hmmm good point, I should have said something like "you need all the players present", instead of poo-pooing bacteria/archea. They are by far the greatest biomass of any ecosystem I can think of. Without them nothing happens.
Didn't know about those bacteria you mentioned. I only learned that mineralization of N locked in bacteria (yeah, there is more to life, I know) happens through predation. I just assumed that's how everything else moved around that didn't involve fungi. I am not surprised to learn there is more to it than that. I seem to learn that a lot. And I like it that way!
Luckily, we are going to read "teaming with microbes" together and discussing the topics, and learning a compost load. AK, that would probably be right up your alley and give you a great base to start your new microbial journey. I pre-ordered on Amazon.
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The Helpful Gardener
- Mod
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- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
- Location: Colchester, CT
As did I, toil. Lookinfg forward to the discussion... 
Toil, you teach me things; I teach you things. Together we learn. Bacteria does things, fungus does things; together they make soil. Nature operates best in small cycles that build into bigger loops, with each circle forming the links of a greater chain, to connect and loop into still greater chains.
May it ever be so. May AK always have compost and hadedas to back her up, and may we all someday recognize the great chain our little loops of family, town, and country are part of. We are greater as a whole than as parts, whether we talk compost, ecosystems or humanity...
HG
Toil, you teach me things; I teach you things. Together we learn. Bacteria does things, fungus does things; together they make soil. Nature operates best in small cycles that build into bigger loops, with each circle forming the links of a greater chain, to connect and loop into still greater chains.
May it ever be so. May AK always have compost and hadedas to back her up, and may we all someday recognize the great chain our little loops of family, town, and country are part of. We are greater as a whole than as parts, whether we talk compost, ecosystems or humanity...
HG
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yup... when I first read that there are teeny-tiny mites that live in the follicles of your eyelashes, I wanted to tear my eyelashes out! Creepy! but it is the way of the world. If there is habitat, there are creatures that live in it, whether 20,000 leagues under the sea or in volcano vents or eyelash follicles or whatever.The Helpful Gardener wrote: And I hear you on the symbiotic thing; we are each a walking farm for biological entities. I think if most people knew the extent that they are populated by bacteria, fungii, mites, and such, they would likely boil themselves.
HG
Thanks for the fascinating discussion!
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rot
- Greener Thumb
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- Location: Ventura County, CA, Sunset 23
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aquakitty
Call me whacky but I think all the bugs are a good sign. The only thing worse than no bugs would be a bunch of dead bugs. Bugs in the bin means it's living and that's what your bio-remediation or compost bin should be all about.
Brush up on some good solid easy to follow basics on composting:
https://www.compostinfo.com/
That site is in Florida which, at least in latitude, isn't too far removed from where you are. East of the Kalahari and the confluence of the Atlantic and the Indian oceans a bit farther south. I'm sure there are some curious twists of climate all over the place where you are.
Whether you are prepared to dump and start all over or ready to try and feed some maybe dry woody stuff in there, it's not a major disaster. You could just let it sit and after a while, maybe a long while, you'll have something to add to the garden. Next time will be better.
How big is the bin? What exactly to you throw in there and how much? How much water went into the equation. Does it look very wet? Does it smell like a sewer? How long have things been cooking? You'll need to provide more data for more help. Is the climate dry or wet?
Happy summer
to sense
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aquakitty
Call me whacky but I think all the bugs are a good sign. The only thing worse than no bugs would be a bunch of dead bugs. Bugs in the bin means it's living and that's what your bio-remediation or compost bin should be all about.
Brush up on some good solid easy to follow basics on composting:
https://www.compostinfo.com/
That site is in Florida which, at least in latitude, isn't too far removed from where you are. East of the Kalahari and the confluence of the Atlantic and the Indian oceans a bit farther south. I'm sure there are some curious twists of climate all over the place where you are.
Whether you are prepared to dump and start all over or ready to try and feed some maybe dry woody stuff in there, it's not a major disaster. You could just let it sit and after a while, maybe a long while, you'll have something to add to the garden. Next time will be better.
How big is the bin? What exactly to you throw in there and how much? How much water went into the equation. Does it look very wet? Does it smell like a sewer? How long have things been cooking? You'll need to provide more data for more help. Is the climate dry or wet?
Happy summer
to sense
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