Compost is a living entity with myriad microorganisms that hasten the composting process. Composting has existed for centuries, and provides a thriving environment for beneficial bacteria, fungi and other microbes. In recent times, however, gardeners are advised to use compost starters or activators to speed up the beneficial microbial activity. A range of compost starters or activators is available commercially. Commercial compost starters claim their products are superior for containing billions of microorganisms specially cultured for composting plus numerous energy sources and ph balancers to assure composting success.

Organic Alternatives:
Avid gardeners however, beg to differ. They claim that a few shovels of garden soil is the best activator or starter that your compost needs. They dismiss these starters as another commercial gimmick to make you spend your money. They claim the same useful bacteria and fungi reside in your garden soil and are freely available in startling plenitude. Simply adding a few shovels of garden soil will garner you the best soil activator or compost starter; this soil is saturated with a complex range of bacteria and fungi.

Ecologically, the best compost starter is fresh stable manure. Procuring fresh manure may, however, prove troublesome. In the absence of fresh manure, other effective organic alternatives are blood meal, and surprisingly, finished compost itself. As gardeners proclaim, adding shovels of finished compost to the compost heap reintroduces friendly bacteria and fungi to the cooking compost heap, thereby completing an ecological cycle.

Commercial Activators:
Increasingly, garden suppliers are selling compost starters with high nitrogen content; sometimes inoculants of dehydrated bacteria also come under the banner of compost activators. However, though high nitrogen content may prove useful in heating up the compost, it has the disadvantage of nitrogen excess which may leach or escape as ammonia in the air. Again, deep doubts exist about the efficacy of adding more bacteria from a package. As the skeptics point out, all the bacteria you need are present in your soil or your finished compost.

Whether you opt for Commercial Activators or Natural Alternatives, another infallible route to introduce a range of friendly microorganisms is purchasing a bag of Worm Compost. All the above mentioned compost starters are fashioned to create a friendly environment for fungi and bacteria to flourish in your living compost heap.

Compost Makers:
Composting is natural method of waste disposal and soil fertilization. In composting organic materials derived from living animals and plants are naturally broken down into Compost forms. The process of break down is aerobic.i.e oxygen is used by...

Compost Container
Compost Containers make your composting process tidier and neater. They hold the organic waste in manageable, compact proportions which speed up the composting process. Furthermore, they allow your compost heap to be contained in a small area of...

Compost Barrels
Compost Barrels, made of wood or metal that rotate within a standing frame, depend on the tumbling action to break down waste material faster for quicker composting. The compost barrel drum usually has a hinged opening, air vents at the end and a...