Compost Guide | Troubleshooting

< RETURN TO Welcome to the Compost Guide
Compost Guide

Troubleshooting

Revised On: Jan. 23, 2024 - 2:00 p.m.

Organized by composting method, the following three tables can help troubleshoot various issues from pests to mold for household composting. For commercial composting, note that you will need to get notification approval | Learn More >

Static Pile

Issue Possible Causes Remedy
House Flies Meat and/or fats are in the pile Cover scraps further down or stop adding these to the pile.
Ants Too dry Add water.
Fruit flies
  1. Too many food scraps
  2. They laid their eggs in a fruit peel
  1. Reduce the amount of scraps you add to the pile, bury under more browns.
  2. Freeze scraps before putting in pile.
Scavengers (rats, raccoons, etc.) Meat and/or fats are in the pile Cover scraps further down or stop adding these to the pile.
Rove beetle Likes to consume primary consumers Pull out beetles and place them somewhere else outside.
Earthworm (red) mites Too many food scraps
  • Reduce the amount of scraps you add to the pile, bury under more browns.
  • Put the pile in direct sunlight for a few hours.  Do not do this if you vermicompost.
  • Use sweet fruit to bait the mites and remove once they gather on the pieces of fruit.
Smells like rotten eggs/rancid butter Needs air Turn the pile.
Smells like ammonia Too much nitrogen Add browns.
Slow decomposition
  1. Lack of moisture
  2. Not enough nitrogen
  3. Size of scraps
  1. Add water.
  2. Add greens.
  3. Chop your scraps into small pieces.
Too wet Too much liquid Add browns and turn.
Not heating up
  1. Not enough nitrogen
  2. Lack of oxygen
  3. Surrounding environment is cold
  4. Pile is too small
  5. Compost is done
  1. Add greens.
  2. Turn the pile.
  3. Increase the pile size or insulate it with straw/plastic cover.
  4. Increase the pile size.
  5. Harvest and start again.

Vermicomposting

Issue Possible Causes Remedy
Odor
  1. Overfeeding
  2. Feeding the wrong foods
  3. Too much moisture
  4. Lack of moisture
  5. Lack of oxygen
  6. Temperature
  1. Reduce the amount of scraps or get more worms and increase your bin size. You can store scraps by putting them in the freezer.
  2. Check if those foods are ok to feed worms. Also, some batches of worms dislike certain foods, even if they are safe to eat. Expirement to find your worms' preferences.
  3. Check drainage holes/spigot for blockage. Pour out excess liquids, add and mix in fresh bedding to soak up some of the excess moisture.
  4. Add a little water. Bedding should feel like a wrung-out sponge.
  5. Add more ventilation holes and check for excess moisture/blocked drainage holes.
  6. Keep bin out of direct sunlight and bring  inside when temperatures drop below 40°F or exceed 80°F.
Worms attempting to escape
  1. Something is wrong with their living conditions
  2. Time to harvest the castings
  1. Check moisture, oxygen, temperature and food.
  2. Harvest the castings.
Gnats/Fruit Flies Too much moisture Check drainage holes/spigot for blockage. Dry out the bedding, reduce the amount of liquid added. Place traps around bin.
Flies Uneaten food Check if you are overfeeding or feeding the wrong foods. If not, bury scraps deeper.
Excessive mites
  1. Too much moisture
  2. Uneaten food
  1. Check drainage holes/spigot for blockage. Dry out the bedding, reduce the amount of liquid added.
  2. Check if you are overfeeding or feeding the wrong foods. If not, bury scraps deeper.
Centipedes They eat worms Remove from bin.
Cockroaches Uneaten food Check if you are overfeeding or feeding the wrong foods. If not, bury scraps deeper.

Bokashi

Issue Possible Causes Remedy
Rotten Smell
  1. Not enough bran
  2. Large pieces of food
  3. Not compacted enough
  4. Container wasn't sealed properly
  5. Contents are too wet
  6. Temperature is too hot/cold for microbes
  1. Add more bran.
  2. Chop your food into smaller pieces before adding to your bucket.
  3. Use a heavy plate to compact the contents. Leave the plate in the bucket to weigh contents down during fermentation.
  4. Make sure the lid is on tight; make sure the spigot is closed when not being used to drain; and check the bucket for cracks.
  5. Make sure you aren't adding liquids; check drainage tap/holes for blockage; and drain more often.
  6. Place bin in a warm area, not in direct sunlight, or a cooler location.
Pests
  1. Not enough bran
  2. Large pieces of food
  1. Add more bran to make the environment too acidic for pests.
  2. Chop your food into smaller pieces before adding to your bucket.
Dark Mold (blue, black, etc.)
  1. Not enough bran
  2. Container wasn't sealed properly
  1. Add more bran.
  2. Make sure the lid is on tight; make sure the spigot is closed when not being used to drain; and check the bucket for cracks.