Everyone knows the truth - plants develop and bear fruit best of all on fertile soil. But where to get it, if plants are planted on the site from year to year, which absorb useful substances from the ground. Many chemicals have been created to nourish the soil. But do not forget that this is chemistry, and everything that you add to the soil will also go to the crop. But there is an alternative - do it yourself compost.
"What is compost and how to make it?" - this question is often asked by novice summer residents. Compost is an organic fertilizer obtained by decomposing a variety of raw materials of plant or animal origin.
You can make compost yourself using summer cottage.There are two options for making natural fertilizers for the garden and vegetable garden.
Compost pile at home
Experienced gardeners recommend to cook organics with your own hands. The options that give the most effective results are a compost heap or a compost pit. In these cases, the decomposition of waste occurs best of all, their rotting, because the temperature and humidity inside the layers are practically unchanged. The maturation time of organic matter directly depends on the volume of filling: the most filled pits and the largest in size become ready for use more quickly.
The most acceptable are compost heaps with the following parameters:
You can double the size and make two compartments: one for storing the finished compost, the second for laying a new one.
Placement of the compost heap is also possible directly on the ground. She will also be well ventilated in natural conditions. Excessive moisture must be avoided. Putting waste in a heap, you should not get carried away, the optimal sizes for it:
Compost bin
Essential ingredients for a normal composting process:
In the presence of these factors, beneficial bacteria begin to act, which participate in the course of decomposition, and thus the composting takes place.
Before starting composting, you need to prepare a shallow pit (the depth is approximately the same as the bayonet of a shovel). The lowest layer in the hole should be small twigs, cut with fruit bushes or trees. This layer acts as a drainage layer, allowing excess fluid to drain downward.
If you already have ready-made compost, then a small part of it should be placed on the branches. This will speed up the decomposition process, beneficial bacteria from the finished humus will enter new layers. For all subsequent layers, use food plant waste or grass, leaves from the site. They are evenly distributed on the surface, trying to tamp, and watered with water. Sprinkle with earth on top.
To prevent the pile from disintegrating and being carried by the wind, it is worth fencing it with boards or wire mesh with large cells. From above it is covered with a special covering material (spunbond), in extreme cases, straw is used. So we got a ready-made composter with our own hands.
Making compost for the garden
Compost is a natural nutrient that helps restore soil structure and improve soil fertility. But first you need to know how to properly compost. T needs to create certain conditions to make composting run smoothly:
Observing all the conditions, you can make compost in the country with your own hands quickly and easily.
We learned how to make compost, now we need to figure out which ingredients are suitable for this. Symbolically, all components can be attributed to two types:
Components with an increased level of nitrogen, in another way they are called green mass. These include:
Composting greens
Everyone, even novice gardeners, has heard about the value of compost. However, the rules for its formation and application are not known to everyone. Many people think that in order for the compost to succeed, it is enough to dump waste and plant residues in one place during the summer, and by the spring everything is ready. However, this is far from the case, and in order for your compost pile to truly become a valuable material, it needs work on it.
Compost. © GGWTV Content:
If you look in the encyclopedia, you can find an accurate description of what compost is: compost is a type of organic fertilizer obtained as a result of the decomposition of organic residues under the influence of the activity of various microorganisms. Therefore, for its formation, several components are needed: directly organic matter, microorganisms and conditions for their life. Based on this, let's look at how to make compost with your own hands.
The first thing to understand when forming a compost heap is that not everything can be thrown into it.
Can: any plant residues (cut grass, chopped tree branches, weeds, leaves, tops), organic waste from the kitchen table (cleaning vegetables, egg shells, tea leaves, coffee grounds), straw, hay, manure used on the bedding for cattle (better horse or cow), paper.
Organic matter in the compost. © yvw It is forbidden: plants infected with diseases, rhizomes of harmful weeds, fats, inorganic debris, synthetic fabrics. Composting cabbage is not recommended, as it causes rotting bad smell, as well as meat waste, since in addition to the stench, they also attract rats.
But that's not all. There are two rules to keep in mind when forming a compost heap. First, the finer the waste, the faster they rot. Second, the ratio of green (nitrogen-rich) and brown (poor fiber) masses should correspond to 1: 5. This ratio will allow bacteria to fully develop and significantly accelerate the process of compost maturation.
Since it is difficult to form a compost heap in one go and in most cases it is laid gradually, it is quite difficult to understand the amount of green and brown components embedded in it by eye. But there are principles that you can focus on in order to understand what needs to be added: if the compost heap has an unpleasant odor, then it lacks a brown component, if it is cool and does not have visible fumes, it is necessary to add green mass. If the balance is maintained, the compost heap should smell like earth, emit heat, be moist and slightly steam.
Ideally, a compost heap is laid out in layers, alternating not only green and brown fillings, but also finer and coarser fractions of components. After the final formation, it is covered with a layer of earth (5 cm), and then with old straw or specially perforated (for ventilation) film.
Collecting organic residues in one place is far from everything. For convenience and neat appearance, the place reserved for the formation of compost must be protected. However, it is better to do this not with slate or metal, but by forming timber frame... This is necessary so that the heap can "breathe". The dimensions for the box should be approximately 1.5 x 1 m (the first indicator is the width, the second is the height), the length can be any.
The location chosen for the formation of the compost heap also matters. First, it must be protected from the winds and the scorching midday sun. Secondly, it is hidden from prying eyes. And, if necessary, decorated with green plantings or climbing plants.
The best period for the formation of the conceived business is autumn, rich in residues of plant origin, as well as spring and summer. Winter period not suitable for composting due to unfavorable temperature conditions.
Before you start laying organic matter, it is good to lay a film or a layer of peat 10 cm thick on the bottom of the future heap deepened into the ground (by 20 cm). This will preserve nutrients and moisture. AND!!! You should not resort to the method of collecting residues in a pit, as excess moisture often collects in compost pits, which worsens and lengthens the composting process.
Composter structure. © University of Tennessee
Now that we know the basic principles of forming a compost heap, we need to remember about the rules for caring for it, since it depends on their implementation: whether the compost will have time to form in a year or not, whether it will be complete and of high quality. And these rules are quite simple.
Compost. © Fertile Fiber How long it will take to ripen the compost heap depends on the conditions provided for this. Usually, the complete overheating of organic residues occurs in 1–1.5 years. The readiness of the fertilizer is determined visually and by smell - organic matter becomes a crumbly dark brown mass with the smell of forest soil.
Can plants be grown without fertilizers? Probably, this is possible, but what will be the result of such agrotechnical actions is not difficult to predict. In other words, far from perfect. Therefore, we will not "reinvent the wheel", but we will teach you how to prepare compost or humus.
Most summer residents are used to composting themselves. This allows you to save money and time, and also frees you from a lot of unnecessary worries.
Humus is one of the best fertilizers, when introduced into the soil, it is possible to fill it with a large amount of microelements. Although its price is low, thanks to the practicality of the material, it is possible to achieve the correct structuring of the soil. For example, moisture saving is increased and the loosening necessary for plants is created.
Tip: If you scatter humus over the soil surface, you will create the best organic mulch that conserves moisture and suppresses the growth of most types of weeds on the site.
In addition to the beneficial process associated with composting, you also make a significant contribution to the protection of the environment. Difficult to find mineral fertilizer, which can be compared with high-quality humus, besides, a well-formed pit, where organic components are processed, becomes a real incubator for beneficial microorganisms and bacteria.
Advice: quickly settle down on suburban area ready-made country houses from block containers.
By composting, you can reduce the physical labor on the site. Now there is no need to remove garbage from the territory, since almost everything can be placed in a special pit.
This name was given to a product that is obtained from organic waste under the influence of the environment, as well as a large number of various microorganisms and insects. It is used for structuring the soil, in the form of fertilization and mulching.
Do not know what to do with fallen leaves in the country, branches and bark of trees, as well as their stems of plants?
Then, to get high-quality and environmentally friendly compost without toxic compounds, do the following:
Of course, there is a certain drawback in the method - the decomposition time of organic residues is quite long, sometimes several years. However, as a result, you will have a really high-quality product, and not a store-bought one, made on the basis of incomprehensible components.
Before moving on to the main phase, let's make a compost bin or pit. In the first case, you will have to make a box according to certain dimensions and requirements.
The following suggested instruction will help you with this:
Advice: take unedged pine boards for the box, then such a container will last a very long time, and its cost will be minimal.
Tip: Try to place the container under the compost just above the ground to prevent it from being washed away.
Advice: if you have difficulties with, renting a diesel generator for a summer cottage will help you.
Experts use the fast and slow method. They also received another name - hot and cold.
| Fast (hot) |
Cooking in this way takes several months. It is better to start using the material from the lower layers. |
Not all gardeners are ready to invest time and effort in preparing quick compost, but in some cases it can become almost the only alternative for saturating the soil with organic matter in the spring months (for example, you just bought a plot and want to use it for garden).
In addition, by learning the basic principles of making quick compost, you will also learn how to stack compost heaps more efficiently, no matter how soon you need the finished product - in two weeks or after six months. leaving the resulting heap for a period of 6 to 12 months. After that, its contents are usually ready for direct introduction into the garden soil (you can read about which materials are permissible to add to the compost and which ones are undesirable to use).
Many growers use a modified version of this familiar technology - they simply turn the compost heaps every couple of weeks or months to speed up the decomposition of its constituent components.
This allows them to obtain high quality compost with minimal effort. The disadvantages of such fast composting can be attributed to the fact that rainfall will wash out some of the nutrients from the finished fertilizer, and the rhizomes of weeds and their seeds will not be completely neutralized - after all, the temperature inside the heap does not reach such high values as with long exposure.
However, there is also a more advanced method of fast composting, devoid of almost all of the above disadvantages. What are its pros and cons?
Pros:
Minuses:
If there is any secret of making quick compost, it is a thorough grinding of carbon-containing components - fallen leaves, straw, hay, paper, cardboard.
This facilitates the access of microbes to materials, provides a more even distribution of air and moisture throughout the heap. In this case, it does not matter at all how the materials are crushed - manually, using a rotary lawn mower, or garden shredder, the main thing is the result.
If you do not have a garden shredder at your disposal, try to cut the materials into 1 to 4 centimeters long with a garden pruner.
Choice is of paramount importance for fast composting. correct balance carbon and nitrogen-containing materials.
Compost bacteria need both nitrogen and carbon for normal life.
The first is necessary for them to produce energy, the second - for the synthesis of proteins. For one part of the nitrogen they consume, they must also absorb about 30 parts of carbon in one form or another.
So for the compost dwellers to work as efficiently as possible, you must create a compost heap that has about 30 parts of carbon for one part of nitrogen.
For example, for every 30-centimeter layer of fallen leaves or hay, you should place a 1-centimeter layer of mullein or any other type of manure.
The original method prescribes stacking nitrogen and carbon materials in layers, but some growers prefer to mix them together. Which of the options is better, it is difficult to say unequivocally, but I like the second one more, so in this article I will consider it.
Once you've shredded all the materials, mix them into one large pile. If the future compost is dry to the touch, add water to it and mix thoroughly and evenly again.
The minimum size for your pile should be 1 meter wide and 1 meter high. But for its contents to warm up better, try to make it 1.2 to 1.5 meters in each dimension. Cover the compost with a thick film or pieces of roofing material - if you did everything correctly, then after 24 hours the temperature inside the heap should increase significantly. To test this, remove a handful of material from its center. It should be warmer and slightly darker than the edges of the pile.
After a couple of days, the compost heap must be shoveled for the first time.
In the future, the procedure will have to be repeated every 2-3 days to ensure uniform processing of the contents of the heap by bacteria. In this case, after a week, its contents will begin to resemble ready-made compost, by the end of the second week it will reach the condition when it can already be used to fertilize the soil on the site. In general, it is considered that the compost is ready if the temperature in the middle of the compost heap has dropped below +37 degrees.
I propose to watch a short video about ways to accelerate the maturation of the compost heap.
