composting with a tumbler

I load my composter with grass clippings, dry shredded leaves, shredded newspaper, kitchen scrapes, and horse manure. It seems to never get real hot, but after a while it turns into balls, instead of crumbly oft soil. When it is “ready” I have to screen it to be able to use it. What am I doing wrong? I tumble it several times a week.

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1 Comment To "composting with a tumbler"

#1 Comment By Downtoearthdigs On 04/10/2016 @ 9:17 pm

Through my research I found a few recommendations.
Paper should be shredded very finely.
You can generally use more ‘greens’. A ratio to try is 4 parts grass to 1 part shredded paper.
To dry and you can add water.
To soggy, add more dry material.
Some common complaints are that the compost does not get hot enough, this is why you are not getting the loose compost material.
Additional time and the material will break down.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/basics/turning-compost-pile.htm ^[1]
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/basics/overheated-compost-piles.htm ^[2]

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