A few days ago I went to a pond and filled 3 jars with some mud, submerged plants, and duckweed, then sealed them with their lids. After 5 days I opened one and it smelled like rotten eggs. I’d like to know if this is normal or if it’s harmful. Would the same thing happen if I hadn’t put a lid on?
by barkalez
4 Comments
Sometimes it needs to stabilize for a while, which might mean you need to leave the lid off at first; especially if there’s a whole lot of organic matter in there, like you seem to have. The more material you put in at once, the more of it will die in the beginning, even just algae and protozoa dying and rotting
Not abnormal. Close it back up and give it sun. Some organics are decaying and need time for the bacterium and other microorganisms to do their thing.
You filled a jar with mud from a pond, it’s going to smell bad
I’d say that’s too much plants. They consume oxygen when conditions aren’t right for photosynthesis (such as whenever it’s dark).