Hi Zala,

Mixing gypsum into your fertiliser mix may help. The gypsum will disassociate into calcium and sulphate salts. The sulphate should bond with the released ammonium to form ammonium sulphate, which should trap the ammonia.

I hope this helps!

I have heard that wood ash has been used to reduce odours for biosolid application - you might try that.

A proper stirring technique alone is not sufficient to prevent the intensive brew smell. With the help of the following steps you can influence, that the air in the periphery does not get polluted.

• before every stirring, add some herb brew or rock flour or betonite (clay mineral powder)
• additionally stir the leafs of chamomile, oak or baldrian into it
• ideally install an aquarium pump near the bottom of the container

The higher the level of oxygen in the fermenting liquid, the lower the occurrence of the smell. By installing an aquarium pump at the bottom of the container, you can solve the problem as well and just as easily. In order to prevent swimming stinging nettles to clog the device, you can fill leafs into a back with air and water permeable material, like with old drapes.

You can add carbon-rich (sawdust for example), organic materials to encourages decomposition, which kills the odor-causing bacteria.

Fine ground humic acid, gypsum, rock phosphate, and bentonite added could help curtail the ammonia volatilization. Try using 0.1% in your solution of each ingredient. Try letting it ferment and then straining as the last step.

Since your material is nitrogen-rich undergoes very fast decomposition processes and give off ammonia. You should slow down the decomposition processes by adding carbon-rich organic debris. These would be wood and paper debris, wheat straw, etc. Adding gypsum can also help to reduce ammonia volatilization by bonding it as sulfates.

Dear Zala,

Have you heard about EM (effective microorganism)? It is very effective in reducing the bad smell produced during the decomposition of organic materials. It has been introduced by Japanese scientists. It can be widely used for the preparation of compost.

Dear Getachew,

I am interested in the organism. Can you please help me contact one of the scientists? Are they prodicing and selling commercially? Or they provide technical advice?

nice updates by most of researchers.However addition of any local herb having pleasant aroma shall be sufficient enough to curtail the issue.

Add jaggery powder, produced from sugarcane juice at the rate of 10 kg per tonne of your home made nettle fertilizer and keep mixing thoroughly twice a day for a week to get an excellent aromatic smelling fertilizer which plants love to feed on. The foul smell in fact, will disappear with in a day or two. You would feel it magical. Good luck.

Dear couligian ;

You got very interest suggestions , keep your pots in a cool place to minimize the volatilization of the gaseous materials , if it is so hot , you will face the risk of getting fire , or maybe even explosions of nitrogenous gases when approached cigarettes or any ignition , the best is to use minimum quantities in the cooler places that permits plant growth.