Lobster compost

natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,.I'm getting into the season where I will have access to lobster shells and mussels.And a lot of them.By Sept ,it's easy to grab well over 150 cooked lobster bodies and huge amounts of mussel shells daily.Time,space and common sense will prevent me from bringing home all of that,but I'd like to start off somewhere.Has anyone ever composted shells that could point me in the right direction?A site or book would be cool,firsthand knowledge even better.Obviously only the shells should be used and I imagine rinsed well before going into the pile? I will also have large amounts of corn husks/silk I believe would work well as my dry material to cover? I'm in the woods.Blackbears,skunks,racoons will all be interested in that pile,I really don't know how I can do it without critters helping themselves even if i do cover it well.Appreciate any and all advice.
 
thumper60

thumper60

Well-Known Member
I tried doing what ya thinking few yrs ago,first off everything needs to be ground up [stinking lousy job] then every critter within miles will be on that pile ya talking some major stink,was not worth it for me,same with seaweed off the beach just not worth the effort.check out the surf an turf 7 bucks a bag I buy it by the truck loadphoto[417].JPG
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
Yeah @thumper60 I figured it wasn't going to be an easy undertaking.i was planning on ripping the shell right off the body,no guts used, and using the claws as well.rinsing the hell out of those before going into the pile.maybe even left in the sun to break down and become easier to crush.you're right,the shells probably should be broken up a bit.i know it takes a minimum of 2 years for seafood compost to be ready,so the shells being in smaller pieces might help.if I do try this out,it would probably only be 75-100 bodies/claws a week.even less if I can't keep up.the mussel shells will be easy to rinse and crush.I hate seeing all that goodness go into a trashcan! It would be really cool if i could get something up and running
 
thumper60

thumper60

Well-Known Member
I think if u get big enough pile get it good an hot it will break down quicker,i no the big piles at bensons run about 160 even in the winter,remember that right whale that washed up couple yrs ago around 20 tons I think,benson hauled that back to the farm an buried it in a pile nothing but bones in 60 days.i have dumped35 yds of the surf an turf in my veggie garden last few yrs u would think I lived on the ocean with all the shells in there.ya right its the best for compost just apita to handle
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
thumper60 said:
I think if u get big enough pile get it good an hot it will break down quicker,i no the big piles at bensons run about 160 even in the winter,remember that right whale that washed up couple yrs ago around 20 tons I think,benson hauled that back to the farm an buried it in a pile nothing but bones in 60 days.i have dumped35 yds of the surf an turf in my veggie garden last few yrs u would think I lived on the ocean with all the shells in there.ya right its the best for compost just apita to handle
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You've brough up a lot of good points,thump.right now,I'm going to try and find a way to hose the shells off quickly and efficiently.maybe the same idea as a loam screen but horizontal.I think that will help with odor/critters.one black bear has already made it's appearance this spring.i'm a little leery of starting a pile right off,maybe build a cage and let the washed down shells sit in the sun all summer.then next summer incorporate into a pile.i'm in no hurry and the shells aren't going anywhere.damn,they cut up a whale on a beach near me a few years back...no describing that smell.drifted for miles.
 
DCcan

DCcan

Well-Known Member
thumper60 said:
I tried doing what ya thinking few yrs ago,first off everything needs to be ground up [stinking lousy job] then every critter within miles will be on that pile ya talking some major stink,was not worth it for me,same with seaweed off the beach just not worth the effort.check out the surf an turf 7 bucks a bag I buy it by the truck load
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Yea, same here...did 20 buckets of seaweed and 10 of lobster with the fall leaves . What a headache.
The critter attacks on the pile would turn the pile and smell would reek again for days till it baked off.

I would oven dry the shells till everything is brittle, run it thru the chipper with leaves and turn it all in with seaweed and garden soil for a good long bake in a chicken wire enclosure, if I had to do it again. Still not going to do it again.

For $7 cu.ft, Bensons is a bargain. I may start using that for the fall indoor grow if I start cooking it this whole summer.
Maryland crab meal and kelp chips from the feed store is pretty cheap too. That's what I use right now
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
DCcan said:
Yea, same here...did 20 buckets of seaweed and 10 of lobster with the fall leaves . What a headache.
The critter attacks on the pile would turn the pile and smell would reek again for days till it baked off.

I would oven dry the shells till everything is brittle, run it thru the chipper with leaves and turn it all in with seaweed and garden soil for a good long bake in a chicken wire enclosure, if I had to do it again. Still not going to do it again.

For $7 cu.ft, Bensons is a bargain. I may start using that for the fall indoor grow if I start cooking it this whole summer.
Maryland crab meal and kelp chips from the feed store is pretty cheap too. That's what I use right now
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How well did you rinse your seaweed/shells? What parts of the lobster did you use?
 
DCcan

DCcan

Well-Known Member
Seaweed was rinsed 2x, the shells and guts were mashed up with a rake and shovel and worked in.
That's why I would dry the shells and parts and pulverize them next time.
Seaweed hold way too much moisture, I just let mother nature take it's toll. There's no rush on kelp breaking down before shells
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
DCcan said:
Seaweed was rinsed 2x, the shells and guts were mashed up with a rake and shovel and worked in.
That's why I would dry the shells and parts and pulverize them next time.
Seaweed hold way too much moisture, I just let mother nature take it's toll. There's no rush on kelp breaking down before shells
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I imagine even being rinsed that seaweed smells like low-tide.i hadn't thought about using seaweed,think I'll try incorporating some.I have an older friend who grew up in a homestead family,they kept a row of that next to their garden all summer long then tilled it in somewhat dry in the fall.maybe I'll dry it, maybe not.like I said,I might not even do an actual compost pile this year.
As far as the lobster guts go,I was under the impression only shells were to be used.that's all I'm going to use.there is no way I could keep animals out of a pile whole lobster bodies.
 
kratos015

kratos015

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
Hey guys,.I'm getting into the season where I will have access to lobster shells and mussels.And a lot of them.By Sept ,it's easy to grab well over 150 cooked lobster bodies and huge amounts of mussel shells daily.Time,space and common sense will prevent me from bringing home all of that,but I'd like to start off somewhere.Has anyone ever composted shells that could point me in the right direction?A site or book would be cool,firsthand knowledge even better.Obviously only the shells should be used and I imagine rinsed well before going into the pile? I will also have large amounts of corn husks/silk I believe would work well as my dry material to cover? I'm in the woods.Blackbears,skunks,racoons will all be interested in that pile,I really don't know how I can do it without critters helping themselves even if i do cover it well.Appreciate any and all advice.
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Not sure about what mussels will provide to a soil when they decompose, I would imagine calcium for sure but other than that I can't say as I have no idea.

Coast of Maine makes a Lobster Compost that is absolutely killer, if you can make your own then I can't recommend it enough. Not only will you have incredible compost after all is said and done, but the lobster shells will provide you with a significant amount of Calcium and Chitin. If it were me, I'd just grab however many bales of peat moss it would take to mix the shells in with. If you're concerned about pests (and bears, fuck that) then I'd grab some neem meal. The neem meal will make your compost even better, while deterring any potential pests. Just add however much neem it takes until you're smelling neem and not lobster.
 
WeedFreak78

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
Dig a pit, bury crushed shells mixed with soil and "green", cover with 6"-12" of soil, plant a cover crop, wait 2 years. I wouldn't rinse the shells, that's just washing away nutrients. Does cayenne pepper deter bears? Could spread it around on top of the pile. I know it works for most smaller mammals.
 
Dmannn

Dmannn

Well-Known Member
WeedFreak78 said:
Dig a pit, bury crushed shells mixed with soil and "green", cover with 6"-12" of soil, plant a cover crop, wait 2 years. I wouldn't rinse the shells, that's just washing away nutrients. Does cayenne pepper deter bears? Could spread it around on top of the pile. I know it works for most smaller mammals.
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You can have a few dogs come by a pee near it. Bears generally steer clear of dogs.
 
W

waktoo

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
EM-1? Sounds like it would be very beneficial for breakdown and odor.Ima look into.Ty
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No. EM-1 is a more "well rounded" microbial culture consisting of many different microbial species. LB cultures grow only lacto bacillus strains. EM-1 may work to reduce odor, but I can't say for sure as I've not tried it. LB does work at eliminating odor.

In the past when I was building compost, I used to collect large garbage bags full of vegetable material that would sit for several weeks until I had enough to build a decent sized thermophilic pile. Invariably, those bags would develop holes, and leak stinking, rotting veg' juice onto/into the old carpet covering the shed floor in which the bags were stored. One good spray of LB culture would completely eliminate the odor in less than 24 hours...
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
waktoo said:
No. EM-1 is a more "well rounded" microbial culture consisting of many different microbial species. LB cultures grow only lacto bacillus strains. EM-1 may work to reduce odor, but I can't say for sure as I've not tried it. LB does work at eliminating odor.

In the past when I was building compost, I used to collect large garbage bags full of vegetable material that would sit for several weeks until I had enough to build a decent sized thermophilic pile. Invariably, those bags would develop holes, and leak stinking, rotting veg' juice onto/into the old carpet covering the shed floor in which the bags were stored. One good spray of LB culture would completely eliminate the odor in less than 24 hours...
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That sounds great,when I have a little more time,I plan on doing some research on LB.I'll let you know about the EM-1,they specifically market as a way to control odor,and a little bit makes a lot of product.They also advertise that it helps break down everything(I'm having problems sourcing brown for the pile)we'll see what's up,it's on it's way.Thanks for your input.
thecosmicgoat said:
All home made. Locally sourced with in a few kms from home.
Top left crab meal, too right mussel shell powder, bottom left rock dust, bottom right kelp meal. I find pleasure in collecting and processing.
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That is really nice.You cant go wrong sourcing it yourself.I'm going to have some fishermen friends grab some kelp for me.I'll pick up some bubble seaweed myself.
 
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