Troubleshooting

Your
Compost Pile
Symptom Possible Causes Prescription
Rotten or sulfurous < Too many food scraps; or “lumping” food < Eliminate food scraps (put them in a worm bin). Or,
odor wastes. mix food wastes evenly throughout the pile. Add
< Too wet. coarser material to keep moist food scraps more
< Too many grass clippings in a mass. aerobic.
< Material shredded into particles which are < Turn pile while adding some dry, high-carbon
too small. material such as leaves or chipped wood. The odor
< Anaerobic conditions (no oxygen). will eventually correct itself as the pile drives off
excess nitrogen. Cover the bin during rainy spells.
< Mix grass clippings with coarser and drier high-
carbon material.
< Turn pile while adding material of different sizes and
coarseness. Layer pile with plenty of loose, bulky
material.
< Tear pile apart, diagnose problems and rebuild a loose
pile with many types of materials.
Ammonia smell, < Too many grass clippings in one mass, or < All symptoms of too much nitrogen. If the pile is left
mostly when turning layered too thickly. alone, it sometimes corrects itself by volatilizing
pile < Too much manure; too many kitchen nitrogen. Leave alone. Or, turn the pile while tearing
scraps. apart any matted lumps of high-nitrogen material
< Anaerobic conditions (no oxygen). (adding coarser, high-carbon compostables) and
rebuild into loose, aerated layers.
< Often caused by one of the following: Material is the
same size; material pieces are too small; pile is too
moist. Rebuild using the guidelines mentioned above.
< Turning the pile helps circulate oxygen.
Pile has low < Pile has finished composting. Not a < Congratulations, you are a certified compost maker.
temperature problem, time to use the material. < The formula for hot compost recommends a pile built
< Pile too small. with at least 27 cubic feet (3'x3'x3'–a cubic yard) of
< Too much high-carbon material. material.
< Too dry or too wet. < Rebuild pile, adding nitrogen–manure, grass
< Material too coarse or too fine. clippings, kitchen scraps or fresh garden wastes.
< Not enough nitrogen. < If too moist, the pile will have an odor. Rebuild and
add dry carbonaceous material. Cover when raining.
A dry pile has no odor. Rebuild pile while wetting
the raw material. A cover may help retain moisture.
< Too much coarse material can make a dry pile; too
fine can make an anaerobic pile. Use different-sized
materials. Rebuild pile with a heterogeneous mix.
Pile too hot < Temperatures above 160oF can kill < The hot pile will kill some of the bacteria and the
beneficial microbes. Temperatures above temperature will drop, then a few remaining microbes
180oF will sterilize the pile’s core. will re-inoculate the pile. Turning the pile will help
< Too much nitrogen. cool it.
< Turn pile while incorporating more carbonaceous
material.
 Symptom Possible Causes Prescription
Pile bursts into < Needs more frequent turning. < The pile must be too dry. It rarely bursts into flames,
flames < Pile is too dry. but can smolder.
< While lots of nitrogen is needed to generate heat, the
pile’s upper layers must be very dry to combust.
< Scatter – extinguish fire – allow to cool and rebuild
the pile.
< Turn the pile more often.
White moldy/fungal < Not really an illness; most likely the < If you want a high temperature pile, adjust the carbon-
growth filament of beneficial fungi as they help to-nitrogen ratio, check the moisture level and turn the
digest compostables. While there are pile.
fungi which thrive at all temperature < A dry condition often favors fungi. Either way, adjust
levels, fungal growth is usually noticed moisture by rebuilding the pile while adding either
when the pile is in a mesophilic condition water or dry material (depending on the condition).
(cooler than hot compost, but not a cold
process).
< Too wet or too dry.
Nothing rots < Not enough moisture. < Rebuild the pile while misting material.
< Material too woody or not enough < Shred any woody material which is too chunky; or
nitrogen. mix in more nitrogen-filled material (such as fresh
< Not enough available carbon. lawn clippings).
< Pile too small. < Shredding “waxy,” hard leaves helps aerobic bacteria.
< Save raw materials until you can build a 3' x 3' x3'
pile.
Flies and insects in < Too much food waste. < Reserve the kitchen scraps for your worm bin or add
and around pile them only to the pile’s middle. If this does not solve
the problem, stop mixing vegetable waste with fruits
and edible parts.
Mice and rats in pile < Food wastes. < First try adding the kitchen scraps to the middle of the
hot pile. If that doesn’t work, try eliminating all meat,
dairy and fish scraps and all salad and cooking oils.
Or, eliminate all kitchen wastes and use them in a
worm bin. Some bins are sold with tightly fitting,
plastic bottoms and lids to help exclude rodents.

Visit our website: www.lsuagcenter.com

Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, William B. Richardson, Chancellor

Pub. 2517 (2M) 1/03 Rep.