Miracle-Gro C170MG - Troubleshooting and Tips; Troubleshooting Common Issues; Critical Quantity for Composting; Compost Completion and Batching

6
EN
TROUBLESHOOTING
SYMPTOM
PROBLEM(S)
SOLUTION(S)
Odour
Too much nitrogen
Mix in “brown” material and rotate tumbler
Too much moisture
Lack of oxygen
The Mixture Does Not Heat
Up
Lack of nitrogen
Mix in “brown” material and rotate tumbler
Lack of oxygen
Rotate tumbler
Lack of humidity
Humidify mix
Too much humidity
Mix in “brown” material and rotate tumbler
Particle size is too
large
Cut or grind materials
Attracts Animals Or Pests
Mixture contains
bones, meat, or fatty
foods, or animal
manure
AVOID ADDING THESE MATERIALS TO THE
MIXTURE.
(See AVOID ADDING THESE MATERIALS TO
THE MIXTURE)
SOME TIPS AND TRICKS
Critical Quantity – To make your composting process more efficient, a critical quantity is required in
order to generate a heat core. You should start with a minimum of 1 cubic foot (28 liter/7.5 Gallon) of
ingredients, But of course, the more the better. The Tumbling Composter can hold about 6.5 cubic feet
(182 liter/48.5 Gallon).
A pr operly combined mixture will r each a w orking t emper a ture of about 140 ° F ( 60 ° C) in about fiv e da y s.
At this time, the mixture will be “settling”. This is a good sign that the mixture is decomposing as it should.
NOTE: Once the mixture gets to proper size, do not add anymore raw ingredients to the working
compost, but rather start a new batch with new ingredients. If you add more ingredients, it will restart
the mixture from the beginning. This is why we suggest operating at least a couple of tumblers.
When Is The Process Completed? - The compost is ready when the original ingredients have turned into a
uniform, dark brown, crumbly product with a pleasant, earthy aroma. Dump the compost out of the
tumbler, leaving a little bit inside as starter microbes for your next batch.