The fermentation process of high-quality organic fertilizer compost generally takes 45-60 days. The fermentation process of organic compost can be simply divided into the following 4 stages:

Fever stage

In the initial stage of compost production, the microorganisms in the compost are mainly medium-temperature and aerobic species, and the most common are non-spore bacteria, spore bacteria and molds. They start the composting fermentation process, decompose easily decomposable organic substances (such as simple sugars, starch, protein, etc.) under aerobic conditions, generate a lot of heat, and continuously increase the composting temperature from about 20°C to 40°C. It is the fever stage, or the temperature stage.

High temperature stage

As the temperature increases, the thermophilic microorganisms gradually replace the mesophilic species and play a leading role. The temperature continues to rise, generally reaching above 50°C within a few days, entering the high temperature stage.

In the high temperature stage, thermoactinomycetes and thermogenic fungi become the main species. They strongly decompose the complex organic substances (such as cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin substances, etc.) in the compost, accumulate heat, and the compost temperature rises to 60-70°C, even as high as 80°C.

Cooling stage

When the high temperature stage lasts for a certain period of time, most of the cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin have been decomposed, leaving complex components that are difficult to decompose (such as lignin) and newly formed humus. The activity of microorganisms weakens and the temperature gradually decline. When the temperature drops below 40°C, mesophilic microorganisms become the dominant species again.

Fertility preservation stage

After the compost is decomposed, its volume shrinks, and the temperature of the compost drops to slightly higher than the temperature. At this time, the compost should be compacted to cause an anaerobic state and weaken the mineralization of organic matter to facilitate fertilizer preservation.