accompanied by other nitrogen losses in runoff or infiltration.
(http://compost.css.cornell.edu/odors/ammonia.html, my boldings)

Now, I do have the actinobacteria, which is a sign to turn because they're the gatekeepers to anaerobic conditions. BUT they are actually facultatives, so they do well under aerobic conditions too - increasingly so as the conditions become less and less oxygenated.
BUT, on the edge to anaerobicity, that light ammonia smell could also be a sign that I don't really need to add N, just turn and add more woodies.
Confusing or what?! Hell yeah!

 

[calliandra]

Meanwhile, the pile has continued to heat up slowly - center temps now ranging from 55-58°C, the ring of heat still around 60°C. Continued light ammonia smell, Actinobacteria thriving.

I didn't get enough chunkies together before I had to go do something else
diverse stalks, remembered a stack of raspberry branches I had left over the winter, so most of that is those.



And then, we had quite a thunderstorm, with snow on the mountains and consequently a significant drop in temps.
Skyscape from my window



So I'm going to turn tomorrow, adding in more branches, yeah maybe just so, not even cut up.
Cheers!

 

[ttystikk]

Meanwhile, the pile has continued to heat up slowly - center temps now ranging from 55-58°C, the ring of heat still around 60°C. Continued light ammonia smell, Actinobacteria thriving.

I didn't get enough chunkies together before I had to go do something else
diverse stalks, remembered a stack of raspberry branches I had left over the winter, so most of that is those.
View attachment 3956085


And then, we had quite a thunderstorm, with snow on the mountains and consequently a significant drop in temps.
Skyscape from my window
View attachment 3956087
View attachment 3956088

So I'm going to turn tomorrow, adding in more branches, yeah maybe just so, not even cut up.
Cheers!

Gorgeous pics of the mountains!

Sounds like a happy pile to me...

haha! I want it aaaalll!

Ok, just wondered... Lol

Wow thanks, that sounds more doable than the chunkies
And yes! I've been turning my mind to fish lately, not quite there yet, but it will come, surely! Do you make your own?

Actually, I was thinking of pee for a beat, but I don't have THAT much and no avid beer drinkers (whose diets I can trust, else I could just walk over to the next pub and ask for donations haha) in my immediate vicinity either. Also, given the pile is starting to smell of ammonia, not the right direction in this case maybe, especially since I just read a piece about ammonia also gassing off in aerobic conditions:



Now, I do have the actinobacteria, which is a sign to turn because they're the gatekeepers to anaerobic conditions. BUT they are actually facultatives, so they do well under aerobic conditions too - increasingly so as the conditions become less and less oxygenated.
BUT, on the edge to anaerobicity, that light ammonia smell could also be a sign that I don't really need to add N, just turn and add more woodies.
Confusing or what?! Hell yeah!

I'm confused but still learning, so it's all good!

 

[Mohican]

Those sticks look perfect!

Beautiful mountains yet burrrrrr!

It is overcast and chilly here today. The plants are loving it!



Cheers,
Mo

 

[calliandra]

So yesterday I turned the pile, adding in all the sticksyness I could find that quickly
Not quite sure it was 5%


When I took off the fence, the leaning part of the pile broke away, offering a unique view of the actinobacterial layer

And there's the atypicalness of it right there.
Continuing my course, Ingham goes on to discuss actinobacterial layers like this at length, but all the examples show the MIDDLE having gone black - whilst here, it's the middle where the greens are still green.

Where the materials had gone too dry, a light spraying of water got added - more cautiously than before, more of a spray than a rain, and always throwing the compost in the air to get it moistened up.


In between batches of this newly mixed material, I added fungal compost, and 3 layers of branches


It probably wasn't enough.



As pretty as my pile, now wider than tall, looks, it's begun stinking of uncleaned tyrolean stable, hard to describe, sheep with something kinda sour? Not ammonia, not shit, not eggs, not alcohol, just kind of yucky.
Oh and there are flies, mainly fungus gnatsy ones

Temperatures hadn't risen anymore in that night after the storm, it has gotten quite cold, 5°C in the night, though it'S forecast to back up to 32°/17° (day/night) by the weekend.
So the pile went from 55-60° to 35°C after the turn.
By evening, it had heated up to 38-40° in the center, and yes, the ring of heat is BACK, with 45-50°C.
This morning, everything upped by 10°C, but still with that damned ring of heat 5-10°C over the center temps (now at 50°)... there was one spot on the ring that was almost at 65°C.
NO actinobacteria visible though.

Argh.
I still think the mistake was in the materials.
The structure, definitely, but also that sheep manure, that didn't really get composted in the fall, which seems to now have pretty much dissolved and is coating everything in that pile.


Hard to photograph. But note also that too-fine-material.

I dunno, somehow I get the feeling it's going to take way more than those sticks to get the air back into there.
Possibly, take the pile apart, let it dry out, and then use all this, properly mixed up while still dry, so it really does mix well, with fresh materials (have begun sourcing, garden neighbor cut down his lovage ).
Again, with the dilemma of determining what the C:N is of it now...

There's a compost webinar this weekend, so I'm going to write this up and ask Elaine there.
Fingers crossed there aren't too many other questions (there always are) and she even gets round to mine!!

 

[ttystikk]

So yesterday I turned the pile, adding in all the sticksyness I could find that quickly
Not quite sure it was 5%
View attachment 3957094

When I took off the fence, the leaning part of the pile broke away, offering a unique view of the actinobacterial layer
View attachment 3957095
And there's the atypicalness of it right there.
Continuing my course, Ingham goes on to discuss actinobacterial layers like this at length, but all the examples show the MIDDLE having gone black - whilst here, it's the middle where the greens are still green.

Where the materials had gone too dry, a light spraying of water got added - more cautiously than before, more of a spray than a rain, and always throwing the compost in the air to get it moistened up.
View attachment 3957096

In between batches of this newly mixed material, I added fungal compost, and 3 layers of branches

View attachment 3957097
It probably wasn't enough.

View attachment 3957098

As pretty as my pile, now wider than tall, looks, it's begun stinking of uncleaned tyrolean stable, hard to describe, sheep with something kinda sour? Not ammonia, not shit, not eggs, not alcohol, just kind of yucky.
Oh and there are flies, mainly fungus gnatsy ones

Temperatures hadn't risen anymore in that night after the storm, it has gotten quite cold, 5°C in the night, though it'S forecast to back up to 32°/17° (day/night) by the weekend.
So the pile went from 55-60° to 35°C after the turn.
By evening, it had heated up to 38-40° in the center, and yes, the ring of heat is BACK, with 45-50°C.
This morning, everything upped by 10°C, but still with that damned ring of heat 5-10°C over the center temps (now at 50°)... there was one spot on the ring that was almost at 65°C.
NO actinobacteria visible though.

Argh.
I still think the mistake was in the materials.
The structure, definitely, but also that sheep manure, that didn't really get composted in the fall, which seems to now have pretty much dissolved and is coating everything in that pile.

View attachment 3957099
Hard to photograph. But note also that too-fine-material.

I dunno, somehow I get the feeling it's going to take way more than those sticks to get the air back into there.
Possibly, take the pile apart, let it dry out, and then use all this, properly mixed up while still dry, so it really does mix well, with fresh materials (have begun sourcing, garden neighbor cut down his lovage ).
Again, with the dilemma of determining what the C:N is of it now...

There's a compost webinar this weekend, so I'm going to write this up and ask Elaine there.
Fingers crossed there aren't too many other questions (there always are) and she even gets round to mine!!

The pic of your handful of compost seems wet to me. I'm a total noob to this so it's not an opinion or suggestion, just an observation?

Things are happening in that pile, and fast...

I'm enjoying the updates!

 

[greasemonkeymann]

The pic of your handful of compost seems wet to me. I'm a total noob to this so it's not an opinion or suggestion, just an observation?

Things are happening in that pile, and fast...

I'm enjoying the updates!

YES!!
was gonna say something the day before yesterday but I got absolutely blasted by 9 hrs of non-stop emission testing..
holy crap...
anyways.
yea, I totally agree, that is WAY too moist.
in my experience the moisture level that is ideal for compost is almost identical to the same conditions cannabis likes, and that is very well drained and simply a "humid" moisture, you don't want it to be actually visibly wet, that's why I recommend only sprinkling the compost inputs when assembling the pile, best to have the pile OFF the ground, like obn a pallet or at the least a bunch of those "chunky" parts that Cali was talking about.
remember the analogy of the campfire, that is what works well, especially in cold environments where heat isn't going to help transpire/evaporate the excess moisture.
But it's always better to be too dry, rather than too wet.
always,.
I also have good luck with using old fabric pots as a cover for the pile, cut em open, flatten them out, soak em in water, wring them out, and cover the pile, acts like a humid blanket.
I treat my composts more similar to my wormbins, in that I don't water them directly, rather I like to either add a moist cover (like the aforementioned fabric pots) or add moist inputs to the bottom or top of the pile to add their moisture, but the pile itself I don't water unless I have really high summer temps
I know it's weird, and sounds counterintuitive, but watering the pile itself after its assembled tends to create anaerobic conditions, and/or ammonia gasoff
soaking large chunks of rotting wood is a great way to add moisture to the pile without getting it directly wet too, another idea is to use rotting veggies or fruits at a specific spot to attract native earthworms as well as to add their moisture to the pile.
I don't have any experience composting in the cold though..
being a California kid and all...

 

[ttystikk]

YES!!
was gonna say something the day before yesterday but I got absolutely blasted by 9 hrs of non-stop emission testing..
holy crap...
anyways.
yea, I totally agree, that is WAY too moist.
in my experience the moisture level that is ideal for compost is almost identical to the same conditions cannabis likes, and that is very well drained and simply a "humid" moisture, you don't want it to be actually visibly wet, that's why I recommend only sprinkling the compost inputs when assembling the pile, best to have the pile OFF the ground, like obn a pallet or at the least a bunch of those "chunky" parts that Cali was talking about.
remember the analogy of the campfire, that is what works well, especially in cold environments where heat isn't going to help transpire/evaporate the excess moisture.
But it's always better to be too dry, rather than too wet.
always,.
I also have good luck with using old fabric pots as a cover for the pile, cut em open, flatten them out, soak em in water, wring them out, and cover the pile, acts like a humid blanket.
I treat my composts more similar to my wormbins, in that I don't water them directly, rather I like to either add a moist cover (like the aforementioned fabric pots) or add moist inputs to the bottom or top of the pile to add their moisture, but the pile itself I don't water unless I have really high summer temps
I know it's weird, and sounds counterintuitive, but watering the pile itself after its assembled tends to create anaerobic conditions, and/or ammonia gasoff
soaking large chunks of rotting wood is a great way to add moisture to the pile without getting it directly wet too, another idea is to use rotting veggies or fruits at a specific spot to attract native earthworms as well as to add their moisture to the pile.
I don't have any experience composting in the cold though..
being a California kid and all...

I'm learning a lot, thank you for the insight.

 

[Mohican]

The trick with the branches and twigs is to cross hatch them to make an air layer. It is also beneficial to lay layers of branches atop your garden soil. It provides a habitat for many beneficial insects and fungi.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

I'm learning a lot, thank you for the insight.

anytime my man
just wait till you try your own freshly made compost, works almost like magic, I can damn near match my buddies hydro growth rates, just a speck behind them
and the results/taste/smell/appearance are like a totally different strain, in fact he actually accused me of switching strains when we compared them at the end.
the only important thing to remember is to make SURE you use a lot of aeration in a compost based mix
just crucial, the difference between the plants being pissed and exhibiting a mix of odd deficiencies and normal fast luscious growth, can be as simple as not having enough aeration.
compost holds a BUNCH of water
waaaay more than a typical peat or coco mix

 

[calliandra]

YES!!
was gonna say something the day before yesterday but I got absolutely blasted by 9 hrs of non-stop emission testing..
holy crap...
anyways.
yea, I totally agree, that is WAY too moist.
in my experience the moisture level that is ideal for compost is almost identical to the same conditions cannabis likes, and that is very well drained and simply a "humid" moisture, you don't want it to be actually visibly wet, that's why I recommend only sprinkling the compost inputs when assembling the pile, best to have the pile OFF the ground, like obn a pallet or at the least a bunch of those "chunky" parts that Cali was talking about.
remember the analogy of the campfire, that is what works well, especially in cold environments where heat isn't going to help transpire/evaporate the excess moisture.
But it's always better to be too dry, rather than too wet.
always,.
I also have good luck with using old fabric pots as a cover for the pile, cut em open, flatten them out, soak em in water, wring them out, and cover the pile, acts like a humid blanket.
I treat my composts more similar to my wormbins, in that I don't water them directly, rather I like to either add a moist cover (like the aforementioned fabric pots) or add moist inputs to the bottom or top of the pile to add their moisture, but the pile itself I don't water unless I have really high summer temps
I know it's weird, and sounds counterintuitive, but watering the pile itself after its assembled tends to create anaerobic conditions, and/or ammonia gasoff
soaking large chunks of rotting wood is a great way to add moisture to the pile without getting it directly wet too, another idea is to use rotting veggies or fruits at a specific spot to attract native earthworms as well as to add their moisture to the pile.
I don't have any experience composting in the cold though..
being a California kid and all...

Pleeeaaaase stop talking about piles being watered directly
YES I did that when I first built the pile (and I will happily own up to any stupid thing I ever do - hey it's where I get most of my laughs from!), AND the pile was too wet in the beginning, but not since, nor do I plan to ever ever do that again!

Another mistake I made in setting up the pile is that I watered the grass clippings too, though they were fresh and I should've counted them as 70% - so no further addition needed there.
A further argument for wetting up the materials before mixing them together.

But a pile that is set to heat to 72°C / 165°F must have enough water to keep the microbes active, as leaning to the dry side of things will slow down microbial activity, and that's not what we want in a thermal pile.
So to maintain the recommended 50%, I now take a portion of the pile off the pile, and if it needs water turn it, throwing it into the spray of water so it's evenly spread throughout, and then add that to the pile. Like on the rainbow pic above, the perspective may be a bit misleading, but I thought the rainbow was cute so documentation ceded to aesthetics...

I'm trying to keep the pile at around 50%, and the easy way to test for that is by hand squeeze test:

• If you pull a handful out of the pile and it's dripping, you're at 100% saturation. total fail lol
  
• If it starts dripping as are closing your hand, it's at 60-70%, too wet.
  
• If you squeeze your hand tightly and get an ooze between your fingers along with 1-2 drops, you're at 50% and good.
• If you squeeze and nothing comes out, you're going under.
  If you open your hand and the compost stays in a clump, you're about at 45%,
  if it crumbles a little bit it's at 40% and you need to add water the next time you turn.
• But if you open your hand and it all just falls apart, then you're at 30% and things get critical. The microbes start producing hydrophobic materials they encase themselves in along with the water they need, and when they run out of that, you're left with just all that hydrophobic material and microbes that are pissed off and not willingly ready to come forth again

Initially, I was scared that the heating up would dry things up too much, why I was probably oin the wetter side.
But the pic of the compost in my hand there, it was perfect at 50%.
Here's what the squeeze test looked like this morning

I'M really squeezing hard there haha
Oozing and a drip, slightly below 50%. When I open my hand, a clod. broken apart, looking like this:


So, looks wetter than it is!

 

[calliandra]

The trick with the branches and twigs is to cross hatch them to make an air layer. It is also beneficial to lay layers of branches atop your garden soil. It provides a habitat for many beneficial insects and fungi.

Thanks for specifying! yeah I just didn't have enough materials.
Oh and absolutely, in sheet mulching you always put branches and chunky stuff in the bottom and the greenstuff on top. Also a reason why I hardly have any composting materials lying around, it pretty much all stays where it got cut off

Meanwhile, I've gone and cut out a bunch of my neighbors raspberry branches that froze under the late snows.
So now I have a nice mat for when I turn the pile next time
@greasemonkeymann would you say that's OK for the layer that goes on the ground?
(not the lovage on the left, just the branches right, no idea why I didn't get a pic with the whole pile on it ffs lol


Cheers!

 

[calliandra]

And for the good news: the pile has turned for the better!
Yes yes I know, pix or it didn't happen

This morning, temps were at 62°C in the middle, and between 60-70° in the pile overall!
Left the center, the infamous hotspot to the right


The flies were still asleep, the smell was a little bit better but still dirty stably, and moisture, as seen above in the previous post
But very evidently, improving the structure has helped!!! Thanks again guys!!

Early afternoon - same temperatures
The smell was starting to change, into something vaguely resembling black currants, but still on the gross side of things


And in the evening
the center was at 64°C the hotspot at 68°C! so the pile seems to be evening out, the center finally catching up!
A few measurements I took from the side were also at 70°C, so we are quite in business!
Smells are receding too, though I still get a whiff of sheep off the thermometer's metal rods (you're suposed to check them for smells when taking them out of the pile)


So now the next question arises!
When to turn?

So these times lean heavily on what is known about killing pathogens (good ol Pasteur and his pals).
@55°C /131°F -- maintain temperatures for 3 days
@60°C/150°F -- maintain temperatures for 2 days
@71°C/165°F --- maintain temperatures for 1 day
assuming those temps stay there and don't continue rising.

So my pile was at 55°C in the center yesterday evening, at 62°C this morning, 64°C tonight, with more and more parts of the pile going up to 70°C.
So 2 days feels kind of right from the present perspective?
unless of course temps continue rising. As soon as they go over 71°C I need to turn, because that's when the beneficial microbes start getting killed from the heat.
I'm sort of hoping that happens, as I'm really not sure how to estimate the actual "cooking time"