Curing Compost

An antidote for thermal processing

by Bob Shaffer
C
omposts are unique, highly
variable materials whose qual-
ity is ultimately determined by
our management of environmental im-
pacts during development, feedstocks
and their derivation, management of the
process, curing and the suitability of the
finished compost for the intended end
use on farms.
Curing compost intends to elevate
compost quality by management of the
pile environment, resulting in a larger,
more diverse and healthy population
of compost microorganisms capable of
reducing phytotoxicity and elevating hu-
mus levels in the soil.
Curing compost sounds natural and
delicious. Its intention is honorable and
simple and there are many options to
suit all needs within the boundary of the
basic curing technique in order to in-
crease the benefit derived from compost.
But does curing, or maximizing of cur-
ing technologies ultimately lead to the
highest quality compost for a farmer’s
use? And, why build compost that needs
a “cure” in the first place?
Not all processes used to make com-
post result in compost that requires
curing. The need to cure is closely as-
sociated with organic matter process-
ing that creates sterilizing temperatures
and, generally, creates finished compost
that is stable enough to ensure safe use
without specific measures to cure the
instability and improve the resulting
compost quality.
By a greater understanding of the
nature of compost and compost cur-
ing, more effective curing may be pos-
sible. What is the symptom expressed
in compost that needs to be cured? Is
the compost at fault for its sickness, its
The symptoms of diverse, high-quality feedstock that is composted with an appropriate
symptoms, or is it the processing that
well-managed system is a compost containing 50 percent humus — which is only pro-
duced by microorganisms. creates the problem?

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 These questions arise from holis- and how the feedstock is processed. The It is the very nature of compost’s
tic philosophy, which aspires to work feedstock needs to provide diverse, high- dynamic state that gives it the ability
with the cycles of nature in order to quality microorganism food in adequate to yield energy, provide nutrition and
be preventative and asks the question volumes for the short-term and long- act synergistically with all components
“why” to determine the underlying de- term in order for a high-quality compost of the soil in order to develop healthy
sign weaknesses that cause production to be produced. The feedstock also needs disease-resistant soil and crops that ex-
problems in preference to reactive, top- to have physical shape, size and ratios press resistance and tolerance to pests.
down treatments or rescue remedies to that allow atmosphere and water to re- Besides, compost is only one component
treat symptoms. Limiting factors only main in balance in the pile. of successful management systems.
represent symptoms of a more systemic The compost process is biological
disease inherent to imbalances within and produces ammonia, carbon dioxide, Compost quality
the composting ecosystem. heat, a little water vapor and humus. As Assessment of compost quality should
The viewpoint that feedstock organ- farmers, we would like the nitrogen and include the ecological effects of compost
ic matter contains certain animals that carbon retained as much as possible, and processes, the compost itself and its ef-
need our specific management overlooks we want the humus. Compost makes hu- fects when applied to soil. Both the pro-
the natural means by which pathogens mus because the same animals that make cess design and how the process is man-
are limited in healthy compost environ- humus in the soil are in your compost. aged will determine the degree to which
ments. There is no animal in nature Compost can be understood as a the compost process prevents damage,
that needs to be killed by a compost process, as much as an end product. prevents pollution and supports diversity

Compost quality is only as high as prevention of pollution is Covers will prevent soaking rains from leaching compost and
successful. Here wood chip biofilters and leachate collection creating anaerobic conditions from too much water. They also must
channels in a concrete composting pad. be removed to prevent anaerobic conditions from too little air.

technician in order to build safe, high- Compost is alive in a dynamic state of and life on the farm. Compost process-
quality compost. Nature knows how to change. Be cautious when you decide ing that has the capacity to retain more
manage the pathogens, and if compost to attach the label “compost” because nitrogen, carbon and organic matter is
is processed with this in mind there will it will very likely change into another higher quality than systems that have
be little if any need to be concerned with state of being as soon as you decide you greater losses of valuable materials and,
curing anything as there will be no inad- know what it is. Farmers don’t need to therefore, the potential to pollute.
equacy to be cured. be overly concerned about the non-ho- The compost itself needs to be of high
mogenous nature of compost. We don’t quality in order to make a significant
The nature of Compost need, or want, compost to be exactly the contribution to soil health. Composts can
Compost is organic matter that has same each time. A farmer needs to make be highly variable when compared with
been aerobically decomposed by micro- observations, become closer to nature each other but still be of very high quality
organisms. Compost is a high-quality, and eat the food grown from compos- depending on the farmer’s needs. Ironi-
stable form of nitrogen and carbon ap- ted soil while discussing compost with cally, it is the diversity in high-quality
plied as an amendment to farm soils. neighbors in order to learn how to be compost that may be its greatest value.
Composting has predictable stages of preventative and more skilled at com- There is no other material, for appli-
decomposition intimately associated post management. cation to soil or crops, with close to the
with the characteristics of the feedstock diversity of nutritional materials found

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in compost such as microbe-produced tem with cover crops, mulches, minerals labor, and fuel. At least for this reason,
secondary metabolites. and skillful tillage in order to be of the feedstock is limited on most farms, and
The secondary metabolites in com- greatest benefit to soil health and crop the need to effectively compost the pre-
post are also found in soils because the quality. cious organic matter is critical. We need
organisms producing the secondary me- small amounts of high-quality compost
tabolites are the same organisms in soil High value made from local recycling more than we
and compost. So when compost loaded Compost has much greater value than need large volumes of compost produced
with microbial secondary metabolites is the mere sum of its parts as a farm- from materials hauled long distances, for
applied to soil, the soil recognizes these produced soil amendment. Compost is pre-processing and then again for trans-
medicinal materials and uses them as of broader value than the biological portion to farms.
needed. Offer the soil diversity and let or chemical analysis typically employed It may seem like there are large vol-
the soil organisms choose what they to judge compost quality can possibly umes of organic matter available for
want to consume to elevate their diver- measure. You can’t manage it unless you composting but that is only partially
sity, biomass, and health. measure it, but one needs to measure all true, site-specific and changing rapidly.
Design diversity into your soil- of it, not just the end product, as com- Some farming regions have access to
feeding programs and avoid the tempta- post is a process as much as it is an end large volumes of high-quality organic
tion to dictate what the soil needs. Feed product. matter available to compost for applica-

Particle size and aggregation degree will affect curing rates by Small piles are used during curing to allow better air and water
creating porosity and air in the pile. relations.

the microbes a wide diversity of high- Composting is one of the best ways tion to land. But there is increasing com-
quality organic materials, grow a diver- on a farm to recycle organic matter with petition for organic matter for uses other
sity of plants, mineralize your soil and let the greatest end-use value. Recycling is than composting such as energy genera-
the soil animals have free choice. a key construct for holistic farming that tion and livestock feed, which reduce the
Compost needs to have character- results in a healthy ecosystem, healthy amount available for composting. Even
istics that match with the purpose for farms and additionally grows quality with the tremendous increase in use of
which the compost is being used. Com- food with the capacity to support greater compost in the last 10 years, there still is
post needs to be at the state of maturity, nutritional health for consumers. only a small percentage of farming land
stability and humus and with the sets Recycling, associated with a well de- that is currently composted. The vol-
of organisms that have the capacity to signed and skillfully managed compost- ume of organic matter required to pro-
match expectations of use. ing process, can produce a high-quality vide adequate compost feedstock for 100
Still, a farmer needs to manage the soil amendment and additionally pre- acres of farmland is available in some re-
rate of application, timing, placement vents the organic matter that is recycled gions at this time. But, when farms that
and frequency of use regardless of com- from being disposed of in landfills where total tens of thousands of acres begin to
post quality, in order to elevate soil it produces methane and other air pollut- experience the benefits of compost, there
health, prevent pollution by nitrates or ants. Logically, compost feedstock needs will be a great need to make high-quality
phosphates and prevent mineral excesses to be produced on-site or very nearby compost that is effective at low rates.
in the soil. Compost needs to be used in order to manage excessive costs as- As farmland becomes less healthy,
within a holistic farm management sys- sociated with transportation equipment, less fertile, and under the associated

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economic stress, compost will be sought the need to cure the pile at the end of the of composting activity picked up. Sci-
after as a cure. But the cure will need to high temperature cycle. entific study of compost became more
be holistic in nature, site-specific and Curing follows the active high tem- sophisticated and the potential for com-
based on using small amounts of highly perature cycle in composting, and begins, post to benefit not only agriculture but
active compost used to grow large vol- roughly, once microbial metabolism in also the environment became evident.
umes of polycultures of grasses, legumes the pile is not producing sterilizing heat,
and forbs. The large volumes of organic and the pile once again becomes a favor- Benefits of curing
matter required to maintain soil health is able environment for beneficial compost Why cure?
most economically, simply, and effective- life forms. When curing is done, the The need to establish a healthy di-
ly derived from cover crops, alley crops, compost should be stable, or at least versity of life forms back into compost
hedgerows, windrows and insectories. more stable than before. However, there that is biologically limited by high heat
One of the highest values of compost, still remains the question of why com- from thermal compost processing is a
as a soil amendment, is to increase the post processes that damage the very good reason to use a curing technique.
biomass of cover crops. The cover crop essence of compost — the biology — The primary benefit of curing is to lower
is the most effective, low cost, simple resulting in the need for a cure should the phytotoxicity, improve the pH, lower
means by which to increase soil humus be used to produce compost. Agriculture the C/N ratio, and remove any phyto-
levels and elevate soil health. The roots has experienced, and reflects clearly, the toxic materials in low stability composts
of cover crops deposit organic matter problems associated with degradation after thermal processing. The primary
very deeply into soil, and the roots of of habitat and associated reduction of phytotoxic materials are usually volatile
plants are the very type of organic mat- beneficial animals, ironically resulting in organic acids from partially decomposed
ter that is decomposed into humus on more crop damage and not less, in the plant-based feedstocks. The phytotoxic
a greater percentage than any other. By war against pests. A better strategy to materials are not fully decomposed and
using compost to grow larger cover crop prevent damage from pests is to diversify can be present in the pile at volumes that
biomass, a greater benefit is derived than the agroecosystem which will increase could damage plant roots because of
would be possible by either compost or antagonism against pests, increase pre- life-limiting environmental conditions
cover crops individually. dation by beneficial animals and simul- found in the pile, where during thermal
taneously elevate crop resistance and processing the oxygen level was low for
Compost curing tolerance to pests. long periods of time or the pile was too
Curing compost is a technique in- Building compost is similar in that wet.
tended to improve the quality of ther- limiting the pathogens is best left to
mally processed finished compost. natural cycles of prey and predators by Elevating quality
Curing compost means to condition understanding how to create compost If skillfully managed, the thermal
it, to make it fit for use, and to make the pile environments that increase the de- compost curing technique will lower or
compost safe and beneficial for use as gree of antagonism against pathogens eliminate phytotoxicity. Curing can also
intended. The fundamental mechanics and increase the beneficial life forms. increase humus level, improve aggrega-
of curing simply involves maintaining tion and elevate the diversity, density
the pile in a high-quality environmental History of curing and health of the living compost pile
condition under which compost mi- The term “curing,” applied to com- biomass. Curing also increases the com-
crobes can have maximum growth and post, can be found in the 16th cen- plexion of minerals, humus and clay, if
functionality. Curing is, very certainly, tury referring to organic matter that was present, which are highly desirable forms
an aerobic biological process. “cured” in pits. The anaerobic, fermen- of minerals that are available as nutrition
Good environmental conditions in tative decomposition of organic matter by plant roots, yet water insoluble when
the pile are essential in order to elevate in pits did not make compost then nor compost is applied to soil. ­­­­­­­­­­­­
the diversity, biomass, and health of do primarily anaerobic processes make A farmer can add inoculums to the
the microorganisms whose functions in- compost now. compost, at the beginning of curing, in
clude the ability to remove toxic break- During much of farming history an effort to diversify the genus and spe-
down products left over in the finished compost had been cured, but the mean- cies of beneficial organisms that may
thermal compost, due to incomplete ing changed in the modern era to mean a colonize the pile, to a significant degree,
decomposition of plant organic matter technique for fixing something that was during curing. Farm-derived inoculums
during compost processing. missing in place of meaning to bring life, can range from healthy soils to highly
Curing is nearly exclusively associated energy and power to sustain the earth active mature fungal compost such as
with thermal compost processing which and crops to the compost from start to hardwood bark compost. Good inocu-
subjects the feedstock organic matter to finish. lums for introducing into curing can
high heat in order to sterilize pathogens During the quantum rise in the num- come from natural forests, ponds, aban-
present in feedstock. It is damage to ben- ber of people beginning to investigate doned bird nests, decomposing wood,
eficial organism’s functions, during ther- health, soil, food quality, and farming and many other rich natural biologically
mal pathogen reduction, which results in practices during the mid-1900s the pace active substances. Other food sources

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both mineral and organic can be intro- pile, even after many mechanical turn- diverse means by which animals and
duced along with biological inoculums ings. Hopefully, if the pile is in a good plants develop new forms of life able to
as support for the compost soil food web spot, there is constant visitation by birds, live in the pile.
activities. microarthropods, insects, bugs, worms
Of course the post-thermal com- and other life forms, which bring inocu- Management
post can only be as good as its starting lums to the pile. Curing occurs after peak heat when
feedstock and the craftsmanship under Bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and pro- the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is at or be-
which it was processed. Compost devel- tozoa are on or close to the pile if the low 1:20. When active, composting slows
oped thermally from diverse feedstock pile is located in a natural environment down the readily available food sources
will have a greater potential to improve with a diversity of plants in the immedi- for bacteria and fungi, which lowers
from curing. This is because the food ate area. Microscopic compost animals the microbes’ metabolism resulting in
quality of the compost will be greater can also come from the outer crust of lower temperatures in piles with aver-
and support larger, more diverse and the pile where possibly there are certain age moisture. There is also low oxygen
healthier populations of aerobic benefi-
cial organisms.
If the compost process is not too hot,
and does not produce sterilizing ranges
of heat of 135 F or greater, then ben-
eficial organisms present in the pile will
not be significantly limited due to heat.
Lower temperatures; in the range of 90 F
to 120 F encourage reproduction of life
in the pile, instead of stopping reproduc-
tion and killing microbes.
Maybe we can compost effectively,
simply and economically in a manner that
eliminates the need for curing and also
produces a superior quality of compost.

Techniques
of curing compost
Environment
The environment in the pile needs to
favor life in the pile in order for curing
to be beneficial in nature. A composter’s
job is to make a healthy environment for
bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and
all animals in or on the pile. It is impor-
tant to provide protection from extremes
such as direct sunlight, or soaking rain,
temperatures in the moderate, 80 F to 120
Minerals can be added to the compost pile as food sources and to improve the quality of
F range, and adequate moisture main-
minerals prior to field application.
tenance of about 45-60 percent aerobic
status in the pore spaces with 10 percent
oxygen. Once the compost pile environ- percentages of materials not exposed demand by the compost microflora and
mental components such as site location, long enough to high temperature or high stabilized compost can progressively be
pile shape, moisture, temperature and enough temperature and contain viable turned infrequently or not turned at all.
air are managed there is only one other propagation cells. Curing is the final stage of a thermal
thing we need to re-colonize the pile. Natural environments will have a compost process. During curing the rate
Life. Thermal processed compost can be great diversity and population of micro of decomposition is slowed, but still oc-
re-colonized from a number of different and macro-sized animals which can be curring, and stabilization is still under
sources of inoculums and means. moved to the pile by their own locomo- way. Humification of organic matter is
Some organisms survive the heat tion, by wind, rain, birds at least. If a under way, and when curing is finished
of thermal processing by their ability healthy environment is maintained, the there are maximum humus levels in the
to change into resistant forms such as compost that has been sterilized will be compost. Pile size should remain small
endospores. Some organisms just hap- re-colonized by organisms that survived enough to absolutely maintain baneful
pened to be in the cooler crust of the the processing and by nature providing heat and oxygen levels.

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Location specific locations, tasks, labor and expe- other volatile organic compounds that
Curing can take place in the same rience all have costs that require proper are pollutants.
space used during processing. However, management and time. These costs can The idea that higher quality can be
if the opportunity exists, choose sites be accounted for and are typically con- had from a process that does not have
in which to compost or cure that have sidered acceptable. Compared with com- the capacity to produce the highest qual-
a healthy diversity of plant life. There is posting that does not reach sterilizing ity in the first place by improvements of
greater potential for beneficial introduc- temperatures for significant periods of efficiency in the process or simple modi-
tions into the compost in agroecosys- time, thermally produced compost takes fications is likely to fail. Higher function
tems with high degree of plant diversity. less time. Thermally produced compost and quality compost will come from the
takes more resources, energy, equipment, creativity of farmers and their observa-
Duration and labor and loses more carbon and ni- tions of nature and by composters who
The time required to have the material trogen than non-thermal processing of design new systems — not by improve-
right for the intended purpose is what is organic matter into compost. ments on existing systems with inherent
important and is not a predetermined or
standard period of time. The composts’
parent feedstock quality, the manner and
the degree of stability of the decompos-
ing organic matter when curing begins, 160 A=mesophilic
will influence the time required for cur-
ing to stabilize the compost. Curing time 140 B=thermophilic
Temperature F

can range from 21 days to many months. 120 C=mesophilic

Many authors recommend at least a
100 D=maturation
month but do not qualify the stability of
compost that they start with or what the 90
end use of the compost will be. Bioassay
70
performed by sprouting seeds such as
barley, cucumber, radish, watercress or Active Phase Curing Phase
50
wheat can help you to predict the success A B C D
of your compost curing.
Time
Challenges
Curing is an art requiring skill-build- Temperature changes in an average compost.
ing and consistent management. How-
ever, managing for high-quality compost
requires much of the same attitude seen Curing compost takes on the criti- limited capacity. Improving the efficien-
in successful farmers, and with the right cal task of developing a diverse, large, cy of existing systems rarely results in
attitude, skill-building is enjoyable. Cur- healthy population of organisms from a significant or long-lasting improvement
ing is not particularly well researched semi-sterile condition. Curing attempts to the end product.
and has variable non-standardized pro- to do in a short time that which takes
cedures and end points. The curing pro- other composting techniques much Bob Shaffer is a life-long farmer, composter
and agronomist for Soil Culture Consulting,
cedure must be managed well or the longer to successfully develop, which which exists to assist farms in temperate and
characteristics needed in the compost is maturity and the characteristics to tropical farming systems in their transition to
for the farm’s best end use will not be be disease suppressive when applied to preventative cultural practices, and to thrive.
Shaffer teaches holistic organic agronomy, soil
obtained or diminished. It is harder to plant roots.
science and composting to farm interns in
measure maturity, than it is to measure It is implied by the need to cure that Sonoma County, California, and is a frequent
stability. Maturity is a passing state and the compost process did not provide the contributor at educational workshops nation-
compost can become too mature and degree of beneficial habitat, food or wa- ally. Soil Culture Consulting has Shaffer working
with farmers in a high diversity of environments
lose its desired function or have dimin- ter for the sets of organisms that create growing aquatic plants such as azolla, coffee,
ished functions in general. the highest-quality compost to establish flowers, native grasses, native plants of use in
The only practical means by which to sufficient biomass. insectories, greenhouse crops, herbs, legumes
lower phytotoxicity, balance the carbon Most compost that needs to be cured of every type, medicinal crops, dozens of tree
fruits, nursery crops, nut trees like almond,
to nitrogen ratio and create more hu- was thermally processed by frequent macadamias and walnuts, root crops includ-
mus in thermal compost processes is to turning and good maintenance of water ing taro and turnips, seed crops, spices, tea,
elevate the compost food-web function- and air. Under these conditions, it is trees, hundreds of vegetables and wine. Shaffer
ality in the pile by assisting the re-colo- very easy to lose significant nitrogen and will be presenting at the 2010 Acres U.S.A.
Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
nization of organisms by environment carbon to the atmosphere in addition to
improvement and inoculations. Having

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