Great work, that's some seriously balanced compost there. As I read it I knew it would heat up no problem.

Are you sure adding urea to diminishing temp piles will reheat them? I've always areated and added new balanced compostables with water to get a new hot action going.

I'm curious about your experience with that.

Thanks!

IME urea is a shortcut. It'll work, and that's how most municipal compost ops do it, but cheaper is forgoing the urea and adding mass does the same thing, altho a day or two slower. I took a muni compost pile for a client one year and the ammonium/urea wasn't all gone and some of the plants liked it, others didn't, so on a personal level I don't do it any more.

As to the 'balanced' aspect, I wish we didn't live in a suburb that had almost nobody who gardens, as I'd like to go in on a community chipper. As it stands, I may do the lawnmower as chipper and take the blade off and sharpen...

Dan

Sinfonian, yes it will, using urea is just like using greens but you have to use it sparingly. A little goes a long way and it will not hurt the micros or the worms if used properly. You also have to aerate though. I will rebuild my pile in 4" - 6" layers of shredded material; add the urea (about one or two pellets per sq in) and some water. I will only use the urea if I do not have enough greens or fresh HM.

Dan, my first chipper was a large stump and a machete. I would use them today if I could have all those years back also. ;o)

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal