Software
Houzz Logo Print
cebiginalaska

Probiotic for compost or soil?

13 years ago

Hello everybody. Has anyone ever used any type of probiotic for their compost or added them directly to their soil? Does it benefit the plants in anyway?

I just started my first compost indoors. The compost includes pancakes, jello, seedless grapes, chicken in a plastic bag which is inside a plastic ice cream container. I added 3 tablets of probiotics that I use ( Daily Foods MegaFlora Capsules ) then mixed the powder into the food waste and closed up the ice cream container.

Comments (13)

  • 13 years ago

    No. And no.

  • 13 years ago

    That sure is an interesting "compost" mix you have created. Was the chicken cooked?

    As far as the probiotics, I went and looked at MegaFoods description. As best I can tell the bacteria are the types that are used as aids for human digestion, but not the type typically referenced in composting for humification of carbonaceous materials. Compost piles can be inoculated with bacteria to help speed things up, but those inoculants would be very different in their bacterial and fungal speciation from the probiotics you have used.

    The mix you describe sounds like a very high nitrogen mix. My guess is what you will see in time is rotting food waste, which is nothing like compost.

  • 13 years ago

    Oh my, that sounds like an anaerobic rotting mess. No oxygen and meat sound like the biggest composting fouls (or should I say fowls).

    The only 'probiotics' I would consider in composting would be to add a small bit of actual composted material (compost that is garden ready) or a little bit of garden soil. The population of microbes found in the small amount of compost or soil should supply sufficient microbial community to help in your future compost efforts. The issues with your compost mix are an entirely different subject. The microbes potentially found in probiotics probably would not help your composting efforts. Using microbes found in compost/soil to inoculate your compost would allow you to select for microbes already suited for the task you wish them to accomplish.

  • 13 years ago

    Yes chicken was cooked. If it just rots will dump it in place back yard where it is bare (no grass) from our dog.

  • 13 years ago

    What is your reason wanting to compost ? I think we can be of more help once we understand the goal.

  • 13 years ago

    honestly no idea just to help plants grow better. never composted before watched a video and read some stuff but i didn't see anything about not using meats. I have it opened outside in the ice cream bucket

  • 13 years ago

    If it's not plant matter, it's likely you shouldn't use it.

  • 13 years ago

    A really good source of information to help you get started in composting is the Cornell Waste Management Institute that is part of Cornell University. A good starting point is their fact sheet titled "Composting at Home - The Green and Brown Alternative" (link below).

    If after reading through that you decide to take the plunge, you will fid much more information from their website - Google 'The Science and Engineering of Composting' and look for the link compost.css.cornell.edu/science.html (should be the top one, or you can copy and paste the url I just posted).

    When it comes to kitchen waste, generally animal products, fats and oils should be avoided in compost - egg shells are commonly excepted.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell Composting at Home fact sheet

  • 13 years ago

    And you'll need some high-carbon, low nitrogen 'brown' materials to layer with that kitchen waste to make a proper compost pile. Leaves, straw, shredded paper, sawdust etc.

    Also, it needs to be able to drain into the ground so it doesn't get too wet. A bucket with a lid keeps out oxygen and holds in water. Bad juju!

  • 13 years ago

    Bokashi actually uses a mixture of several microbes, including both yeast and bacteria, IIRC. It is very specific to get it to work right.

  • 13 years ago

    Hi Ceb,

    I'm the one that asked you why you wanted to compost, since you made it easy with your user name to know where your located. What with the possibility of you being in a remote part of the state, I wondered if it was just for lack of garbage service, which I have done, and that's a bit different than composting for gardening. That's mostly getting the kitchen food scraps out, while not attracting wild animals. Never a good idea.

    I totally understand why your beginning trial was indoors... I was curious and happened to notice your post over in the tomato forum. Complete with great pictures !
    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0418582613554.html?5
    A picture really is worth a thousand words.

    Yes, I'd stay inside too. :) We do have one excellent , experienced poster here, Lloyd, who is the champ of composting in the frozen north. Though his operation is huge, he may have ideas about how individuals do things when everything is frozen solid.

    Also I have a link to the Far North Gardening forum . I glanced at who's there, and see familiar faces. Looks like a great group for you.

    Hang in there, you are starting in plenty of time. :)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Far North Gardening

  • 5 years ago

    If you read the articles suggested by other comments then you understand the green brown at least 36"×36"×36" pile will create heat if the moisture and materials used are mixed correctly. That heat is created by microorganisms (the good ones) at work. For garden applications that mix when cooled down and cooked aka composted then you get some action. Do yourself a big favor and look into worm farming. They make worm bins that you can keep thousands of worms in all in a compact package. Very cool. You can build one out of a tote from any big box store. The key is studying about the worm ecology. Here is a big tip for you. The worms eat the microorganisms and when they poop them out the worm poop also called vermicompost. It is the best thing you can mix into soil. The people growing marijuana use this method alot because it works. I was able to grow tomatoes twice the size and larger when I discovered microorganisms are the key. Alive soil. I want to know if anyone knows if a useful human probiotic would thrive if ingested by worms. Best wishes to you in all of your efforts to save the earth for the future. George Washington did some memorable stuff so why can't we ? Lol. Peace

    .

Sponsored
Bella Casa LLC
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars17 Reviews
The Leading Interior Design Studio in Franklin County