Guest guest Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 Master Gardeners By VAL WHITMYRE, UC Master Gardener Saturday, May 20, 2006 1:16 AM PDT http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/05/20/features/home_a nd_garden/iq_3433888.txt Microorganisms in charge Composting is all about microorganisms. We think we're in charge, making the compost happen, but it's all up to the billions and billions of microorganisms in our soil. What they do and how they do it is dependent on their food, water and oxygen. Water enables soil microorganisms to move about and digest as much organic material as possible. Being living organisms, they require oxygen to respire, just as we do, and their respiration is what produces heat in a compost pile. The heat they generate attracts other organisms, thus hastening decomposition of the pile. As these organisms work, they release carbon dioxide, which the plants use to help them grow. If microorganisms did not do their work, there would be tons of refuse all over the world and very little carbon dioxide, which means that there would be little or no plant life. The yard waste and kitchen scraps we add to a compost pile provide food for soil microorganisms. It is the composter's responsibility to learn how microorganisms operate, because this knowledge will enable the composter to solve problems. Our soil contains tiny creatures, many dormant but just waiting to be activated by oxygen. Many of them reproduce at an alarming rate; some eat each other. This process has gone on since the beginning of soil. These beneficial microorganisms include bacteria, fungi and a half- breed that is half bacteria and half fungus. One billion of these microorganisms could fit into one-quarter teaspoon. I find that astounding. The bacteria fall into three major groups. The psychro-philes like relatively cool temperatures. They work between 55F and 70F. The mesophiles prefer moderately warm temperatures. They do best between 70F and 100F. The thermophiles are heat lovers that perform between 100F and 160F. If you have trouble keeping your compost pile hot, don't worry. Microorganisms that prefer cooler temperatures will take over and go back to work. If the pile is too hot, the bacteria go into a feeding frenzy, consuming each other. The objective is to heat the pile while keeping the bacteria alive. Fungi also operate at different temperatures. The high-temperature fungi are like the cleanup crew after a parade. They digest larger particles that were left by the bacteria. The half-breed, called actinomycetes, looks like a slender, silvery ribbon in decomposing organic material. It is responsible, in part, for the sweet, woodsy smell of composted material. Soil is composed of sand, silt and clay, plus organic matter. These particles cling to each other in clusters and are responsible for capturing and retaining water so that it is available to a plant's tiny feeder roots. Air channels between the clusters provide good drainage. When decomposed material such as compost is mixed into clay, pores are opened, activating the bacteria and enabling them to work. The decomposed material also helps bind soil particles, enabling the soil to hold water. Dark, crumbly soil that includes equal parts sand, silt and clay is known as loam. Add compost to loam and you have every gardener's dream soil. When water-saturated soil is compacted due to footsteps, equipment or paving, the soil microorganisms suffer and may die, delaying decomposition. The result of composting is humus. All organic material, including us, will eventually decompose and become humus, which returns nutrients to the soil and turns dead material into food for our friends, the microorganisms. Then the process begins again. This never-ending cycle of decomposition and regeneration is the gardener's circle of life. Napa County Master Gardeners (www.mastergardeners.org) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, at the UC ative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa, 253-4221, or toll- free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on the Web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2006 Report Share Posted May 21, 2006 So we are food for those microbes loving temperatures between 70-100. I know aspergillus is a dangerous mold for humans due to fact that it grows well at body temperature. That's why I say if you can't leave aspergillus immediately, kill it and air the house out, but I know many will disagree with that. --- In , " tigerpaw2c " <tigerpaw2c@...> wrote: > > The bacteria fall into three major groups. The psychro-philes like > relatively cool temperatures. They work between 55F and 70F. The > mesophiles prefer moderately warm temperatures. They do best between > 70F and 100F. The thermophiles are heat lovers that perform between > 100F and 160F. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 What % humidity does mold need to thrive? Bobbie > > > > The bacteria fall into three major groups. The psychro-philes like > > relatively cool temperatures. They work between 55F and 70F. The > > mesophiles prefer moderately warm temperatures. They do best between > > 70F and 100F. The thermophiles are heat lovers that perform between > > 100F and 160F. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 I've heard 50% but I'd like to hear what others say here. Their offspring/spores survive low humidity though and spring to life when humidity is right. --- In , " biotoxicblues " <B.Delory@...> wrote: > > What % humidity does mold need to thrive? > > Bobbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 --I've read that some types need more than others and some need very little. also read that many produce their own moisture after getting started. my second home witch had high amounts and had been there for a long , long time caused the moisture in the home to be twice as high as outside humidity. everything was damp to touch after moveing in and mold spots quickly started growing on my belongings. my mattress, blanets in the closet and everything became damp. aspergillus and pinicillium, thrived in this home, others to but these were heaviest. my first home was roof leak and older victorian, it was more airy and leaks might of dried quicker but this home grew stachybotrys very well, and the drying and windy days helped it to become airborne and filter into the rooms from behind the walls. there were other molds there too, but stachy was the main one. - In , " biotoxicblues " <B.Delory@...> wrote: > > What % humidity does mold need to thrive? > > Bobbie > > > > > > > The bacteria fall into three major groups. The psychro-philes like > > > relatively cool temperatures. They work between 55F and 70F. The > > > mesophiles prefer moderately warm temperatures. They do best between > > > 70F and 100F. The thermophiles are heat lovers that perform between > > > 100F and 160F. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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