Finally, the pH has to be in a favorable range 5.5 to 8.5. If the pH is too high or too low, most organisms do not function well or not at all. Some may enter a resting or spore stage to protect themselves against pH extremes. You will see the process slow down tremendously as you get outside these boundaries. Know What s Being Produced For troubleshooting, it is also important to know what is being produced during composting.
Ammonia is a natural part of the composting process.
It forms as various nitrogen-rich organic compounds decompose. As long as the environment is moist and the pH is close to neutral, most of the ammonia remains in solution, where it can be used by the organisms. This is both a loss of valuable nitrogen and a source of potential odors. Organic acids are also a natural product of composting, especially when anaerobic conditions exist. A few examples are lactic, acetic, butyric, propionic, and valeric acids.