Ringer 3050 Compost Plus - 2 lb.

I was skeptical, but this stuff definitely works. A year ago I bought a house with a black composting bin. I cleaned it out this spring and started filling it up with yard waste; 90% grass clippings. I kept filling it up and had to cut back for a while, but it still wasn't composting enough for me to really add any more. So I bought this stuff and followed the directions.Every few days I would take a look to see if there was any progress and at first the top was just kind of turning dark brown around the center. After a week, the pile in my bin was clearly lower. The following two weeks I was able to empty my grass clippings in and apply the pellets. I didn't mow this past week so the pile sat and was tended to like normal. I stirred it today and was really impressed. It's all brown with a few straw-like blades of grass and I was actually able to turn the entire bin for the first time.I think if I give it just another few weeks without adding to it, my pile will be complete compost. These pellets absolutely accelerated the composting process, without a doubt. All I did was follow the instructions; pour the pellets, water, turn about a week later and repeat.Prior to this review, I saw another reviewer comment about the packaging. It is true that the bottom of the product box is not glued very well. However, when I received mine it was in a thicker heat-sealed plastic bag. There were noticeably some pellets floating around in the bag and upon closer inspection I found the box defect. I am glad I saw that so I could be careful when opening. Otherwise, I definitely would've been frustrated.Update 10/19:I bought another box, but this time it was not in a bag. The contents spilled everywhere inside the box. Pretty frustrating. Maybe I just got lucky with my first one. Likely won't be buying this product on Amazon again. I'd rather go out and find it in-store, if I can.

I wanted a product that would help me finish up the breaking down of my compost materials. I already had a good start but the compost was feeling very "cool" and I wanted it to have more heat. I added some additional grass clippings, wet vegetable scraps, and shredded paper with a generous sprinkle of Ringers Compost Plus. I was very pleased to feel the warmth rising from my compost bin in about 24 hours. I plan on using this product again when I empty out this batch and start over. The box was packaged adequately and I did not lose any product. It might be better if it were packaged in a heavy duty zip lock type bag, but like I said it was ok the way it came.

(Updated at #6 below) I will update this later but minimally wanted to start off with some observations. . .1. Similar to another review, I had some (minor) leakage from this box during shipping. This is an annoyance, but the manufacturer should update their package or Amazon should bag it during shipping.2. I had a compost pile I knew wasn't rich enough in nutrients (I started with a base of old potting soil that I wanted to weave compostables into). So I knew it would be a slightly uphill battle no matter what I did with my pile.3. After doing some reading on C:N ratios I heavily fortified my pile with both browns and greens, but still wasn't proceeding as fast as I've read that they can go. I would aerate every other day and kept adding more browns and more greens, pretty finely shredded to help ease breakdown and kept it moist. . .things were going better but still not good enough. I measure the temperature of my pile daily and it was basically only retaining heat from sun-soak.4. Less than 24hrs after adding about 3/4 of the box to my (approx 50 gal) pile, wetting it, and turning it, I'm measuring about 30deg over ambient air temp (approx 105F in center of pile). This is very good! A true "hot" compost should measure around 140-160 based on what I've read. . .I'm going to continue feeding it greens and browns, wetting, and turning, and see how high I can get it. Theoretically (based on my limited research) it should heat up more and stay hot for several weeks, or longer, until the breakdown is complete. Running a hot pile is also helpful not just because it works faster but because it should kill any disease, insects, and seeds that are dormant in the pile.5. If my pile maintains a sub-110F temp, I think I don't get all the benefits of a true hot pile, but at least the decomp should be accelerated.6. I believe the benefits of this additive are very short lived, I measured a serious fall of in temps after 24-48hrs, and pretty much back to normal (about 10deg F over ambient air temp) after 3-4 days. I tried another box on a similar pile and had very similar results. I've had much better, slightly more sustained results by adding a couple gallons of fresh grass clippings to a pile (which should be a net nitrogen addition). This is my first year of composting and it's a learning experience, many variables can be tinkered with but the off the shelf products cannot recreate a sustained nitrogen release, and I'm skeptical of any claims that they bring microbes that aren't already present.7. Any positive review on here, I'd want to know your pile temp before, your pile temp 48hrs after adding this, and your pile temp 1 week after, and any other changes/additions to your pile in the interim.8. Best investment I've made in maintaining my pile is a digital thermometer with a long K-style probe, I kind find it exactly where the hot & cold spots are, when they are there, and try to deduce why. . .and go from there in my plan.

We love this product. We compost year round and in NJ the cold winters really slow down any composting actions. By early spring I add a few tablespoons of this product into each bucket of compost I add into the composter and by June the composter volume is reduced by half or more. Without this product it took all summer to achieve that level of decay.We also spread it in the flower beds where we use leaf mulch and in the garden where last years plants are "vegging out". By the time we are tilling the old plants are really broken down.

While stirring my large compost pile three days after application of half a box of Ringer Compost Plus I could feel the heat, which means it is working. (I applied while stirring and as deep into the bowels of the pile as I could.) I bought Ringer because it had good reviews from others and because I have a sizable compost pile--too big- and needed to give it a boost. I am not sure I would purchase any compost starter for a normal or small size pile because of the added expense (composting is supposed to be economical). A small **well managed** pile should break down fine within its own power. But because my pile, 4x4 and 3' high, is large and hard to stir I bought the Ringer and glad I did.