Composting Process
What is in vessel composting?
In vessel composting is a process of controlled biological decomposition of biodegradable materials under managed conditions. Conditions within the composting rows are controlled by various means to ensure there is sufficient air, moisture and high temperatures within each row such that, over time, this results in compost that will have beneficial effects when added to soil that support plants.
High temperatures and moist conditions sustained during managed composting processes ensure that weed seeds and plant, human and animal pathogens are destroyed. The compost will be stable such that plant pathogens cannot become re-established again after mixing with the soil.
This is because the readily biodegradable materials will have been transformed into the building blocks that become soil humus and also because a multitude of beneficial microorganisms are present that can out-compete the plant pathogens.
New Earth Compost:
New Earth Solutions produce quality compost at 3 in vessel production facilities located across the South East and West of the UK. We use innovative composting systems to process organic waste streams derived from both the domestic and commercial sector.
In vessel composting provides a controlled environment to process organic waste to produce quality nutrient rich compost. Composting is a vital tool in the management of Biodegradable Municipal Waste.
Benefits to your crops
Compost Nutrient Content:
Compost provides a range of benefits to soil and plants:
Compost contains plant nutrients and organic matter. These ingredients have beneficial effects on the following crop when applied to the soil. Compost contains slow release nitrogen, phosphate and sulphur.
It contains readily available potash that can provide all the crop’s needs plus smaller but useful amounts of magnesium, calcium and trace elements. Compost has a small neutralising value and is about 10% as effective as limestone, tonne for tonne of dry matter. Compost can therefore stabilise soil pH and reduce the acidifying effects of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers.
The organic matter in compost provides several key benefits:
- Improved soil aggregation and structure;
- Improved water infiltration and water holding capacity;
- Increased soil cation exchange capacity in light soils;
- Reduced leaching of nutrients.
Compost also contains beneficial microorganisms. These are able to contribute to a healthy soil in terms of improved nutrient cycling and disease suppression.
Please click here to download case studies on ‘Spreading the Compost‘ and ‘Compost us in agriculture‘