What am I doing wrong?

[Kenyadenola]

I started a compost pile, that is dug into the ground about two feet. I have added leaves, sawdust, coffee grounds, newspaper, and food waste, but it never heats up. I keep it moist and turn it about once a week. Please help, what do I need to do?

[CaptainCompostAL]

Hot piles need lots of nitrogen, moisture, and aerobic microbes!

You can heat it up fast by adding a microbial activator like lots of high nitrogen greens like raw animal manures, fish scraps, natural urea, high protein or ammonia food scraps, or even protein cattle feeds.

Also you can increase microbial activity by adding any form of sugary products (like molasses) to your pile. Sugars are the only high carboneous materials that I am aware of, that are easily digestible by all microbes. Thus sugars and nitrogen can both increase internal heating.

Constant air and moisture are essential too. The aerobic pleasant smelling microbes need lots of oxygen from the air in order to breeed faster. This can be accomplished by either turning the pile more, or just by designing the pile with better air vents, or by using good biostimulant teas to feed the microbes. Water is essential because all microbes need water to survive and breed.

[Kenyadenola]

Blood meal and do I just pour molasses on or mix it with water, is there a ratio to use? Thanks for the help!

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

You need to add about 1/3 the volume of fresh animal manure. Cattle or horse work well. All you have now is carbon. Adding molasses is adding more carbon. You need nitrogen in a big way.