Mold in the compost bin??

[Binkalette]

I recently added a whole bunch of grass clippings to my compost bin, mixed with some saw dust, pine needles, egg shells/cartons and some towel roll centers. A few days go by, and the pile has shrunk, and started to grow some sort of white mold inside. I've been stirring it up and you can see a powdery dust go off into the air when you do. Is this something that needs to be addressed?? Thanks!

[The Helpful Gardener]

A common mold on grass clippings, Aspergillus is a reguar in my compost heap and is the most common decomposer I see on clippings. While not terribly pathogenic, neither is it healthy for humans and should be aired out with regular turning... as it is a very common fungal spore, we can deal with smaller amounts without incident, but significant inhalation is not recommended and in one bizarre case in England, turned deadly when for some reasson someone left a bag of clippings tied up all winter, and in spring cracked the bag and actually inhaled deeply on purpose. His resultant case of aspergilliosis was so rampant it did him in!

I, on the other hand have been seeing this in my pile for years, simply wait for the spores to clear when I see them puff up, and have no resulting issues to report. IMO it is like water, harmless until inhaled in an overwhelming quantity...

HG

[Binkalette]

Thanks! I will keep turning it as I have been. I've been avoiding the puffs of dust too, I figured they couldn't be good for one's health.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Aspergilliosis only tends to infect those with immuno-suppresive diseases or existing lung issues, but I agree with your cautions...

HG