Troubleshooting · 11 of 30
Whole blocks compacted at the bottom
A grey, sour, slimy brick of material found at the base of the bin when it is emptied, with a distinct boundary against the rest.
01Symptom
A grey, sour, slimy brick of material found at the base of the bin when it is emptied, with a distinct boundary against the rest.
02Why it happens
Material added in intact blocks — mushroom substrate, sod, whole root balls, unopened cardboard — without being broken up. The centre of each block never sees oxygen.
03What to do
- 01 Break every block apart with a fork on the day it arrives.
- 02 Re-mix at day 2 and day 6, specifically hunting for blocks that survived the first pass.
- 03 Loosen the base of the bin with a fork at each turn if the material is dense.
- 04 Screen and return any compacted material rather than spreading it.