|
Post by desertwoman on May 14, 2015 13:47:15 GMT -5
I will sporadically get some mold in my kitchen compost bucket. But for the past 2-3 weeks it has become a constant occurrence. And not just a little. A whole lot of fluffy white mold.
Any thoughts on why this change; what could be causing it?
|
|
|
Post by lilolpeapicker on May 14, 2015 14:32:59 GMT -5
How are you cleaning in between? Perhaps using vinegar to clean, rinsing well?
|
|
|
Post by lilolpeapicker on May 14, 2015 14:34:36 GMT -5
Build up even minutely,causing it.... Just guessing....no real knowledge on subject
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on May 14, 2015 16:39:56 GMT -5
I rinse mine out after emptying and then use paper towels to dry it out. Then I leave the lid off until I add the first stuff. Drying it out cuts down on mold and bacteria because they like moist conditions. I don't mind mold and bacteria in the compost pile but I don't want it growing under my kitchen sink.
About once a month I may soak it with some Clorox water.
|
|
|
Post by SpringRain🕊️ on May 14, 2015 18:13:41 GMT -5
DW, how and where are you storing the bucket? Do you have a hygrometer in that area so you can determine if the humidity has increased with the change in weather? And are you adding anything different or seasonal to the bucket that might increase the moisture?
I developed the habit of keeping the bucket(s) in the freezer to avoid anything undesirable; other than when I took them out to the garden, they weren't exposed to room temperature air.
That may have lessened some of the nutrients, but it also kept away mold and any undesirable visitors.
|
|
|
Post by datgirl on May 14, 2015 18:17:27 GMT -5
How often do you empty it? I just have a bowl that I use. I empty in every other day. In the winter it gets emptied into a bucket on the deck and the bucket gets emptied when its full or defrosts.
|
|
|
Post by lisaann on May 14, 2015 19:15:45 GMT -5
I suggest just digging a few holes in the bean bed and bury the stuff. I just can't compost in the house. I keep a few holes busy with scraps in different spots in the garden.
If nothing else, that bucket would have to stay outside here, down by the alley.
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on May 14, 2015 20:32:18 GMT -5
Lots of good things to think about here.
The odd thing is, is that we haven't changed any of our habits or behavior with this. We've had our system going for decades! It is a stainless steel pot with a lid, stored under the sink. It gets emptied a couple of times a week and then we wash the pot out with dish detergent using a scrubby.
We don't dry it, but never have, letting it air dry before adding the next scraps.
I'll try using vinegar or bleach. Maybe there is a spore that is caught in the crevices where the handles are bolted in.
Humidity? Something to think about. We've had 3 good rains in the past month- much more than usual, and certainly more than in the past 4 years.
|
|
|
Post by James on May 14, 2015 21:25:34 GMT -5
hmmmm..... around here composting is done out back not under the sink. I would think fungi and mold are common in compost heaps, where ever they are found. If you don't like it in your kitchen, best to compost somewhere else?
|
|
|
Post by gakaren on May 14, 2015 22:10:43 GMT -5
I have a compost crock that sits on my kitchen counter. There is no smell unless you take the lid off to add something. But I use the grocery store produce bags in mine so that I don't have to clean it so often. When each bag gets full it goes into a bucket on the deck (also lined with a kitchen garbage bag) and when the bucket is full it gets added to the compost piles. I don't think I've seen any mold and we have lots of humidity here. But I tie those bags shut before putting them into the bucket too.
I would tend to think that something has gotten blown into your area by the storms that have been coming through...so a new addition?
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on May 14, 2015 22:55:45 GMT -5
James- My compost heap is, indeed, "out back" like yours. This is just the container in the kitchen that holds the scraps before taking it out to the compost heap. It gets emptied every 3-4 days.
Karen- ok so it sounds like humidity is not necessarily a huge factor with this. Mine doesn't have a smell, either. Even when the lid comes off.
I'm just curious as to why this sudden and definite change in mold production. It is a LOT of mold. Very impressive!
|
|
|
Post by gakaren on May 14, 2015 23:10:23 GMT -5
Wellllllllllllllllllll, you are getting older and it is rubbing off! ;)
ETA...mine smells when the lid comes off due to the combination of DH's coffee grounds and banana peels! Those 2 together STINK!
|
|
|
Post by kimmsr🕊 on May 15, 2015 6:38:55 GMT -5
On the bucket or on the material in the bucket?
Molds can be normal waste material, part of the digestion process that converts that waste material into compost.
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on May 15, 2015 7:21:10 GMT -5
I also keep mine under the kitchen sink in a stainless steel bucket and I don't have a problem with that. I am cutting veggies or peeling onions every day and I am not going to go outside with every peel or egg shell. I guess that I am too lazy. I usually empty mine every 3-4 days also.
Molds are a natural part of our lives and their spores are always floating through the air. We just can't see them.
DW, now that it is warmer, are you opening your windows and letting in the outside air which contains more mold spores? That could be your difference. There are not as many mold spores in the air in winter and we keep our windows closed anyway.
Landing on dry surfaces would not give them a place to grow but a moist compost bucket or vegetable waste would. This is why I dry the inside of my compost bucket every time I empty it. I don't usually have much trouble with mold but sometimes I do see some.
If you left vegetable residue sitting on the counter, wouldn't it grow mold? Of course it would because the spores are already in the air.
|
|
|
Post by lilolpeapicker on May 15, 2015 14:22:52 GMT -5
Did you change the container you used at all? Will a different type container make a difference? I am using a tall Rubbermaid plastic container and sometimes there is mold in it and sometimes not. Maybe it depends on what you are bringing into it. May it is the peels or skin or surface that may already carry the spores?
|
|