Compost accelerator products are a waste of money in the opinions of many folks. Myself included. It will not make a cold pile get hot if the other basics are not already there -- small particles, proper moisture range, good mix of green to browns. And the heat won't stick around if the pile or bin is not big enough. And if you have the right mix, you don't need a compost accelerator. Won't hurt to put a handful of soil or finished compost in your bin or pile. How long until the compost is done -- that is one of the most asked questions in composting. The answer is, like so many things in life -- it depends. It depends on how much you know about the composting process. It depends on your ingredients, the size of same, how often you turn and water the compost, if you are hot composting, and some other stuff. I'll say one month to four years, that is the range. One month IMHO would be a hot pile, and skimping on the curing/maturation/stability stage. Ranges in the years would be a cold pile, mix not optimal, and large woody material. Even though my compost piles sometimes heat up to the 140-160F range two or three days after I make the pile, I don't consider my compost done in less than 3 or 4 months. I suggest you buy a compost thermometer instead of spending money on composting accelerators. That way you can learn what the inside of your pile is doing. Having a lot of worms is a indication that your pile is currently cold, and also that there is more breakdown still to go. Nothing the matter with cold composting, if you are willing to wait for it. Lots of folks get in a hurry and get frustrated.

If I had lots of flowers up close where I could see the hummers, I would go that route. I only put the feeders up to watch the birds. If a feeder is in the sun or it is a bowl type with the entire surface exposed to the elements thru the feeding holes, then it might have to be changed every 2-3 days. A hummer will not drink soured sugar water, they will however go to someone elses feeder. Bottle feeders do not expose more than the diameter of each hole to the elements. I expected to get drunk on some nectar that I had left while on a 2 week vacation, but I took a big gulp and it was very sweet just like fresh made. While I might change my feeders on a weekly basis, it's hard to tell someone else that because I don't know if the feeders are in the sun or if they were very clean when filled, etc. I try to have enough out for the birds to last 5-7 days. If the nectar gets bad, the birds will leave; they will not stick around. Now this has only happened to me on a vacation or two when it did turn sour or maybe when I was sick.

Illinoispalm- The sabals I am refering to are potted. They face due west and get full sun from about 1:00-8:00. They are on a little back porch and sit about 2 feet in front of the back of my house (which is brick) They easily sit in a little micro-climate that is a good 10-15 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature. On these really hot days you can feel the heat coming off of the bricks even a few hours after the sun has gone down. I just re-potted them Saturday. The roots had pushed up so high there was no soil in the bottom 2-3 iches of the pot. I gave them an additional 2-3 inches of depth and 3-4 inches of width.

I would suggest upgrading at this time to a mix of a liquid cutting accelorator such as Jump Start by advanced nutrients to mix with your water and a gel such as olivias cloning gel the gels work a lot better than the powders and the liquid accelorator gives it that added push