  Digitalseed IndexDigital ComposterWorldwide Gardener |
 |
Common Ground  Digital Gardener San Diego Gardener |
|
Digitalseed IndexDigital ComposterWorldwide Gardener |
|
Common Ground Digital Gardener San Diego Gardener |
|
Back to... What is Compost?
Ants |
|
ActinomycetesThe characteristic earthy smell of compost is caused by actinomycetes. Actinomycetes are a form of Fungi-like Bacteria that form long, thread-like branched filaments that look like gray spiderwebs stretching through the compost. Different species of actinomycetes predominate during each phase of the composting process (the mesophillic, thermophillic, and maturation phases) but are most easily seen during the early stages of the composting process, in the outer 10 to 15 centimeters of the pile.Actinomycetes are the primary decomposers of tough plant materials like bark, newspaper and woody stems. They are especially effective at attacking tough, raw plant tissues (cellulose, chitin, and lignin), softening them up for their less enterprising relatives.
|
|
|
[Contact Info] [Credits and Technical Info] [Copyright © 1998]
Last update: Thu, Feb 25, 1999.
www.Digitalseed.com
