What Do I Do At the Beginning of the Season?
Follow These Instructions:
Empty...
any compost that had been left in the finishing drawer, and use the
rake to clean out the evaporation chamber, paying special attention to the
back two corners of the unit (or left hand side if it is a Centrex family
unit).
Why?
- Your fertilizer is ready
- This is a good time to remove peat debris from the evaporation chamber.
Remove...
additional drawers of compost (if there is more than 6 to 8 inches
of compost in the drum). This is done by releasing the drum lock, and rotating
the drum opposite from the usual direction (turn handle counter-clockwise)
to extract compost into the drawer.
Since it will have been sitting over the winter and decomposing in the fall
and spring, it will be finished and may be removed immediately, without any
extra time needed to finish the compost in the drawer. Several drawers may
be removed in this fashion if necessary.
Be sure to leave 6-8 inches of compost in the bottom of the drum to start
off the season with a "starter batch" of compost.
Why?
- Frees space in the drum for the new season's composting.
Add...
1/2 gallon of warm water.
Why?
As an option for optimal composting:
Add SUN-MAR "Microbe Mix" or unsterilized black earth from a garden
center. We do not recommend using topsoil as it may contain fly larvae, and
may not contain all of the bacterium required.
SUN-MAR "Compost Quick" enzyme can also be used as a compost accelerant.
- Even though the compost still has microbes in it, you may want to start
the year by replenishing microbes.
- Compost Quick helps to accelerate the action of the microbes
