Composting - Knowledgebase Question - Garden.org

Garden Planning

Honolulu, Ha

Question by maristewart8
September 6, 2010

I have a tumbler composter, it collects so many fruit flies. Is that ok, can I spray it with insecticide inside. I also tend to have more household waste than dried leaves etc, will this effect my compost, and how long will it take before I can use it. many thanks

Answer from NGA
September 6, 2010

0	Fruit flies feed and breed in decomposing organic matter so what you are describing is reasonably normal. However, it indicates your compost is too moist and it is not as hot as it could be. It's important to have a balance of green and brown materials (nitrogen and carbon) and if your compost is mostly green, it will not heat up and decompose quickly. If you have no shredded leaves to add to your compost you can use shredded newspaper or cardboard instead. The compost should be about as damp as a wrung out sponge. If it is wetter than that add some newspaper or cardboard to help dry it out a bit. Turning the compost will help it heat up and the hotter it gets, the faster it will decompose. Hope this information helps you get your compost back on the right track.

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