What is Compost Activator?

There are two kinds of compost activators that you can use to encourage anaerobic activity in your compost bin. The first kind of activators are courtesy of mother nature and are simply those wriggly blind creatures known as compost worms. You can steal compost worms from your neighbor’s compost or you can inquire if they have them for sale at your local nursery. You can also buy compost worms online from gardeners and nurseries that specialize in providing them as compost activators.

If compost worms aren’t the answer then you can buy a chemical compost activator that can help jumpstart the composting process. Brands such as Effective Microrganisms help keep a healthy bacteria balance within the compost heap so that it breaks down into soil properly. Most of these types of products are simply food to help give aerobic microorganism a chance to thrive.

Yet another additive that a lot of people add to their compost heaps is lime. A sprinkling of agricultural lime is especially effective at breaking down compost heaps that seem reluctant to disintegrate. The reason lime works as a compost activator is that it curbs the excess acidity that can often help to preserve waste matter.

There are some things that are in the category of compost activators that also serve well as nutritional elements for fertilizer that is created in a composting bin. For instance, seaweed powder or meal can provide a ready source of trace elements to nourish plants. Finely pulverized rock, also known as rock dust or rock flour can also be used as both a compost activator and also as a mineral supplement.