; Plant heavy nitrogen feeding plants – tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cabbage and spinach are examples of plants that thrive off nitrogen and will suck the nitrogen dry. Nitrogen loss due to excess nitrogen in the pile (a low C:N ratio) can be over 60%. For the same input material, vermicompost compared to bin compost, will have higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium. If the C:N ratio is too high (excess carbon), decomposition slows down. As detailed in this article , this type of compost has N=0.5% and P=0.27%. Seaweed: nitrogen — seaweed is usually goopy and wet. If the pile gets too hot, turning or aerating will help to dissipate the heat. Too much may cause an acidic compost. – bin compost is 1.4-1-1.3 – vermicompost is 1.8-3.8-1.3. Scientists (yes, there are compost scientists) have determined that the fastest way to produce fertile, sweet-smelling compost is to maintain a C:N ratio somewhere around 25 to 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen, or 25-30:1. The rate at which composting occurs depends on physical as well as chemical factors. Fish meal: nitrogen — this is a great option for compost. Sawdust: carbon — be sure not to use treated wood or to add too much. Having too much carbon materials will drastically slow down the process of the materials breaking down. Particle size also affects the availability of carbon and nitrogen. The C:N ratio is a critical factor in composting to prevent both nitrogen robbing from the soil and conserving maximum nitrogen in the compost.. Amendments. Compost Physics. That's a balanced diet for them. Temperature is a key parameter determining the success of composting operations. Add sawdust or fine woodchips to your soil – the carbon in the sawdust/woodchips love nitrogen and will help absorb and soak up and excess nitrogen. Microorganisms that digest compost need about 30 parts of carbon for every part of nitrogen they consume. If you have too much nitrogen, nitrogen will be lost in the form of ammonia (which will also lead to an unpleasant smell). Many compost amendments make big promises, but are little more than hot greens or bacteria in a bag. Wood chips can help build structure, while other “browns” like paper and cardboard can help absorb excess liquid released from the breakdown process. The compost you prepare at home, where very likely you use a brown and green vegetable material, has a way lower N-P-K and, more importantly, more nitrogen than phosphorus. Too much carbonaceous material in the compost pile and decomposition will be slowed … too much nitrogen-rich material and the composting process will either become too hot or too soggy and microbe activity will slow or cease until the material naturally become more suitable for their life. If there's too much nitrogen, the microorganisms can't use it all and the excess is lost in the form of smelly ammonia gas. 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