Bokashi Composting - Frequently asked questions #3

1. How often should I clean my kitchen composters Bokashi Organko and Bokashi Organko 2?

The composter should be cleaned only after it has been emptied. It is enough to simply rinse it with running water. Do not add detergent, because it can kill the microorganisms and thus disrupt the natural environment created in your composter.

2. Can the waste in composter get a bad smell?

If your composter is used correctly, its contents should not smell. It can have the smell of vegetables and fruits that were collected and put into it, but it should not have an unpleasant smell. If this does happen however, it means something went wrong during the process of collecting waste: perhaps the lid was not closed properly or the top layer of waste was not covered with enough bran. You should also check if you have drained all the fermented liquid. Finally, always make sure the waste is tightly pressed together in order to prevent air pockets from forming, as those can release an unpleasant smell. If the odor ever becomes very unpleasant, empty your composter into your garden compost or the outside container for biological waste, rinse it thoroughly with water (no detergent) and start anew.

3. What should I do if mould appears on top of the waste?

The mould that appears can be light (white) or dark. White mould can appear when you fill the composter very slowly and there is a lot of air in it. White mould is beneficial. If it bothers you, you can put a piece of thick paper on top of the waste after you have covered it with bran. Dark mould usually appears if you did something wrong in the process. Perhaps you did not keep the container closed, added too little bran, added bran irregularly or neglected to drain the fermentation liquid regularly. In this case, empty the composter in your garden, add an equal amount of bran as there is waste, cover it with soil and leave it for 4 weeks. You can use it in your garden after that time period passes.

4. The waste doesn't seem to have decomposed in the composter. What is wrong?

A simple indicator that suggests the proper functioning of the process is the smell. If there is no bad smell of rot, then the fermentation process has worked. The shape and color of the waste we put into the composter will remain unchanged even after the process has finished. Decomposition into humus form occurs when the already fermented mass of organic waste is buried into the soil. Here the decomposition occurs very quickly because the mass was previously correctly fermented and thus it changes into humus in a couple of weeks (depending on the time and temperature of the soil). 

For More information and to order an Organico Kit pop on over to https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/collections/bokashi-organico-kits




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