Compost is humus of organic residues, grass, leaves, branches, etc. This is an excellent natural organic fertilizer rich in minerals necessary for the life of plants. It is as effective as mineral supplements. Making compost with your own hands is very simple; for preparation you can use any organic residues that are found on any summer cottage. Compost can be used as plant food, or as the main soil for planting, including growing seedlings and filling beds.
Fig.1.
You can make your own compost in a composter or directly on the ground by piling organic remains into a pile. Sometimes used for cooking compost pit. Organic residues are stacked in layers 5 - 10 cm thick. Layers of organic matter are sprinkled with earth approximately 3 - 5 cm thick. This way the composter or heap is filled. After about 4 months, the first layer will be processed and turn into humus. Ready compost can be distinguished by its characteristic smell; it smells like damp forest soil.
Aerobic bacteria take an active part in the process of preparing organic fertilizer. Under their influence, organic matter decomposes. For aerobic bacteria to thrive, it is necessary to maintain a low temperature and sufficient humidity in the heap or composter, as well as a constant flow of oxygen. Without all these conditions, the bacteria will die, and high-quality humus will not work. Therefore, the compost heap or composter must be placed in a shaded place, periodically moistened and occasionally turned.
The speed of humus preparation depends on the above factors and the number of aerobic bacteria. Often the composter may lack moisture, oxygen, or the temperature of the compost is too high, for example in very hot summers. All this reduces the rate of bacterial reproduction and increases the time of fertilizer formation. Therefore, when making humus, it is advisable to use special additives containing aerobic bacteria. You can buy them at any gardening store.
It is important to note that in order to obtain a homogeneous composition of organic fertilizer, the rate of decomposition various elements should be approximately the same. The rate of decomposition depends on the size of the organic residue being composted. So a thick branch will take much longer to decompose than leaves or grass. Therefore, it is not advisable to place thick branches in the composter; they must first be chopped.
To make homemade compost of high quality, you need to follow several rules.
Traditionally, compost can be made in 3 to 4 months. Of course this is quite long. To speed up this process up to 1 month, you can use hot composting. Its essence is that elements are added to the composter to heat up the heap, such as rotting fruits and manure.
In order for the humus to ripen quickly, the composter should be filled in layers: a layer of grass (branches, leaves), a layer of manure (rotting fruits, vegetables), each layer must be sprinkled with earth.
To quickly ripen the fertilizer and not overheat the heap, it is necessary to have two identical containers. Once a week, you should transfer the prepared organic fertilizer from one container to another, thus the humus cools down and is enriched with oxygen.
A composter is a box enough large sizes. Organic waste leaves, mown grass, branches, etc. are placed on top of the box. As it rots, a fertilizer suitable for use is formed in the bottom of the box.
Composters can be divided into factory-made and home-made.
Factory composters are usually made of plastic. They have a volume of 400 liters. Often such composters are equipped with a door at the bottom for convenient removal of finished humus. Such models should be given preference.
Fig.2.
One of the interesting varieties is a drum-shaped composter, somewhat reminiscent of a concrete mixer. This type allows you to rotate the tank, thereby mixing the contents. Regular mixing can significantly speed up the maturation of the fertilizer. However, such models do not have a large volume, which reduces productivity.
Fig.3.
The barrel composter has advantages. It allows you to mix the contents, thereby accelerating the maturation of the compost. However, such models have a small volume, which in conditions traditional dacha with many landings it is clearly not enough. This type is suitable for those who have a small plot.
Fig.4.
Sometimes a compost pit is used to prepare humus. To obtain high-quality humus, this does not always happen a good decision. The fact is that without access to oxygen, the compost pit will quickly turn sour and ferment, and no fertilizer will be produced. The main obstacle to oxygen is soil. In addition, the location is close groundwater It also contributes to the rotting of the compost pit.
To prepare compost, it is advisable to use a composter. You can buy it ready-made or make it yourself. The main advantage is that humus is well supplied with oxygen, which promotes the proliferation of aerobic bacteria. In addition, the composter allows you to maintain sufficient moisture and reduce the temperature of decay of organic matter, which also has a positive effect on the speed of production of organic fertilizer.
As you can see from the above, making compost with your own hands is very simple. For preparation, you need to choose a shady place in your summer cottage; preference should be given to the north side of the site. Make or purchase a composter, as it is more convenient and neat than making a compost heap. When preparing, it is important to regularly moisten the contents of the composter. Aerobic bacteria can be added to the composter to speed up composting. By using this technology, by the end of summer you will have high-quality organic fertilizer, which you can spread in the beds in the fall or take some of it to the city to grow seedlings next spring.
Compost is a fertilizer obtained from organic components as a result of their decomposition by microorganisms under aerobic conditions, that is, with access to air. Compost can be prepared from any organic matter, including feces, household and industrial waste. After decomposition of the components, the waste is converted into a substance containing macro- and microelements in a form accessible to plants: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, magnesium, boron and others.
Properly made compost has pleasant organoleptic characteristics. It is loose, homogeneous, does not stick to your hands, and does not release moisture when compressed. Compost looks like a dark, crumbly mass. It smells like fresh earth.
For composting you need:
There are many compost recipes in which superphosphate, gypsum, lime and other, sometimes unexpected, substances are added to organic matter. But ordinary compost is made from only organic matter. This mass is a universal fertilizer on which any cultivated plant will grow by leaps and bounds.
Usually compost is prepared at the dacha or personal plot, on sites under open air. Organic waste is placed in a heap, pile or container from which it will be convenient to remove it. The last condition is mandatory, since the compost has to be mixed several times a season so that in the center of the heap there are no compacted places that do not receive oxygen. Mixing compost accelerates ripening, that is, the decomposition of organic matter and the transformation of stems, leaves, branches and peelings into a homogeneous loose mass that does not resemble the original raw material in smell and color.
When does it make sense to make home compost? This may be useful for indoor plant lovers who want to feed their plants with a natural substance. Or for avid summer residents who can prepare several bags of fertilizer over a long winter, saving on the purchase of humus or manure.
Peat manure compost made from peat and manure, taken equally. You can take any manure: horse, sheep, cattle, chicken and rabbit manure. In addition to pigs, due to their feeding habits, their manure contains an prohibitive amount of nitrogen - this will ruin any soil.
Sawdust and slurry compost– instant fertilizer. It can be used to feed plants a month and a half after planting. compost heap. For composting, slurry is poured between peat or sawdust sides. 100 liters of slurry require 100 kilograms of bulk materials. After the peat or sawdust has absorbed the slurry, a pile is formed from the mass, in which composting processes will immediately begin. It is useful to add phosphorus to the mixture at the rate of 2 kg of superphosphate per hundredweight of organic matter.
There is no need to worry about helminthiasis. In the compost heap the mixture is heated to 80 degrees. At this temperature, human helminths die along with their eggs and larvae.
Garden multi-component compost- universal fertilizer for gardens and vegetable gardens. Garden waste is used for composting: weeds, cut shoots, fallen leaves, tops. The result is a black, odorless mixture with a fine-grained structure and oily feel. As some gardeners say, looking at such compost, “I could eat it myself.”
In order for the composting process to produce good compost, the pile must be shoveled at least twice a season and moved to another place. The fertilizer will be ready in at least a year.
Manure-earth compost- instead of peat, use ordinary soil. There should be 30 parts soil to 70 parts manure. The components are stacked in layers. The soil will absorb the solution released from the manure and will not allow the nitrogen to “escape” from the manure pile as a gas (ammonia).
Manure-earth compost contains 3 times more nitrogen than humus obtained by overheating manure in heaps. By laying a manure-earth pile in the spring, you can get high-quality, highly nutritious compost in the fall.
To prepare compost in your apartment, you don’t have to use peat or soil. One of the advantages of the technology is that compost can be made from kitchen waste alone. The fertilizer prepares itself. To prepare it, you don’t need to buy anything special except a plastic bucket - that’s why it’s sometimes called “ plastic compost».
Let's take a closer look at how to prepare compost in an apartment. The fertilizer matures in a suitable compost container under the influence of a starter culture made from special microorganisms. You need to put a grate on the bottom of the bucket. The top of the container should be tightly closed with a lid. Experts call the fertilizer obtained in this way “urgasa”.
Any food waste is suitable for preparing compost: vegetable peelings, dried bread, banana peels, eggshells, melon peels, etc. The more components there are in the compost mixture, the higher the nutritional value.
Protein products and fats are not suitable for producing compost in plastic buckets: meat, fish (including bones), seeds, stones, sunflower seeds, kernels, dairy products.
Steps for making compost yourself:
EM liquid is a preparation containing strains of microorganisms that quickly decompose organic waste. Known EM liquids:
Having filled the bag to the top (this can be done gradually, as kitchen waste accumulates), it is kept at room temperature for a week and then transferred to the balcony.
By this time, liquid will have accumulated at the bottom of the bucket - this is not a production waste, but a valuable substance, enriched with bacteria that can be of great benefit to household. After treating the toilet bowl with this liquid or cat litter, disappears bad smell. For the same purpose, liquid can be poured into sewer pipes. In addition, it is suitable for watering indoor plants.
Compost produced at home with the help of preparations is taken to the dacha in the spring. By this time, a dozen or two plastic bags with urgas have accumulated on the balconies. It is applied to the beds in the same quantities as regular compost.
Compost at the dacha can be prepared in homemade composter, made in the form of a box, or in a converted old 200-liter metal barrel. Stores sell garden or landscape composters. They are neat containers with a lid that fit well into the surrounding landscape.
Composters can only be used in warm time of the year. When frost occurs, the container is emptied of its contents.
The thermocomposter is designed differently - in such a device you can process vegetation into fertilizer 365 days a year. Thermocomposters work even in cold weather. They are a large thermos in which the heat released during the decomposition of organic matter is accumulated.
A vermicomposter is another compost making device that is offered in stores. In it, not microorganisms, but soil worms will work to make compost, transforming vegetation and kitchen waste into humus. The vermicomposter can be installed at home, as it does not emit an unpleasant odor. Earthworms and Californian worms are used to decompose waste.
Composting in a heap or composter consists of several stages.
Conditions for compost maturation:
Is it possible to put weeds that have managed to inseminate into compost? cultivated plants with signs of disease, for example, tomato tops affected by late blight? After heating in a compost heap, weed seeds and spores of harmful microorganisms lose their ability to germinate, so plant residues can be put into composting. The exception is plants infected with viruses. They must be burned immediately after removal from the garden.
Sometimes it is advised to lay compost on a bed of clay, peat or sand. If the heap is laid without feces and slurry, then a cushion is not needed, as it will prevent earthworms from penetrating into the heap, and without them the maturation of the compost will be delayed.
Microbiological preparations or bird droppings will help speed up the maturation of compost. Plant material is either sprayed with liquid or transferred with moistened broiler manure. Such heaps will have to be watered more often.
Compost at the dacha can be applied to all soils, for any crops, in the same dosage as humus. Mature compost is applied to the furrows when planting seedlings and sowing seeds. It can be used to form high beds.
The most common way to use compost is to mulch any cultural plantings: from trees to lawns. The compost will serve as both food and mulch.
Using a regular aquarium aerator, you can make compost tea from compost - a liquid saturated with beneficial microorganisms. Compost tea is used for foliar feeding. Liquid not only serves as a source nutrients for plants, but also protects against fungal and bacterial diseases, since tea microorganisms are antagonists of pathological microbes.
Compost, obtained in bags in winter, is added to mixtures for growing seedlings. Seeds are not sown in clean compost, as it is a concentrate. But if you dilute it with peat or garden soil so that the compost in the mixture is 25-30%, you will get a mass that is optimal in terms of acidity, mechanical composition and nutrient content in which any seedlings will grow.
Growing plants directly in compost is possible. Summer residents traditionally sow, right on the heap, or melons, but by this time the maturation of the compost should be completed.
A compost heap, in which thermophilic processes take place, can be used to obtain early harvests of cucumbers. To do this, deep (40 cm) holes are made in the heated mass, covered with fertile garden soil, into which cucumber seedlings are planted. This technique allows you to jump into growing vegetables for at least 1 month. If you place wire arcs on the compost heap and stretch a film over the plants, you can get a harvest 2 months earlier.
Compost is indispensable when growing carrots. Manure and humus cannot be added to the beds where carrots will be sown - because of them, the root crops are deformed, take on an ugly shape, and branch. Compost is another matter. It can be applied even in the spring before sowing seeds
Composting is a beneficial activity because it allows you to use food and organic waste that would otherwise be thrown away to create a fertilizer with more nutrients. To make compost, you'll need a composting area and a variety of decomposable waste, preferably from both your kitchen and the outdoors. With the help of the recommendations given in this article, you will be able to produce quality compost for your garden. If compost is made correctly, you can give your plants all the nutrients they need and make the soil more fertile while using waste material.
Choose a location for your compost pile. The pile should not be located too close to the house so that odors do not bother you and so that pests that come to the smell do not get into your house. The pile can be located either in the shade or in the sun, but it should be understood that in the sun the waste will decompose faster, but it will need more water. Arrange the pile so that you have enough room to turn over the waste.
Katherine Kellogg is the founder of goingzerowaste.com, a site dedicated to sustainable living and how to make it simple with a positive approach and love. step by step process. He is the author of the book 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste and advocates for plastic-free living with National Geographic.
Decide where you will give your compost if you don't need it. large quantities. Katherine Kellogg, author 101 ways to produce 0 waste, advises: “Composting is much easier than it seems. There are companies that provide their own composting containers and take away all the compost when it is ready. For this, the client receives free compost in the quantities he needs. This is especially convenient if you live in an apartment."
Buy a ready-made composting container. If you don't want to spend time preparing the site, buy a ready-made container at a garden supply store. As a rule, containers are cylindrical in shape and made of plastic. They have a lid on top, but no bottom at the bottom. These are cheap devices that do not require preparation.
Use only selected animal products. If your city has food waste bins, you can throw all animal products there, but you cannot do this at home. Best added to compost eggshells, since it contains calcium necessary for plant growth.
Know what foods you can't pick. There are a number of biodegradable products that should not be composted at home for reasons related to health, hygiene and slow decomposition. These include:
Line the bottom with light brown material if possible. First, place leaves and other dry plant debris on the ground or bottom. In order for the heap to have a reliable foundation, the thickness of the first layer must be at least 5–10 centimeters.
Collect green waste. Green organic waste is high in nitrogen, which will start the heating process in the compost pile. Young weeds (it is important to pick them before they have seeds), comfrey leaves, yarrow, and cut grass are suitable to start the process. You can also add green fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, tea leaves (including the contents of tea bags), and chicken, turkey, cow, or horse manure.
Use plenty of brown waste. Brown waste contains large amounts of carbon, which forms fibres. Brown waste includes leaves (autumn), dead plants and weeds, sawdust, straw, dried plants (including compositions of dried flowers without packaging), hay.
Add other waste to the pile. You can also compost the following: paper towels, paper bags, cotton clothing (cut into pieces), eggshells, hair and pet dander. However, these wastes can only be added in small quantities.
Place all waste in several layers. The ideal proportion is three parts brown waste and one part green waste, or equal parts brown and green waste. These wastes must be in contact with each other, and they must be laid in layers of several centimeters.
Cover the container with a lid or hide food waste under a layer of vegetable waste. If you want to use food scraps, be aware that this garbage can attract animals and insects, as well as produce an unpleasant odor. To prevent this from happening, cover the entire container with a lid or hide food waste under a layer of vegetable debris.
Keep the compost moist. In order for organic matter to decompose faster, it needs to come into contact with moisture. The easiest way is to spray each layer of waste a small amount water when constructing a heap. Add water or wet green scraps if the pile seems dry. If the pile is too wet, add dry brown waste.
To speed up the decomposition process, grind waste. Shred leaves and other plant debris, as well as eggshells. Since larger pieces take longer to decompose, shredding will speed up the compost production process.
Speed up the heating process. The compost heap must be warm so that microbes can multiply there and begin the process of decomposition of organic waste. Covering your compost heap with black garden wrap or any other dark material during cold weather will raise the temperature inside.
Stir the compost. Move the inner layers out and the bottom ones up. Break up any lumps or sticky parts. If you add more scraps to the pile, do so while turning to ensure everything is well mixed.
Turn the pile every 1-2 weeks. It is important to stir the compost regularly, especially if you are adding new food waste, which can start to smell if not mixed with other waste. By turning the heap, the necessary bacteria begin to grow, a sweet smell appears, and the decomposition process is accelerated.
Learn to tell when your compost is ready. At some point, you will have to stop adding fresh trash to the compost so that the composting process can complete. You'll know the compost is ready when it stops heating and turns uniformly brown.
Use compost . If all goes well, you will eventually find a layer of good compost at the bottom of the container. Take it out and spread it on the ground or bury it in flower beds or beds.
Compost is an indispensable component fertile soil in your garden and the most affordable fertilizer, literally obtained from waste. Properly prepared compost will not only replenish the plants’ need for nutrients, but will also improve the structure of the soil, its looseness and ability to absorb and retain moisture.
“Proper” compost is not just a rotting heap in the corner of the garden where you can dump whatever you need. To make compost useful and safe, you must follow some rules.
Compost may include:
You cannot use a compost heap as a garbage pit by adding the following components to it:
Store the components in a compost bin. It can be made in the form of a hole or a fenced compartment, located in a secluded corner of the garden. According to the rules, a laid compost heap does not emit strong odors and does not affect harmful influence on the ground.
Proper arrangement of a compost heap is one of the keys to quickly obtaining high-quality compost. It is not difficult to carry out, it is important to follow the recommendations.
The fermentation and composting process lasts from several months to two to three years; the compost maturation time depends on the size of the components and the fermentation mode. It is important to achieve an increase in the temperature inside the pyramid to 55-60 degrees and above, which not only accelerates the processes of decomposition of components with the help of bacteria, but also causes the seeds to lose their germination weeds, pests and insects die. For correct mode It is important to ensure a good supply of moisture and air to the composter. This is achieved using simple operations.
Compost can be used when it acquires an almost uniform structure and becomes free-flowing and loose. Ripe compost smells pleasantly of damp earth and rotten leaves; there should be no traces of fungus or mold in it. Ready-made compost is added to the holes when planting bushes and trees or planting seedlings, and mulches the soil under it. perennial plants or added to greenhouses and greenhouses. You can also scatter it over the beds before planting the seeds and lightly loosen the surface of the soil.
Good mature compost does not require the addition of organic or mineral fertilizers when planting and allows you to get a rich and environmentally friendly harvest.
If you are at least somewhat interested in gardening, you have probably noticed the importance of regularly and properly fertilizing your soil. Store-bought artificial fertilizer isn't the only way to enrich your soil. We can get acquainted with the idea of how to make high-quality compost yourself at garden plot– just as the ancestors have done for many years.
The benefits of home composting are countless. In home gardening and small-scale farming, there is no such sure-fire method of natural fertilizers. Nothing restores soil fertility better than compost. It is especially suitable for times when your garden is tired of use chemical substances. In addition to these advantages, it is a natural cover for insulating plants in the garden.
Last but not least, this biological product contributes to environmental balance, since its use means that another household uses biodegradable waste for the benefit of the environment, rather than throwing it away with the rest of the trash.
It represents a selection of natural waste in:
straw;
paper;
leaves and branches;
eggshell;
leftover fruits and vegetables;
freshly cut grass – keep in mind that it brings a large amount of moisture.
In order to process compost correctly, it is important to know what should not be present in it:
Plastic and any artificial waste.
Fats – both animal and vegetable.
Leaves walnut– they contain iodine, which is antibacterial and will prevent decomposition.
Leftover cooked food.
Cigarette butts.
The creation principle is not complicated. To do this, you need space in the garden, minimum dimensions 1 x 1 x 1 m to accommodate several layers of organic waste. Small pieces are preferable, so the decomposition process will begin faster.
It is necessary to mix the layers at least once a week, at best every five days. A simple way is to mix the pile with a pitchfork, performing a centrifugal motion from the core to the periphery.
It is important to achieve moderate humidity. If the humidity is high, the fertilizer will begin to rot and soon a foul odor will spread through your yard. If there is not enough moisture, decomposition will not occur.
In addition to the stack, you can store compost and manual for destination boxes and cases. If you are interested in making home compost, don’t stop and start making it immediately. Understanding the benefits of the raw materials used, which are second to none, will motivate you to reap the benefits of the resulting fertilizer.
