It's hot at one thirty

It takes over one hundred thirty degrees to kill seeds and pathogens that are present, even in "Clean Green" compost material.
The other components also required for the task are moisture as well as oxygen.
In order to maintain our STA certification and properly compost our products, we check temperature consistently to assure compliance with this minimum temperature required.

By rolling and spreading our windrows forward, then again reconstructing them into another windrow oxygen is added, which stops the material from becoming anaerobic, and promotes the microbial action that is generating the heat.

Controlling Temperature

So, what’s all the fuss about temperature in the compost??

Unlike many competitors, Aguinaga controls the temperature in our compost to assure it reaches a minimum of 131 degrees F.

Why is this important? Because, only at high temperatures all seeds and pathogens are eliminated.

Seeds, we all know about. The word pathogen comes from the Greek pathos (suffering, passion”) and gignomai “I give birth to” - - so what we have here is an infectious agent that causes disease to it’s host.

So why is Aguinaga any concern over this Greek stuff?

The key: SOIL CONTAMINATION has the longest or most potential for harboring a pathogen !!! And pathogens are responsible for the transmission of communicable disease. They are generally bacteria, viruses and parasites, such as worms, amoeabae or protozoa that invade the body and cause illness in a variety of forms.

Hundreds of pathogen have high enough survival rates they can live in an aerobic – or oxygen prevalent – environment, like compost.

That is why we daily measure the temperature of our composting piles to both to maintain or STA status and to assure that you have a great looking but dormant mulch, in your garden. And also why we absolutely do not understand why anyone would put composted biosolid waste such is available in our area, in theirs!