Compost is the best substitute for manure: we prepare the fertilizer ourselves. Compost heap: how to make it yourself. Ingredients and methods of arrangement Methods for preparing compost

Discussing the pros of composting is like discussing the benefits clean hands, even indecent. Not only do we recycle waste, but we also receive valuable organic fertilizer. The whole question is how to properly prepare compost at the dacha, how to make a compost box, and also how to speed up this process and not do unnecessary work.

How is compost made?
Compost is organic waste that has been decomposed by bacteria, fungi, worms and insects. The result is a nutrient substrate saturated with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc. During natural heating, pathogenic microorganisms and helminth eggs, and many weed seeds die in it. In addition, the amount of cellulose and pectin decreases, preventing plants from receiving the same nitrogen and phosphorus in full. In general, a great thing for improving soil quality. However, compost production has its own nuances.

Nicola's Garden Art Inc.

How to make compost on the site: with or without oxygen
First of all, you need to decide on the type of composting. There are two of them: aerobic occurs with the participation of oxygen, anaerobic - without it. Each method has its adherents.

With the anaerobic method, a hole 60-100 cm deep is dug in the ground; it is advisable to concrete the bottom and sides of it. Chopped organic waste is placed in this pool, compacted, covered with film and covered with a layer of earth on top. Ensilage begins in the pit; anaerobic bacteria slowly but surely do their job.

Amy Renea

With this method, complete compost will be obtained at best by the next season. However, many gardeners do not wait, and within a month they use silage - they put it under the beds, cover it with soil and plant the seeds. The silage will “reach” in the ground, but it will attract earthworms, the gardener’s best friends. The closed type of composting has one more disadvantage, in addition to the long wait for the result: the smell of hydrogen sulfide, which, like methane, is abundantly released during the fermentation of wet waste. But, as supporters of this method assure, it is worth it: supposedly anaerobic bacteria are healthier than aerobic ones, and “cold” (soil temperature rarely exceeds 35 degrees) composting is healthier than hot composting. In general, the longer organic matter decomposes, the more valuable microorganisms it contains. Whether this is true or not is difficult to say, but what closed type composting, weed seeds survive well - a fact.

Therefore, gardeners most often use the aerobic method of composting, using oxygen. Let's discuss it in more detail.

Homefront Farmers

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

CompoKeeper

The gardener's path is strewn with hundreds of recommendations on how to make compost. Some people don’t put quickly rooting plants like field bindweed into compost - otherwise they will sprout and ruin the whole holiday (let them dry first). Others laugh at these tricks - everything will change. Whether to put tomato and potato tops and strawberry leaves into the country compost is also something everyone decides for themselves. They are often affected by diseases, but this is not necessary. But if you treated the plants chemicals from pests, it’s definitely better not to put them in compost. Plants infected with viruses should be burned.

Why are hard and sharp elements in compost dangerous?
“I would not recommend adding branches, hard stems (especially with thorns from roses), or cones to the compost - they take 3-4 years to decompose, and usually a year is allowed for compost to mature. As a result, sharp, hard elements remain in it, says landscape designer Anna Podolina, a participant in the environmental movement “Garbage.More.No”, who founded and oversees the bio-recycling department. - For the same reason, any bones are dangerous! They are sharp, hard, and sometimes do not decompose even in three years. When working in the garden, it is easy to get injured by sharp fragments in the compost; a lot of bacteria will get into the wound. Very dangerous ones that cause tetanus can also get in! This is the main problem of bones in compost, and not that cats or dogs will visit. And no one is safe from mice or rats in the country.”

Grafted Landscapes

How to make compost correctly: the science of composting
Before preparing compost, let's look at the recipe. All organic matter for composting is divided into two main groups: nitrogenous and carbonaceous, or, as they are also called, “green” and “brown”. From the name it is clear that one group actively produces nitrogen, the other - carbon. In properly laid compost, the layers of both groups should alternate. The bottom layer is “brown”.

• Nitrogenous organic matter: fresh grass, food waste, vegetables and fruits, grains and seeds, flowers, algae, tea, coffee, manure and chicken droppings.
• Carbonaceous organic matter: dry leaves, pine needles, wood, branches, sawdust, hay, straw, wood ash, paper.
• There are also neutral organics - for example, eggshells.

Claude Pasquer Architecte Paysagiste DPLG

Ideally, the carbon to nitrogen ratio in mature compost should be 30:1. There are average parameters: for example, in fresh grass this ratio is 15:1, and in dry leaves it is 50:1. But your nose will help you understand that it’s time to adjust your balance.

It is better to place large branches at the bottom of the compost bin; they will provide air access. You can use a very small “pillow” of sawdust for drainage. Next, nitrogen layers alternate with carbon layers: we replace the green grass from the lawn with last year’s leaves, etc. The optimal layer thickness is 15 cm. Sprinkle a little soil on top of each layer - it already contains the necessary microorganisms, they will start the decomposition process faster. Also fill the top of the box with soil. It is better to place new waste in the middle of the pile to avoid attracting flies and rodents.

Gardening chemists add dolomite flour, superphosphate and potassium to the composter, but proper care The compost will receive all the necessary minerals without these additives.

Claude Pasquer Architecte Paysagiste DPLG

What happens if you don't alternate layers?
Nitrogenous materials are called “furnace” - they heat up as they decompose. The hotter the pile, the faster the compost matures. However, this environment is too acidic and has little oxygen. You can deoxidize the nitrogenous layer using ash or chalk. Or add carbonaceous materials to the “furnace” - they do not heat up, contain a lot of air and consume nitrogen. Moreover, without nitrogenous materials, carbonaceous ones will decompose for a very long time. To speed them up, they are sometimes flavored with urea or saltpeter at the rate of 1 kg per 1 cubic meter.

Monitor the temperature. If it exceeds 70 degrees, beneficial bacteria will die. If the pile “burns”, its contents need to be transferred to another box or mixed well.

GARDIGAME

How to make a composter
To compost waste, pits, trenches, heaps, boxes are made, and ready-made composters are used. Whatever it is, it is better to choose a place in the shade, otherwise the moisture from the waste will quickly evaporate, and you will have to water your treasure all the time.

Pits are usually used for cold composting. For hot food - heaps and boxes. Compost pile- not the most pleasant sight. They lay it in a trapezoid; the height and width of the pile should not exceed 1.5 m.

Most often, a box is made for composting - this way the contents do not crumble, it is convenient to mix, and it looks neater than a heap. Plastic composter boxes are sold in stores; they cost from 2 thousand rubles and more. But why overpay?

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

How to make your own compost bin
For this you can use boards, pallets, old barrels or a metal mesh like chain-link. The design of a compost bin is quite simple. It should be no more than 1.5 m in height, otherwise it will be difficult to mix the contents to ensure ventilation - without it, rotting with an unpleasant odor will begin. The length and width of the box do not have clear standards, most often it is 1x2 m and 1x1.5 m. It is not worth making a box less than 1 m wide, since the compost mass may not be enough to heat.

Steve Lick Timberworks

Sometimes the area under the composter is concreted - this is convenient for collecting mature compost, but it impairs drainage and blocks the path for earthworms. The same applies to “pillows” made of clay, peat or sand. They are only needed if compost is made from feces and slurry.

If we're talking about about garden waste, it is more convenient to place the compost block directly on the ground. The most important thing is to ensure air access from the sides and bottom. Therefore, the box stands on bars or boards. It does not have a solid bottom: large branches are placed directly on the bars, and on them are sawdust for drainage, grass and everything else. On top is earth or peat.

GARDIGAME

In the photo: the mesh protects the composter from rodents, but does not prevent it from “ventilating”

Birdseye Design

A box is a relative concept. For some it is more convenient to drill holes in a used barrel, for others it is more convenient to dig four pillars and surround them with a net. And for some - to build a whole compost palace under the roof.

At Home Organic Farms

The lid and door are useful options, but not necessary. The door will help you extract the finished compost from below if you are not going to dig up the contents of the box. You can even make a folding side. The lid will protect the box from the sun and uninvited guests.

BLUEWAGON LANDSCAPE & DESIGN INC

Where to put the compost bin and how to decorate it
By sanitary standards the composting device must be 8 m away from the well, including the neighbor’s. If the site has a slope, then the hole is made below the well. You need to step back one meter from the fence.

If there is little space, a compost bin can be made from one section, two or even three - in one fresh compost matures, in the second the finished mixture awaits its fate. And the third is for shifting, so that the decomposition process goes faster.

Stepanova Elena

In the photo: vertical flower bed- good idea on how to make a garden composter with your own hands

For as long as compost bins have existed, gardeners have been wondering how to hide them in the surrounding beauty. One of the most interesting ways-decorative flower bed made in a table on wheels. It is rolled on top of the composter. When access to the box is needed, the flowerbed-table is moved aside. Another way is to combine the composter with the flowerbed at once.

Noland Landscape Design

In the photo: you can cover the compost bin using screens, trellises or a green roof

Claude Pasquer Architecte Paysagiste DPLG

In the photo: you can even make a garden sculpture out of a composter. For example, a mushroom

How to speed up the maturation of compost at the dacha
Of course, all gardeners at least know how to quickly make compost. Depending on the composition and care, it can ripen from two months to two years. The easiest way to speed up this process is to add biological products with bacteria. There are many of them on the market: “Baikal EM-1”, “Vostok EM-1”, “Vozrozhdenie”, “Shine”, “Urgasa”, “Gumisol”, “Tamir”. Most accelerators are classified as microbiological fertilizers for soil improvement. Depending on the brand, they may contain lactic acid, nitrogen-fixing and photosynthetic bacteria, microscopic yeast, radiant fungi and their metabolic products. This army accelerates the decomposition of organic waste and suppresses pathogens. Each layer is sprayed with a solution containing bacteria (read the dilution instructions carefully). After this, the contents are usually watered, covered with earth and covered with polyethylene.

Elena Veselova

If you don't trust bottled products, use ready-made, mature compost instead - sprinkle it between layers. This material is teeming with working microorganisms, so within 2-3 months you can get ready material. You can speed up decomposition by watering the ripening compost with an infusion of manure or adding bird droppings to it. Some gardeners water the pile with herbal infusion (herbal starters).

When looking for the perfect method to make compost quickly, remember: the smaller the waste, the faster it decomposes. Therefore, it is worth cutting the branches, tearing the paper, etc.

How to care for compost
In aerobic composting, microorganisms need air. Therefore, the compost needs to be stirred from time to time. This can be done within 10 days after laying. While stirring, loosen the contents; there should be no lumps.

To prevent the compost from compacting and ensiling, it is better to dry the tops and grass before putting them in the box.

For effective decomposition, organic matter needs moisture; the compost should not dry out. But you can’t fill it either, this will slow down the process. Ideal humidity is 60%. We check this way: we take the compost from the depths and squeeze it in our hands - if drops of moisture appear, then there is enough water. When it rains, the composter must be closed. If you forgot to close it, stir the contents. If it is over-watered, add waste from the carbon group, it will remove water.

GARDIGAME

Monitor the balance of nitrogen and hydrocarbons. If the compost cools down quickly or does not want to heat up at all, then you need to add waste from the nitrogen group - for example, fresh grass. The smell of ammonia has appeared - it’s time to add carbon components. Whether to add store-bought fertilizers - urea or saltpeter - in such cases is a controversial issue. Most gardeners believe that this degrades the quality and environmental friendliness of the product, so it is better to use natural remedies. The smell of rotten eggs indicates a lack of oxygen - take a pitchfork and stir the compost. Those who do not have the opportunity to regularly mix the contents of the compost bin arrange the layers with large branches, this prevents them from compacting.

Nature's Realm

What is a composting trench
A special type of compost pit is a trench bed. Usually it is dug half a meter deep. In the summer, waste is dumped into it, sprinkled with mature humus, and watered with infusion of manure. Cover it with sawdust for the winter. Such beds are ideal for planting cucumbers, zucchini and watermelons with melons.

Sushiiphoto

On next year When the nitrogen in the trench decreases, you can plant onions, cabbage or tomatoes and peppers here. Compost beds are effective for five years. It is better to plant carrots and potatoes last. And then fill it again with fresh compost.

Amy Renea

How to compost in garbage bags
One of the recently popular composting techniques involves the use of thick plastic garbage bags. Actually, there are two methods. First: mix nitrogen and carbon waste (grass and dry leaves) in a bag, tie the bag, make holes in it with a pitchfork and leave it like that for a year. The only advantage over traditional composting is that the bag is more convenient to move, and it thaws faster than the pile.

The second method is “fast”: a layer of turf is placed at the bottom of the bag, then organic matter is poured in, which is spilled with “Baikal” or another compost accelerator. The bag is tightly tied, wrapped with tape and left untouched for two months. Usually by this time the fertilizer is already ready.

CompoKeeper

There is an opinion that bags must be black and opaque. But, as experience shows, the son of mistakes, even in construction bags under the influence of biostimulants, the grass quickly rots. Experienced gardeners and, especially, ecologists are skeptical about such experiments - they are not environmentally friendly.

Vermicomposting
When vermicomposting the main labor force are earthworms. They pass organic matter, along with microorganisms and fungi, through themselves, turning them into valuable fertilizer.

What's good about worms? They not only accelerate the maturation of compost, but also saturate it with useful substances, disinfect it, and give it a granular form. No questionable additives are used. Compost processed by worms is called biohumus and costs decent money in stores. And the worm worker is an excellent one; it is capable of producing up to 100 grams of useful substrate per season. It is not surprising that this method is gaining popularity year after year; many manuals are devoted to breeding worms on the site. Let's focus on the main principles.

Mark Hickman Homes

Worms are different. The productivity of specially bred Californian and our “prospectors” is much higher than that of ordinary rainwater ones. But they often die, freeze and do not always take root, especially if they fall into the hands of a beginner. Local individuals, accustomed to the climate and soil, are much more tenacious.

To breed worms you will need a worm nursery. They are made in pipes, boxes (clumps), beds, but not in pits. Most often it is a cube box about a meter high with a door at the bottom. There is a fine mesh underneath to prevent moles from getting through. 30-40 cm of ready-made or semi-ripe compost is placed in it, watered with water and left to rest. After a week, you can put the worms in the compost in their native soil - that is, not just pour out a jar of residents, but bury a lump of earth with worms in the compost. This is necessary for their nutritional adaptation. Next, you can add new compost and don’t forget to water it (just don’t ice water). It is recommended to mineralize the substrate that the worms process from time to time - gradually add ground gypsum, chalk, eggshells, dolomite flour.

Steve Masley Consulting and Design

A place in the shade is chosen for the worm hutch. It is better to close the top of the box with a lid, and if it is a ridge, then with straw or burlap. Whether the worms have switched to a new substrate will be evident from their condition. Once settled, residents will be clean and mobile. The recycled vermicompost will be at the bottom - that's what the door is for. To prevent the compost from sitting in the worm bin, it must be dug up, not with a shovel, but with a pitchfork, so as not to damage the worms. An important point: these workers cannot tolerate an acidic or too alkaline environment. PH - from 6 to 8. To reduce acidity, use dolomite flour and chalk, and alkalinity - gypsum. Do not forget that ash is a strong alkali, be careful with it.
After the temperature drops below 4 degrees and the worms hibernate, do not forget to give them “food” so that they have something to eat in the spring. The top of the box is filled with 30 cm of earth and covered with straw. And close all the cracks to prevent rodents from getting in. To be safe, you can spill water on the wormhole - it will become an impregnable ice fortress.

Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association

Can it be used as compost for champignons?
If you are looking for how to prepare compost for champignons, then keep in mind: the substrate obtained from the decomposition of organic waste is not suitable for growing mushrooms. Compost for champignons is prepared within a month from horse or cow dung, chicken manure or a mixture thereof, wheat or alfalfa straw, alabaster and/or chalk, water. Initially, all components are laid in layers, and then interrupted several times. Depending on the composition, there is a specific order for transferring and introducing new components so that the soil for the mycelium is formed correctly. Growing champignons - a whole science and a separate topic.

B.Jane Gardens

Relax and have fun
“The abundance of information may make it seem to a beginner that compost is something very complex and requires constant attention, supervision and action. In fact, compost is very simple, says Anna Podolina from the environmental movement “Garbage.More.No.” - Even if you simply dump suitable crushed organic matter in one place, in two years it will itself turn into “black soil”. Air access is important, but often there are enough gaps in the sides of the composter for it; only sometimes it is turned over. I don't make a lid or a bottom. It rained - no big deal! If it's dry for a while, that's not a problem either.

Do you want less smells and a more “scientific” composition? Replace leftover food waste with grass clippings and sprinkle some soil occasionally. If you really want to speed up the process, you can spill it with a “bio-solution” from the store or diluted urea. But why rush? It’s easier and more logical to just make two composters: one is filled in a year, the second is “ready.”

May 17, 2018 azarova

Compost is an indispensable component of nutritious soil in the garden of any gardener. In addition, it is also recognized as the most affordable fertilizer in terms of cost, since the main component of its production is waste. That is, it is made from practically nothing, because in any garden there will always be some kind of waste.

You just need to know that in order to obtain complete nutrients for the soil, the compost heap must be properly prepared. After all, compost will not only fertilize the soil, but will also improve its structure, looseness and ability to retain and absorb moisture.

What is compost

In order for the garden to be well-groomed and provide good harvest, it just needs to be fertilized. You can do this with the help of chemical fertilizers, or you can get by with your own free, useful and safe product.

Compost is a natural organic fertilizer that is obtained by fermentation under the action of earthworms and bacteria.

To obtain such fertilizer, a compost heap is laid. Often it is done by simply digging a hole in the ground, but it is better if it is a specially equipped place - a composting site.

Compost bins are made in the form of closed or open containers, but you can also purchase special plastic boxes equipped with a lid and door.

Prepared compost is added to the holes before planting. garden crops V open ground or for planting in greenhouses. Or it is scattered over the area before planting the seed and lightly mixed with the soil.

What is compost made from?

Many people think that to prepare compost it is enough to throw all kinds of waste into a heap in some corner of the garden. Time will pass, they will rot, and you will get fertilizer. But this is far from true.

To get a safe and useful compost, you need to arrange the right compost heaps, so you need to take some points into account. First of all, the composition of such a heap. It may include:

• ash, chalk, charcoal, eggshells;
• grass clippings, straw and hay;
• sawdust and tree debris;
• vegetable food waste;
• weeds and healthy green plants;
• bird droppings and animal manure;
• compost stimulants.

Composter dimensions

The components from which compost is made are placed in a compost bin. Proper compost does not release harmful substances into the soil and does not cause inconvenience with a strong unpleasant odor.

It is important to respect the dimensions of the compost bin, otherwise it will be difficult to create a comfortable temperature and humidity regime for the compost. The optimal dimensions of the heap are one and a half meters in width and the same or more in length. If you make a bunch smaller in size, then it will quickly lose moisture and will not be able to warm up well. This will cause the composting process to take a long time.

Ban on compost

Before you make a compost heap, you need to know that you cannot add to its composition:

• disinfectants and chemicals;
• remnants of weeds with seeds of long-term germination or roots of creeping plants, since they do not lose their germination during composting;
• the remains of coated glossy paper, rubber, textiles, as well as animal bones and stones - all these substances do not decompose in compost;
• human feces and pet waste, which may be contaminated with worm eggs;
• diseased plants that are affected by pests and fungi, such as late blight - such residues must be burned in the garden;
• food waste of animal origin, which triggers rotting processes and causes a persistent unpleasant odor.

Open composting facility

You can compost, as advice to gardeners in specialized publications teaches, in the following way:

1. Prepare a site for the composting bin. To do this you need to select appropriate place at the end or middle of the garden and level the ground. Shaded areas without access to direct sunlight are better suited for this purpose.
2. Then fence off the area required for the composter with boards, shields or sheets of slate. Or put together a wooden box with slots for air exchange. You can also attach a special garden net to metal supports. This can be one container or two separated by a partition, one of which will be filled this year, and the second - next year.
3. Dig a hole half a meter deep and add a drainage layer to the bottom. For this you can use sand, gravel, large wood debris. It is necessary to make such a layer, since it is impossible to allow the water that will wet the compost heap to collect in the compost bin. It should flow out of the compost bin without obstruction.
4. Then it is necessary to lay a small layer of ready-made mature compost from last or the year before on the drainage layer. This is necessary to supply the ingredients of the heap with bacteria, with the help of which the compost is fermented.

Creating a closed composting facility

A more reliable and durable design than an open compost bin is a closed compost container. It is built with walls that have slits for ventilation, and with a lid that will allow you to mix the compost. Such a compost heap at the dacha has a neater appearance and does not interfere with the aesthetic perception of the space. As a rule, such a container is made of plastic that does not rot, does not fall apart, and will last for a long time.

To install the ventilation system, pipes are inserted into the box, which are protected with a mesh so that they do not become clogged with compost.

The advantages of a closed compost heap are that it allows heat to accumulate quickly and retains it well. This kills pests and speeds up the fermentation process.

Another advantage is that in these containers it is not necessary to strictly observe the proportions of the constituent ingredients. You can throw various acceptable waste, residues and grass into the pile in any convenient quantities. It is only important to mix it all systematically.

How to make a compost heap

To properly prepare the heap ingredients you need:

1. Prepare the necessary components by grinding them as finely as possible. Branches can be broken and plant debris can be chopped up with a shovel. The smaller the components of the pile, the faster the compost will mature.
2. Lay the components in layers, the thickness of each layer should be up to 15 cm. In this case, it is imperative to alternate the placement of food waste, wood residues and green plant matter.
3. The layers can be covered with manure or droppings, or commercial liquid fertilizers can be used. Compost stimulants are also used at this stage. It is better to use cow or horse manure for the heap, and the best poultry manure is chicken manure.
4. The top of the pyramidal compost heap is covered with straw, spandbond, boards or plant stems. This is necessary for free air circulation. Gardeners often cover the pile with polyethylene, but this is not recommended: when covered with plastic film, the compost will overheat without access to air. And this is fraught with the appearance of a putrid, unpleasant, persistent odor.

Aging of compost

The preparation of compost and the duration of its ripening is directly dependent on what fractions have compost components and what fermentation mode is set. In general, fermentation and composting take a very long time, the minimum period is several months, the maximum is two to three years.

The finer the fractions of the incorporated components, the faster composting will occur. It is also important that the temperature inside the compost pyramid is close to 60 degrees or higher. This will not only speed up the process of decomposition of ingredients, which occurs with the help of bacteria, but will also help to eliminate as much as possible the possibility of germination of weed seeds. Also with such high temperature harmful insects die.

To ensure the correct fermentation regime, it is important that there is good moisture and air exchange inside the pyramid.

Providing fermentation

In order to speed up the composting and fermentation of the components of the compost heap, it is necessary to perform the following actions:

1. When hot and dry weather sets in, the compost pyramid needs to be watered. Moreover, the water should wet all layers of the heap. This process is most conveniently carried out using a large-section garden hose, because a large amount of water will be required.
2. Watering the heap must be done in the morning; in this case, during the day, the wet compost will have time to warm up well, and the process of active decomposition will begin.
3. How to water the compost heap? Water it with regular warm water, but from time to time it is necessary to add a compost stimulator to the water or infuse fresh manure in it.
4. The compost needs to be shoveled a couple of times a season. This helps bring the well-fermented inner layers to the top. In this case, the upper ones move inward.
5. Also, when mixed, the compost is saturated with air and gets rid of accumulated gases.
6. With the onset of cold weather, the composter needs to be insulated, which prolongs the process of active composting. To insulate the pile, the pile is sprinkled with humus or peat, and then tops from the harvested root crops, sunflower stems or fresh straw are placed on top. This year, the remains of plants will retain heat, and next year they will serve as ingredients for a new pile.

Compost from fallen leaves

Separately, it is worth mentioning compost from fallen leaves, popularly known as “leaf soil”. How to properly make a compost pile from fallen leaves?

This compost is based on fallen leaves. The advantage of this approach is that at the end of autumn the leaves lose minerals, and only lignin, tannin and hemicellulose, which are valuable ingredients of humus, remain in their tissues. The downside is that these components rot rather slowly, which prolongs the composting time. The foliage of oaks, beeches, chestnuts, willows and plane trees contains a lot of tannin. Therefore, their leaf mass should not be used for laying in a pile, but only for covering it.

Leaf compost matures noticeably longer than usual, about two years. But gardeners do it because it is very valuable because it improves the quality of the soil. It also contains microfungi that decompose hemicellulose and lignin. And this becomes useful for those garden plants whose roots interact with fungal microflora in the process of symbiosis.

To get a good composting result, you need to consider some points:

1. When creating a compost bin, you need to take into account that microorganisms come from the ground, so you need to set it up in a clean space where no chemicals have been used.
2. Composting is accelerated by adding valerian officinalis, yarrow, chamomile and dandelion to the pile of herbs.
3. To speed up fermentation, bioconcentrates are added to the compost. In this case, you get a so-called fast compost heap, which can mature in three weeks.
4. You need to know that the high content of fresh pine sawdust in compost significantly reduces the potassium balance, therefore such compost at the ready stage must be enriched with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
5. The presence of green components in compost should not exceed one third of the total volume, because herbs ferment slowly and can rot. If it turns out that the bulk will consist of grass, then it must first be dried in the sun.
6. The highest quality compost is created using a variety of components. Not only organic components must be present, but also mineral ones. For this purpose, the compost heap is supplied with superphosphates, dolomite flour, and complex mineral fertilizers.
7. It should be borne in mind that manure is a concentrated fertilizer, so its content in compost should not be higher than 10%.
8. For better stability and increased air exchange processes, the compost heap should be laid in a cone shape or in the form of a pyramid.
9. In order for the heap to ripen faster, components containing a lot of nitrogen, such as straw, legumes or legumes, are added to it.

Any plant develops and bears fruit better in fertilized soil. One of the most affordable and widespread fertilizers for gardening is compost. We will tell you in our article what ingredients you can use to make compost, how to prepare compost at home or in the garden, what crops this fertilizer is used for, whether it is worth buying ready-made compost and which of the proposed compositions to prefer.

What is compost

Compost (lat. Compositus - composite) is a fertilizer that is formed during the decomposition of organic substances under the influence of microorganisms. Composting is a natural method of recycling and recycling organic waste, which improves soil structure and saturates poor or depleted soil with substances necessary for plants. But garden compost should not be confused with those soil mixtures that are sold under that name in garden centers and pavilions. If you make your own compost, this best of all organic fertilizers will cost you free. There are many recipes for making compost, and we will introduce you to some of them.

What can and cannot be put into compost?

Can:

• raw cereals, fruits, vegetables and their peelings and trimmings;
• sunflower stems, corn cobs, garden and melon tops, dry leaves, mown hay;
• drunken tea and coffee grounds;
• leftover prepared food;
• thin branches and shoots, untreated and unpainted wood, including sawdust and chips;
• straw, seed husks, nut shells;
• bird droppings and fresh manure from herbivores;
• paper - napkins, packaging cardboard, photocopier paper and shredded newspapers;
• peat;
• crushed natural fabrics - flax, cotton, wool, silk, hemp and linen;
• down and feathers of birds, animal hair.

It is forbidden:

• large and hard meat bones;
• ash from the stove or fireplace;
• synthetic materials and fabrics;
• peel from citrus plants;
• perennial rhizomatous weeds, especially in in bloom or infested;
• plant residues affected by diseases or treated with herbicides;
• insect pests and their larvae.

There is still no consensus among experts on whether it is possible to add human and carnivore feces to compost, as well as on the question of whether it is possible to add remains of milk, fat, meat and fish to compost.

The process of converting grass, food and household waste into organic fertilizer is divided into three parts:

• decomposition: at this stage, the waste heats up inside the heap, changes its structure and is enriched with useful substances. As a result of transformation, beneficial microorganisms, fungi, and earthworms appear in the compost, which help speed up the processing of the mass into fertilizer.
• humus formation: at this stage it is important to ensure aeration of the pile, since without oxygen the microorganisms that organize and carry out the process of compost maturation can die. To ensure air access, mix the mass with a pitchfork or shovel;
• mineralization: at the mineralization stage, nitrogen compounds decompose, and humus turns into mineral forms. The process reaches its maximum after a year of compost aging.

What are the benefits of compost?

Firstly, this is one of the best mineral fertilizers that fill the soil a huge amount important microelements.

Secondly, this is the cheapest means for structuring the soil, which is carried out by increasing moisture conservation.

Thirdly, compost is convenient to use as mulch, which slows down the evaporation of moisture from the soil and suppresses the growth of weeds.

Fourthly, you no longer have to remove or burn organic waste from the site, since it can be placed in a compost pit and turned into excellent fertilizer.

How to make compost yourself

How to make compost at the dacha

There are two ways to prepare compost - fast and slow, otherwise called cold and hot. But first, let's decide on the compost container and the location of this container in the garden. It is best to build a box from wooden planks or any boards that have not been in contact with toxic materials - stain, varnish, paint and the like. If you want the box to serve you long years, make it out pine boards- it won't cost you much. Build four walls, keeping gaps between the prefabricated planks - these gaps will serve to aerate the compost.

It is better to place the box (hill) on a hill so that it is not washed away by water, and away from the garden, otherwise the roots of all plants will change direction and stretch towards the pile with compost. Choose a place, level the surface, dig in four supports and nail three walls to them. It is better to make the fourth wall removable or opening, so that it is convenient for you to stir up the compost or take it out to mulch the beds. It is better to concrete the bottom of the box, or you can cover it with thick plastic film or old linoleum.

If you don’t want to bother with hammering together boards, you can buy a ready-made plastic or metal composter at the store - a compost container with a lid, the main purpose of which is to prevent the compost from crumbling. The advantage of such containers is that you can add protein waste - meat, fish, milk - to them, since they are tightly closed with a lid and rodents do not get into them. In addition, they retain heat well and can be moved. And the lack of composters industrial production is that air does not enter them. If you are not short on funds, buy local station for organic processing, which independently maintains the process temperature and is equipped with a control system. In the end, you can make a cylinder of the required height and width from a chain-link mesh and put waste for composting in it, but it will be inconvenient to take compost out of such a container and dig the mass into it.

When can you compost? There is no strict framework on this issue: you can start laying layers in the spring, after pruning trees and shrubs, and replenish the layers as organic material arrives. In the fall, you can put fallen leaves, vegetable tops and melons. Achievements modern science They even allow you to compost in winter. But first things first.

How to make compost? Place wood chips or cuttings of branches at the bottom of the composter or pile, which will serve as drainage material, and then begin to fill the composter layer by layer, and with what more types organic matter you add to the compost, the higher its quality will be. Preparation of compost involves alternating dry waste with wet waste and green waste with brown waste (nitrogenous with carbonaceous). The so-called green layer contains waste that is a source of nitrogen - cuttings and peelings of vegetables, small twigs, green tops, and the brown layer contains carbon-containing torn newspapers and other paper, fallen leaves and dry twigs. You can enrich the compost composition with plants that promote the rapid formation of humus - yarrow, dandelion, chamomile, valerian. To speed up fermentation, water the compost heap with a solution of mullein or bird droppings. The consistency of the mass should resemble a damp sponge, but moderation should be observed in moistening the compost, since “flooded” microorganisms will not be able to produce heat, which promotes rotting.

To maintain the temperature and environment necessary for the process, a homemade composter must be covered with oilcloth, old carpet, linoleum or a lid made from tightly fitting boards. Once or twice a month, the layers of compost should be turned over with a pitchfork to loosen the mass, achieve uniform moisture and stimulate processes that are fading due to lack of ventilation. In hot weather, the compost is watered from time to time to maintain the required humidity.

Well, you have put compost in the box, now you need to wait until it rots. The finished compost looks like a dark, damp, crumbly mass that smells like forest soil.

Compost production requires compliance with certain rules:

• Compost shouldn't smell bad. If the smell of ammonia appears, it means that the processes are not proceeding correctly, and the mass can turn into poison. In this case, add torn paper to the compost to level out the predominance of nitrogen components in it. To ensure that the ammonia formed during fermentation does not leave the pile in the form of a fetid gas, but is processed into nitrogen, the following procedure for filling the container should be followed: each layer of waste should be no more than 50 cm thick, and layers of organic matter should be interspersed with layers of soil or manure 5-10 cm thick;
• everything that you put in the compost heap should first be crushed, and the greens should be slightly dried so that they do not become sour in the compost, but turn rotten;
• before the onset of winter, you need to shovel the entire pile so that the bottom layer is at the top and the top is at the bottom;
• The height of the pile should not be more than 1.5 m, and the width should not be less than 1 m, otherwise it will be difficult for you to shovel the mass. The height of the pile is measured a couple of months after the compost is laid, since it will settle significantly during this time.

Quick compost

Many gardeners prefer to make quick compost: in an elevated area, they dig a shallow (no more than 40 cm) but wide hole, which is filled with broken branches and chopped wood, and covered with earth on top. In a year or two, you will have an excellent fertilizer for your garden and vegetable garden.

The fastest compost is made from leaves: in the fall, fallen leaves are placed in a shallow hole, layered with garden soil, watered with biostimulants (EM preparations - Baikal-M1, Gumisol, Tamir, Urgasa or the like) and covered with black film, and in mid-May this compost can already be partially used for its intended purpose. To speed up the process, you can put a “starter” from already rotted compost into young compost. You can speed up the compost preparation process by such means as a solution of sugar and yeast, which should be poured generously over the plant residues placed in the composter, or nettle infusion: ¾ of a bucket of nettle is filled with warm water, a packet of dry yeast is added and placed in a warm place for 5 days, after which The infusion is filtered and poured over the compost.

Compost at home

You can make compost at home in winter.

It is not difficult to make compost with your own hands at home. For this you will need:

• plastic bucket;
• garbage bag;
• several plastic half-liter bottles;
• a bottle of EM liquid that speeds up the compost preparation process;
• spray;
• plastic bag of sugar;
• plastic bag garden soil or purchased soil.

Make out plastic bottles cylinders of equal height, cut off the bottom and neck, and place them on the bottom of the bucket. Place a trash bag in the bin with several small holes in the bottom for drainage. excess liquid and begin filling it with crushed plant residues, spraying each three-centimeter layer from a spray bottle with an accelerator solution prepared in accordance with the instructions. After moistening the residue, squeeze the air out of the bag, tie it tightly and weigh it down with a weight - for example, a five-liter plastic bottle of water. Approximately every three days, drain the compost water from the bucket - this liquid can be poured into the drain overnight to clean it sewer pipes and drains in sinks. And if you dilute this liquid with water in a ratio of 1:10, you can water your indoor plants with it.

As you fill the bag with organic residues, spray each layer with a fermentation stimulator, release the air from the bag and apply pressure to it - do this until the bag fits in the bucket. Once the bucket is full, place it and the compost in a warm place to ferment for a week, then mix the compost with a small amount of garden or garden soil, put it in a sugar bag and take it out to the balcony or loggia, where it will now be stored.

Place a new garbage bag with drainage holes in the empty bin and begin the process of accumulating and turning waste into compost all over again. If you do everything correctly, you will not notice an unpleasant odor. A sour smell may occur simultaneously with the appearance of white mold on the surface of the compost - this is a sign that the process is not proceeding correctly. To correct the situation, add finely chopped newspaper or other paper to the bucket. Place the second portion of mature compost in the bag in which the first batch of fertilizer is stored. Ready homemade compost can be poured into pots indoor plants, add to the substrate for seedlings or take it to the country and use it as fertilizer or mulch.

Compost in bags

Growing champignons is now very profitable business, and many adapt to growing these mushrooms in their basements - this method is called intensive in contrast to extensive, when mushrooms are cultivated in natural conditions. Champignons are grown in different ways, but the most effective method is growing in bags: it does not require high financial costs, and diseased mushrooms in one bag do not infect champignons in neighboring bags. The only drawback of this method is that putting the substrate into bags requires significant physical effort. Compost in bags is placed on the floor in parallel or in a checkerboard pattern, and the checkerboard arrangement saves production space.

A high yield of mushrooms can only be obtained on a nutrient medium, and this requires a compost-based substrate. Compost for growing champignons, like garden fertilizer, you can cook it yourself. For 100 kg of wheat or rye straw you will need 100 kg of horse manure, 8 kg of gypsum, 5 kg of chalk, 2 kg of superphosphate and urea. The straw is cut 15-20 cm long, filled with water for 2-3 days so that it does not get wet, but is moistened, then three or four layers of straw are laid out in a pile or box in a row with layers of manure, adding compost fertilizer - all urea and part of superphosphate (500 g). Then the mass is thoroughly mixed, gypsum is added, then the rest of the superphosphate, then chalk, and after adding each ingredient, the compost is thoroughly mixed each time - a total of 4 times. The output is 300 kg of substrate - this amount should be enough to plant 3 m² of mycelium.

If you use bird droppings rather than horse droppings, then the proportions will be different: for 100 kg of droppings and 100 kg of straw you will need 300 liters of water, 8 kg of gypsum, and instead of superphosphate and chalk, use alabaster.

Compost for mushrooms should ripen in the open air in a place protected from the sun and rain for three weeks - during this time the components “burn out”, the ammonia completely evaporates, and the compost can be used: approximately 15 kg of compost mass is placed in special bags with perforations and mycelium is planted in it.

Compost in boxes

The box system for growing mushrooms was developed in the USA in 1934 and is still popular today mostly in the United States, Canada and Australia. Growing champignons in boxes, as well as in bags, allows you to localize the damage to mushrooms by diseases and pests and provides the opportunity to keep mushrooms at different phases of development in different rooms.

Boxes are made from spruce, birch or alder boards. The volume of the boxes can be from 0.4 to 2 m², and the optimal depth of the containers is 12-15 cm. Before use, they are disinfected with a four percent formalin solution or a two percent Lysol solution. As for the substrate, the method of preparing it is the same as when growing champignons in bags.

Ready-made compost – is it worth buying?

If you don’t have time to prepare compost or are afraid of not being able to cope with this task, you can, of course, purchase ready-made compost. The Biud company product has proven itself well - a universal concentrated and environmentally friendly biocompost that can be used for both ornamental crops, and for fruits and berries. To create this biofertilizer, both traditional composting methods and the latest Finnish technologies are used. The basis for this brand of compost is high-moor and low-lying peat, cattle or horse manure, droppings of poultry and fur-bearing carnivorous animals. Chopped straw, sawdust from deciduous trees, dolomite flour, vermiculite and other natural preparations are used as additives. By the name of the compost you can determine what type of manure is used in it - “Cow”, “Horse”, “Chicken”. There is also biocompost in the series, created to fertilize the soil in the autumn, it is called “Autumn”.

The use of compost during planting has a beneficial effect on vegetable crops - the fertilizer is applied to the holes one tablespoon at a time. 2-3 cups of fertilizer are placed in the pits of berry bushes, and fruit trees– a liter jar of compost.

Compost for champignons is also not in short supply - you can purchase it both in loose form and in briquettes. However, it’s still worth trying to make compost yourself, because it will require very little effort, and all the necessary ingredients are your waste. Start collecting and layering organic waste at home as described in our article, and your first bucket of homemade compost will inspire you to both build a large garden fertilizer bin and start a compost pile. As a result, you will always have high-quality and free organic fertilizer in your garden.

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After this article they usually read

Garden compost is a free and at the same time the most valuable fertilizer for garden plot. A garden composter is a small structure that helps a summer resident prepare excellent organic fertilizer while simultaneously getting rid of organic garden waste. What is a composter, how does it work and how to properly prepare garden compost so that the grass does not rot in rainy summer, and didn’t dry out in the heat? We'll talk about all this in today's article.

What is compost

Compost is an organic fertilizer obtained as a result of the decomposition of various organic substances under the influence of microorganisms.

In addition to the fact that it is a universal fertilizer, compost is also supported by the fact that the fertilizer is natural and absolutely free.

Why do you need a garden composter at the dacha?

A properly installed garden composter produces compost and is a kind of mini-factory for processing garden and organic waste into fertilizers, and also allows you to get rid of unpleasant odors and flies that constantly hover over the compost pit.

Composter device

A garden composter is a spacious container with a volume of 200-1000 l, depending on the needs of the summer resident and the size of the plot. The optimal compost bin has a base area of ​​2-4 square meters and a height of about a meter. The right box for preparing compost can be made of any material, the main thing is that the walls retain heat and the bottom can leak excess water. And of course, a garden composter should be easy to use.

Modern composters come in single-chamber, 2- and even 3-chamber types.

A homemade garden composter for a summer residence is usually made from boards. The frame assembled from timber of the required size is sheathed wooden planks. In the simplest version, either the lid is not made at all, or the composter is covered with film.

When constructing a homemade composter, slate sheets are often used, which last much longer than wood, and metallic profile, from which it is much faster and easier to assemble the walls of a garden composter than from wooden boards.

On sale you can most often find garden composters of various designs made of plastic. You can purchase completely ready-made composters, or prefabricated options.

In any case, if you decide to set up a garden composter on your site, give up digging compost pits in favor of a homemade or purchased composter. Very common in compost pits water accumulates, difficult air access, and, as a result, the processes of decay are difficult. In addition, it is almost impossible to mix the compost in a compost pit and it is difficult to remove finished compost from the lower layers of the pit.

If you don’t have time to make a good garden composter, and you can’t buy a ready-made composter, make a better ordinary compost heap - three walls from any available material, up to one meter high.

It is best to make a slatted floor for the compost bin. In this case, air will be additionally sucked into the compost from below, and the composting process will proceed faster and with better quality.

It is important to install the garden composter in a dry place, on a surface that absorbs moisture well - sand, gravel or grass. The drainage holes should allow excess moisture to drain freely from the composter to the outside. In areas with heavy clay soil, add a layer of gravel or cut branches under the composter. If the floor under the garden composter is wooden or concrete, then lay straw or sawdust down in a layer at least 20-30 cm thick.

For better process Rotting requires oxygen. To do this, the compost can either be mixed or provided with air access to the center of the composter where the most active decomposition occurs. This can be done using a plastic or asbestos pipe with drilled holes installed vertically in the center of the composter.

To speed up the composting process, the walls of the composter must be insulated. This can be done by laying a 5-10 cm layer of polystyrene foam on the inner walls during construction. At the same time, on hot summer days it is necessary to ensure that the compost does not burn by regularly and thoroughly mixing its contents.

The minimum volume of a compost heap should be at least 1 m3, otherwise the organic matter will dry out quickly. For the same reason, it is best to place a garden composter in the shade.

If the compost heap is located in an open place, it must be covered from above. In winter and spring, the garden composter can be covered with film, in summer - with any opaque material. If the compost pile is not covered, the nutrients will be washed away by rain over the course of the season.

When installing a garden composter, pay attention to the fact that the access roads are convenient, and the front wall of the composter should be made removable, low, or completely dispensed with.

How to make compost

As surprising as it may sound, the compost prepares itself. The gardener’s task in this case is to create suitable conditions and deliver raw materials to the garden composter on time. The process of compost formation is the friendly work of soil-forming organisms - bacteria, fungi and worms. They must be provided with food, air, comfortable humidity and temperature. They will do the rest themselves.

What not to put in a garden composter

• protein food residues - meat, fish, lard, bones;
• milk waste;
• chemicals for washing dishes, bathrooms, etc.;
• synthetics, including plastics;

Dairy waste and protein residues in a garden composter are bad because they attract flies and rats, and also emit an unpleasant odor when decomposed. They can be put into the composter by burying them in a pile in small quantities. This way they rot faster and do not create additional problems.

What can you put in a garden composter?

“Green” (nitrogen-rich) components of compost:

• green leaves;
• mown grass;
• tops;
• kitchen waste;
• fruit and fruit juices and waste;
• manure;
• feces;
• bird droppings;
• legume hay.

Green components rot quickly and with heating, which is often accompanied by an unpleasant odor. This is the “oven” of the garden composter. And for the soil it is a source of nitrogen fertilizer.

“Brown” (poor in nitrogen, but rich in fiber) components of compost:

• dry leaves;
• straw;
• branches;
• seed husk;
• corn cobs;
• paper;
• sawdust;
• bark.

These components rot slowly, coolly, in the pile and in the soil mainly provide porosity, retaining moisture and air, sometimes depleting the compost of nitrogen. These are the “rippers” of the garden composter.

Leaven:

• Earth;
• mature humus.

Using starter in a garden composter is optional. It only helps speed up the decay process.

Green materials form the base of the compost, while brown materials simply layer them in between.

If you compost only “brown” components, for example, dry leaves in the fall, the compost heap must be moistened with a solution of urea (urea) at the rate of 1.5-2 kg per cubic meter of material. Then your compost will not be depleted of nitrogen.

It is best to use straw manure for the composter. The highest quality is horse. It is not recommended to use pig manure - it is acidic and liquid. Any manure must be layered with “brown” components.

It is also not advisable to add bird droppings to your garden composter.

Kitchen and fruit waste must be placed thinly and must be layered with “brown” materials.

Hay is an excellent material for garden compost. It must be laid in layers, alternating with ready-made humus or watered with an infusion of straw or grass for faster rotting. If the hay is dry, it must be moistened with water.

Grass, leaves and other green matter necessarily require drying, otherwise they become compacted in the composter, remain without air and begin not to rot, but to sour, turning into poisonous “silage”. If you put fresh grass into the garden composter, it must be layered, like manure, with dry leaves or sawdust.

It is advisable to put weeds in the composter that are not seeded, so that later you do not have to weed the beds again.

The use of tops of diseased plants (tomatoes burnt by late blight, or cucumbers damaged by fungus) in a garden composter is strictly prohibited.

The quality of the finished compost can be improved by egg shells. Just do not use raw egg shells as an ingredient for the compost heap; salmonella pathogens can get into the compost with them.

It is also not advisable to throw leftover citrus fruits into the garden composter. They strongly oxidize humus, and worms, one of the main producers of compost, may not like this.

In ordinary compost heaps, it is advisable to sprinkle layers of organic waste with mineral fertilizers. In full-fledged garden composters it is quite possible to do without this.

How does a composter work?

After organic matter is loaded into the composter, decomposition processes begin inside it. The temperature inside the heap rises, which promotes the decomposition process.

In summer, on particularly hot days, it is necessary to ensure that the compost does not “burn”, because temperatures can rise to very high values. To do this, you need to periodically turn the compost at least to the middle of the garden composter.

As the decomposition process begins, compost worms appear in the compost. They help process organic matter in the composter, thereby significantly accelerating the decomposition process.

Composter care

The gardener's only concern when caring for a garden composter is periodic mixing of the compost components. The compost mass is heterogeneous; the lower layers of compost are always more mature, since the composting process began there earlier. To provide the best nutrient medium for microorganisms, stirring should be carried out once every 2-3 weeks. In this case, there is no need to mix the lowest ripened layer.

Before using the garden composter for the first time, it is recommended to cover the bottom with a thin layer of chopped branches (except willow, oak, and aspen) or straw. This is done so that the ventilation and drainage holes do not subsequently become clogged with compost mass from the inside.

If you are using a composter with a locking lid, it should not be left open for long periods of time. The microenvironment for compost ripening is created largely due to the isolation of the composter contents from outside world. The temperature and humidity inside the composter are usually always higher than outside.

In half a year you will receive fertilizer completely ready for planting new beds, and next year you can mulch the soil with mature compost.

How to speed up the decay process

If you want to get ready-made compost as soon as possible, the rotting process can be accelerated using special starter cultures. Please read the instructions on the label carefully. The process of rotting in a composter when starters are used is very rapid, the temperature inside the compost heap rises significantly, and if additional holes for ventilation are not made inside the composter, the organic matter can literally char in the middle of the heap.

How to tell if compost is ripe

First of all, by color, smell and structure. Ready compost never smells of rot, but rather of mushrooms or forest. It should be brown in color. If the compost is green, partial silage has occurred; if it is black, it has burnt due to cooking too quickly. If there are a lot of earthworms in the compost, thank them and bring them to the garden bed. There will be vermicompost, and, therefore, fertile soil.

How to use compost

Vegetable and berry beds can be built directly on compost. Without digging up the soil, the compost is poured onto a raised bed on which the seedlings are planted. Compost, made mainly from green grass, is acidic. It is advisable to add to it before use wood ash or dolomite flour.

When planting apple trees and other large plants, it is very useful to add compost to a pre-prepared planting hole. In spring, compost is spread under mature shrubs and trees.

Before seeding your lawn, it is also helpful to add a thin layer of compost to heavy clay soil.

Information from the Sadoholik website:

There is always a lot of organic waste on the farm - leaves in the fall, vegetables, fruits, manure of domestic animals and birds. From all this you can prepare excellent fertilizer without spending a lot of effort. The fertilizer is called compost, which means it is made up of individual components.

The cooking principle is simple - arrange the layers, let them cake and rot. To prepare compost, you need certain types of bacteria - anaerobic or aerobic, depending on how you add the components.

Types of fertilizer

Any experienced gardener who practices natural organic fertilizers to restore the soil will tell you how to make compost at your dacha with your own hands. But everyone’s recipe is different – ​​in terms of the quantity and quality of components, ripening time, and the use of bacteria.

How do the recipes differ in general terms:

• What microorganisms are involved in the composting process.

• Is manure added or just plant residues?

• Which box is used or the components are placed in a pit without access to air.

• What time of year does laying take place?

The amount of nutrients in the fertilizer depends on how to make compost at the dacha - open or closed. In the absence of oxygen, the ripening process proceeds more slowly, but most of the nutrients are retained.

With the closed method, it is necessary to completely isolate the mass from air penetration. In such an environment, anaerobic bacteria develop well, which receive energy without oxygen.

If you allow access to air, the preparation of composts will go faster, but there will also be fewer nutrients in the output. The aerobic method avoids souring, but requires regular mixing of the layers to ensure oxygen access. If this is not done, most of the beneficial microorganisms will die without air.

Vermicompost

How to make compost with your own hands so that 1 liter replaces 10 kg of manure - give earthworms the opportunity to do their job. The fact is that they quickly process organic matter and release waste products into environment- that is, into a compost pile.

The method of preparing vermicompost will be somewhat different from the usual composting of waste at the dacha. The components are added in small layers, then red Californian worms are added - they are record holders for eating vegetation.

When the eukaryotes process the substances, more components are added on top and the worms move to the top layer for a new portion of food. A door is made at the bottom of the box so that the finished compost can be shipped out.

This method has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages: worms need a constant temperature - in the cold they hibernate, so the box is placed in a warm room. Humidity control is required so that the substrate does not dry out, as well as constant feeding of the worms.

If you are interested in how to quickly make compost so that in a couple of months it can be used for its intended purpose, you need to attract worms. You don’t have to wait a year and a half for quick compost, but only a couple of months. It is used for both garden and indoor plants.

Benefits of Organic Compost

Organic fertilizers can restore even the most infertile soil. The need for organic matter arises when mineral fertilizers have been used for too long - not chelated, but in the form of salts.

To prevent the soil from losing its physical and chemical characteristics, it must be fertilized with organic matter once every three years. This can be manure, green manure, humus or compost.

Organic matter serves as food for soil bacteria, thanks to which humus is formed. Humic acids are the main factor in soil fertility. Organic matter increases soil volume and retains water. Without moisture, bacteria cannot survive, therefore there will be no one to process organic matter.

Recycled organic matter is safe for the root system of plants. If fresh manure is added to the holes, then toxic methane and carbon dioxide will damage young seedlings. As the compost heap matures, all harmful substances disappear, leaving only useful substances.

Minerals from organic compost are completely absorbed by plants, unlike chemical fertilizers, the degree of digestibility of which is about 30%. This is explained by the natural chelation of trace elements. Organic matter passes through the digestive tract of bacteria and comes out in an organic shell of humic acids.

In this form, plants can fully absorb nutrition - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and microelements.

Components included in organic fertilizer

Finding out what compost is and how to make it is another question. The fact is that errors are also possible here:

• The ingredients were mixed incorrectly. Some components should not be added to a ripening compost heap - they increase the ripening period or lead to a stop in combustion.

• When using additional bacteria concentrates, the wrong type was used. For example, they added a starter of anaerobic microorganisms and opened access to air. Or vice versa - they cut off oxygen to the aerobes, which is why they died.

• The components for the open method were packed too tightly or the substances for the cold processing method were not compacted.

• The humidity level was not maintained - the microorganisms died.

• Do not turn the layers during ripening. The bacteria have run out of oxygen.

Video: How to make good compost

The composition of the compost heap includes all substances of plant and animal origin:

• fallen leaves - it is better to mix them with green vegetation;

• cuttings of branches - need to be chopped before laying;

• sawdust and tree bark - dosages must be observed so that the composted mixture does not sour;

• wood ash – makes the fertilizer more nutritious and accelerates ripening;

• vegetable tops;

• manure or bird droppings;

• mown grass or straw;

• eggshells that have not been cooked;

• yeast with sugar to quickly heat up the heap;

• vegetables and fruits – also without heat treatment;

• paper, natural fabrics in crushed form;

• peat and soil.

For increase nutritional value superphosphate is added to the compost, since there is initially little of it in plants and manure. If you set a goal to properly prepare compost at your dacha so that it is both a nutritious plant food and a useful soil component, you need to add phosphorus.

What can interfere with compost maturation?

Many people have the idea that all garbage from a site can be placed in a compost heap. This is wrong. Even natural ingredients are not all compostable, let alone things like rubber tires, glass, plastic, synthetic fabrics.

When making compost at your dacha you cannot use:

• Sick plants. If the tops are infected with a fungus and the combustion temperature of the compost heap is insufficient, the spores can survive. Such fertilizer can cause infection of the entire area. Proper compost during ripening it has a temperature of up to 70 degrees. To measure it, use a thermometer. If the temperature is below 60, the fungus can survive.

• Feces of dogs and cats. They acidify the environment too much, so it is better not to use such components. In addition, animal feces contain pathogenic microflora or helminths.

• Organic residues that contain a lot essential oils– lemon or orange peel. Although this issue is controversial: not a single summer resident will be able to collect enough cleaning material to kill the bacteria.

• Sewage waste– also an open question. If the dacha has a two-chamber settling tank in which anaerobic microorganisms function, then such waste is good fertilizer and without composting. Therefore, they can be safely used. But if in wastewater fall detergents or chlorine, then such waste cannot be poured into the compost heap.

It is not advisable to pile it fresh grass– it should lie down for a while and dry out.

This will reduce the risk of souring and the appearance of an unpleasant odor from the compost heap. It is not recommended to use animal residues - bone meal, fish and meat waste. When decomposing, substances of protein origin emit a sharp, unpleasant odor.

Where should the compost pile be located on the site?

Depending on what processing method is used. If earthworms are involved in the process, the pile should be kept warm. Considering the emanating smell when components rot, it is better to place the pile or hole away from housing on the leeward side. The location of the pit should be below the level of the drinking well at a distance of at least 15 meters.

It is recommended to place the pile in the shade. The best place is under a tree. But if the pile is open-bottomed, then the roots of the tree will change the direction of growth in order to obtain nutrients. Therefore, it is better to make stationary boxes with a solid bottom.

One of the types organic fertilizer considered humus. This is manure compacted over two years. The method for making humus from manure is similar to composting in a pile. It is necessary to put organic matter in a special box. In this case, you need to understand exactly how to store the substance.

It is compacted to limit the access of air or, conversely, loosened so that it rots faster. In the first case, the temperature will be about 30 degrees and will not rise higher. In the second - as it should be for the maturation of a compost heap - about 75 degrees.

When manure rots, it releases pungent odors that can displease neighbors. There is a way to make humus at the dacha to fertilize the soil without smell. This is an anaerobic method. Bacteria that destroy sewer odors will help prevent odors coming from the pit from spreading. But in this case, it is necessary to arrange storage.

How to properly make a box for ripening organic matter

For the anaerobic method, you need a pit or a sealed pile to completely exclude air access. To equip a pit, its bottom and walls must be filled with concrete. This is done so that the liquid flowing down during the preparation of the fertilizer is not absorbed into the soil.

It is rich in nutrients, so it is advisable to preserve it. Before laying the components, the bottom is lined with peat, soil, straw or sawdust. These substances retain nutrient fluid.

After filling, the hole is covered with film and sprinkled with earth. Complete darkness and an airless environment are formed. When using manure, methane will accumulate under the film.

Ventilation is used in sewer drains. In the case of a pit, you can also attach a tube for removing gases, at the end of which there is a valve. The accumulated gases open the valve, exit, the valve closes, and with it the air enters.

If you put a bunch in a box, then there are 2 options - for the aerobic and anaerobic methods. The collar is installed on a concrete platform. The distance between the boards for the aerobic method is at least 3 cm around the entire perimeter. You need a door to make it convenient to turn the layers over with a pitchfork.

For an anaerobic pile, the boards are nailed close to each other, and the inner surface is lined with film or other solid material.

For ease of use, two-chamber piles or pits are made. A new portion of components is placed in one, and fertilizer for the current season is taken from the other.

If the ripening time is not pressing, you can use a net: use it to fence off an area on the site and put household waste there. Air penetrates well through the mesh, especially if the components are not compacted. When it rains, the storage must be covered so that the finished nutrients are not washed out. You can make humus in a fine mesh - add straw manure and wait for it to decompose naturally.

Making fertilizer with your own hands - methods

How to properly make compost at your dacha:

• Using earthworms.

• Using only bacteria.

Instant compost can be obtained only if earthworms are introduced into the organic matter. Those species that have a good appetite are recommended. They quickly digest the components and crawl up for a new portion.

How to quickly make compost at your dacha using worms:

• Place peelings, bread, food waste, and rotten fruits in a compost container half or one third full. Check for moisture: if water flows out when squeezing, add sawdust, shredded cardboard or soil.

• Add starter from EM preparations.

• Mix everything and leave for 2 – 3 days. The mixture should not emit a putrid odor.

• Before introducing worms, mix the soil, so that the ratio is 1:3.

• Launch the worms and make holes for air access in the lid.

• Wait for the adults to process the waste.

When the worms eat the entire portion, add a new one. If the composter is equipped with a bottom door, the finished fertilizer can be taken out and used. All adult worms will crawl up.

Stages of creating a compost heap

What is proper compost:

• the substance is dark in color, loose, moist;

• has a pleasant smell.

To start a compost heap, you need to prepare the components and grind them. Regardless of who will process the organic matter - bacteria or worms - they will eat smaller parts faster.

It is advisable to remove diseased tops of vegetable plants. Leave the green grass in the air to dry.

Layer-by-layer laying of components - what to put behind what

When laying, it is necessary to alternate carbon components with nitrogenous ones:

• Nitrogenous: manure, green grass, tops, kitchen waste - vegetables and fruits. The content in the mixture is 1/3 of the total amount.

• Carbon: straw, bark, sawdust, corn cobs, seed husks, paper.

Wet ingredients alternate with dry ones. A layer of ready-made compost is placed at the bottom so that microorganisms multiply.

• dry layer - moisten with water or urea solution;

• layer of sawdust;

• wet layer;

• manure or droppings - the best are cow, horse and pigeon;

• dry;

• wet;

• manure;

• greens or tops.

The thickness of each layer is no more than 15 cm. The earth is poured in a thin layer between the main components. If there is ash, it is poured onto the soil or mixed with it. To speed up the growth of bacteria, use concentrates and water each layer with solutions.

Fertilizer based on pig manure is prepared using a different technology. It is mixed with carbon components - straw, sawdust, bark. It must be kept until fully ripe, then limed.

How to provide oxygen access

The process of preparing compost at the dacha with your own hands requires care. First of all, you need to monitor whether a putrid odor has appeared. This indicates that there is not enough oxygen and the compost does not burn, but rots.

During the laying process, thick sticks are used that are placed vertically. After placing the components, they are removed, and the holes remain and ventilate the pile. If the smell does appear, then take a pitchfork and shovel all the layers. In hot weather, the pile is watered more often, and in rain it is covered with film on top.

Do not use a pitchfork when preparing vermicompost. This can damage the worms. Therefore, for vermicompost, the components are laid loosely, without compaction, and only to a third of the volume.

How is the readiness of fertilizer determined?

Experienced gardeners check the readiness of the fertilizer by planting a bug plant. If the seeds sprouted on day 6, then the mixture is ready. If not, then you need to endure it some more.

It's not a problem if the compost is a little underripe. It is used in a semi-rotted form, similar to fresh manure. The exception is pig feces.

The ready-to-use fertilizer has medium looseness. Water should not drip when clenched in a fist. The smell of compost is similar to forest soil, although some gardeners describe it as ozone-like, which appears after rain.

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Humus: what is it, what is its advantage. Types by storage time