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This is my first time making compost and after a month or so I've been starting to see these small orange blobs on the surface of my compost about a week after the first couple fairies' bonnets started growing (I assume that's what the mushrooms I have are).

At first I thought they were insect eggs, but after doing some research I found that they could be blobs of slime mold. I'm fine with anything harmless helping with the compost, but if they turn out to be eggs of some flying insect...that would be a problem.

Any help in identifying what they are are much appreciated. Thanks!

compost

kevinskio
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swissroll
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1 Answers1

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The orange things are fungi which are digesting the material in your compost.

It appears your are doing indoor composting which normally requires a high level of paper shreds, coffee grounds, tea leaves or other absorbent material in comparison to the level of green vegetable waste. This keeps the odor level low and soaks up any liquids.

You may wish to turn your compost more often to keep all the agents of decomposition working at the same rate.

kevinskio
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    You have a mixture of fungi and fungi there. Mushrooms and Orange wood fungus http://mushroomobserver.org/70715?q=1JzpL. In external compost heaps, you welcome a mixture of bacteria and fungi. The bacteria eat high nitrogen and sugar waste and the fungi attack lignin and cellulose waste. Between the two, plant materials are thoroughly digested to that rich black stuff we love. – Fiasco Labs Jun 22 '13 at 02:35