Many believe that the preparation of compost-a simple matter: put in a box or a bunch of branches, leaves and other organic waste, covered and wait until ripe. Simple, but not quite.
Properly prepared compost will help the soil to restore vitality and increase fertility, improve its structure. In practice, every farmer knows exactly how to make compost, and prepares it according to his only correct recipe. In fact, a great variety of ways: they include a variety of ingredients, additives, prepared aerobic and anaerobic way. Describe each detail in one article is impossible, so let’s focus on the basic methods, time-tested and thousands of farmers.
I foresee the question: why make compost at home, because now you can buy it? But, of course, you can. If only you are confident in the integrity of the manufacturer. Otherwise you can not help the ground, and hurt her. Only by preparing the right compost with your own hands, you can be 100% sure.
What can be put into compost
- mown grass;
- leaf litter;
- animal manure and bird droppings;
- peat;
- egg shell did not undergo heat treatment;
- pruning of raw vegetables and fruits;
- thin branches;
- paper, feathers, natural fabrics (shredded);
- straw, sawdust, shavings, husks from sunflower seeds.
You can’t put in the compost
- vegetables and fruits after heat treatment;
- sick plant;
- seeding and perennial weeds;
- synthetic fabrics and materials;
- citrus peel.
Organic waste can be divided into groups:
- Nitrogenous
These include manure, bird droppings,grass, raw vegetable and fruit waste.
- Carbon
This straw, leaves, sawdust, grass, paper, cardboard.
Compost-how to cook
At the bottom of the container lay pruning branches, chips — they serve as drainage.
Remember: each layer of waste should be 30-50 cm, then a layer of earth 5-10 cm, then-again ingredients. The more different types of organic waste we use, the higher the quality of the finished product.
Richer and more complete compost is obtained, which laid plants that contribute to the rapid formation of humus: Matricaria chamomilla, Achillea millefolium, Valeriana officinalis, Taraxacum. Nitrogen and carbon waste should alternate in layers, as well as dry and wet. To speed up the decomposition process, you can pour a bunch of bird droppings or mullein.
Do I need to mix the compost
Yes, I do. The whole mass is enriched with oxygen, the layers are mixed, decomposition is faster, so it is easier to control the degree of moisture of the compost. The more often you shovel, the sooner you get a Mature product.
How to know that the compost is ripe
The compost mass should be crumbly, moist, dark in color. And importantly-Mature compost should smell like the forest land.
When is the best time to make compost
There is no strict framework: you can lay the layers of organic matter from the spring, as they arrive. Fall into compost, add the leaves.
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