Compost - what is it. How to cook in the country

Any plant develops better and bears fruit in fertilized soil. One of the most affordable and common fertilizers for the garden and garden is compost. About what ingredients can be used to make compost, how to make 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, we will tell in our article.

What is compost

Compost (lat. Compositus - composite)- This 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 processing organic waste, which improves soil structure and saturates poor or depleted soil with substances necessary for plants. But you should not confuse garden compost with those soil mixtures that are sold under this name in garden centers and pavilions. If you make your own compost, this best of all organic fertilizers will cost you nothing. There are many recipes for making compost, and we will introduce you to some of them.

What can be composted and what can not?

Can:

• raw cereals, fruits, vegetables and their cleaning and trimming;
• sunflower stalks, corn stalks, garden and melon tops, dry leaves, mowed hay;
• sleeping tea and coffee grounds;
• leftover food;
• thin branches and shoots, untreated and unpainted wood, including sawdust and chips;
• straw, seed husks, nut shells;
• bird droppings and fresh herbivore manure;
• paper - napkins, packaging cardboard, xerox paper and newspapers in shredded form;
• peat;
• shredded natural fabrics - linen, cotton, wool, silk, hemp and linen fire;
• down and feathers of birds, animal hair.

It is forbidden:

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

Experts still do not have a consensus on whether it is possible to add human and carnivorous feces to the compost, as well as on the question of whether the remains of milk, fat, meat and fish can be added to the compost.

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

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

Why is compost useful?

Firstly, it is one of the best mineral fertilizers that fill the soil with a huge amount of important trace elements.

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

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

Fourth, you no longer have to remove or burn organic waste, as it can be placed in a compost pit and turned into excellent fertilizer.

How to make your own compost

How to make compost in the country

There are two ways to prepare compost - fast and slow, which are also called cold and hot. But first, let's decide on the compost bin and the location of this bin 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 a box to serve you long years, make it from pine boards - it will cost you inexpensively. Put together four walls, observing the gaps between the prefabricated planks - these gaps will serve to aerate the compost.

It is better to place the box (burt) 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 compost pile. 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 openable so that it is convenient for you to turn the compost or get it to mulch the beds. It is better to concrete the bottom of the box, or you can cover it with thick plastic wrap or old linoleum.

If you don't want to bother with nailing boards together, you can buy a ready-made plastic or metal composter in 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 they can add protein waste - meat, fish, milk, because they are tightly closed with a lid, and rodents do not penetrate into them. In addition, they retain heat well and can be moved around. And the disadvantage of industrial composters is that they do not receive air. If you are not on a tight budget, buy a local organic processing station that independently maintains the process temperature and is equipped with a control system. In the end, you can make a cylinder of the desired height and width from a chain-link mesh and put waste for composting into it, but it will be inconvenient to get compost from such a container and dig up the mass in it.

When can you compost? There is no strict framework in this matter: you can start laying layers in the spring, after pruning trees and shrubs, and replenish the layers as organic material arrives. In autumn, fallen leaves, tops of vegetables and melons can be placed in a compost heap. Advances in modern science even make it possible to produce compost in winter. But first things first.

How to make compost? At the bottom of the composter or pile, lay chips or cuttings of branches that will serve as drainage material, and then start filling the composter layer by layer, and the more types of organic matter you put in the compost, the higher its quality will be. Composting involves alternating dry waste with wet and green with brown (nitrogenous with carbonaceous). The so-called green layer is filled with waste that is a source of nitrogen - trimming and peeling vegetables, small twigs, green tops, and in the brown layer - torn newspapers and other paper containing carbon, fallen leaves and dry twigs. You can enrich the composition of the compost with plants that contribute to the rapid formation of humus - yarrow, dandelion, chamomile, valerian. To speed up fermentation, the compost heap is watered 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 the "flooded" microorganisms will not be able to generate heat that promotes decay.

To maintain the temperature and environment necessary for the process, a home-made composter must be covered with oilcloth, an old carpet, linoleum, or a lid knocked together from tight-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 the heat, the compost is watered from time to time to maintain the required moisture.

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

The production of compost requires compliance with certain rules:

• compost shouldn't smell bad. If there is a smell of ammonia, then the processes are not proceeding correctly, and the mass can turn into poison. In this case, add torn paper to the compost to neutralize the predominance of nitrogen components in it. So that the ammonia formed during fermentation does not leave the pile in the form of fetid gas, but is processed into nitrogen, the following order of filling the container should be observed: each layer of waste should be no more than 50 cm thick, and organic layers are interspersed with layers of soil or manure 5-10 cm thick;
• everything that you put in a compost heap should be chopped beforehand, and the greens should be slightly dried so that it does not sour in the compost, but rot;
• 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 heap is measured a couple of months after the compost is laid, since during this time it settles significantly.

quick compost

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

The fastest compost is obtained from leaves: in autumn, fallen leaves are laid in a shallow pit, layered with garden soil, watered with biostimulants (EM preparations - Baikal-M1, Humisol, Tamir, Urgasa or the like) and covered with a 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 “sourdough” from already rotted compost into young compost. You can speed up the process of preparing compost by such means as a solution of sugar and yeast, which should be abundantly poured over plant residues put into the composter, or nettle infusion: ¾ buckets of nettle are poured warm water, add a bag of dry yeast and put in a warm place for 5 days, after which the infusion is filtered and watered with compost.

Compost at home

You can make compost in the winter at home.

Making your own compost at home is easy. For this you will need:

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

Make out plastic bottles cylinders of the same height, cutting off the bottom and neck, and place them on the bottom of the bucket. Place a trash bag in the bucket with a few small holes in the bottom to drain excess liquid and start filling it with chopped plant debris, spraying each three-centimeter layer from the spray bottle with the accelerator solution prepared according to the instructions. After moistening the residue, squeeze the air out of the bag, tie it tightly and press down with a load - for example, a five-liter plastic bottle of water. About every three days, drain the water that has drained from the compost from the bucket - this liquid can be poured down the drain overnight to clean sewer pipes and drains in sinks. And if you dilute this liquid with water in a ratio of 1:10, you can pour it over houseplants.

As the bag fills with organic matter, spray each layer of fermentation promoter, bleed the bag out of the bag and put pressure on it - do this as long as the bag fits in the bucket. As soon as the bucket is full, put it together with the compost in a warm place to ferment for a week, then mix the compost with a little garden or garden soil, transfer it to a sugar bag and take it out to the balcony or loggia where it will now be stored.

In the empty bucket, place a new garbage bag with holes for drainage of water and start the process of accumulating and turning waste into compost again. If you do everything right, you will not hear an unpleasant smell. A sour smell can 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 newspapers or other paper to the bucket. Put the second portion of the ripened compost into the bag in which the first batch of fertilizer is stored. Ready-made home compost can be poured into pots of indoor plants, added to the substrate for seedlings, or taken to the country and used as fertilizer or mulch.

Compost in bags

Growing champignons is now a very profitable business, and many adapt to grow these mushrooms in their basements - this method is called intensive, in contrast to extensive, when mushrooms are cultivated in natural conditions. Mushrooms 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 mushrooms in neighboring bags. The only drawback of this method can only be considered that the laying of the substrate in bags requires considerable 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 culture medium, and this requires a substrate based on compost. Compost for growing mushrooms, like garden fertilizer, can be prepared independently. 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. Straw is cut 15-20 cm long, poured for 2-3 days with water so that it does not get wet, but moistened, then put three or four layers of straw in a pile or box in line 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 remainder of superphosphate, then chalk, and after adding each ingredient, the compost is thoroughly mixed each time - 4 times in total. The output is 300 kg of substrate - this amount should be enough to lay 3 m² of mycelium.

If you use not horse, but bird droppings, then the proportions will be different: 100 kg of droppings and 100 kg of straw will require 300 liters of water, 8 kg of gypsum, and alabaster is used instead of superphosphate and chalk.

Mushroom compost should mature outdoors in a place protected from the sun and rain for three weeks - during this time the components “burn out”, the ammonia evaporates completely, and the compost can be used: approximately 15 kg of compost mass is placed in special perforated bags and plant mushrooms in it.

Compost in boxes

The box mushroom growing system was developed in the USA in 1934, and it is still popular today to a large extent in the United States, Canada and Australia. Growing champignons in boxes, as well as in bags, allows you to localize the defeat of fungi 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 4% formalin solution or a 2% Lysol solution. As for the substrate, the method of its preparation is the same as when growing champignons in bags.

Ready compost - is it worth buying

If you don't have time to make compost or you're afraid of not being up to the task, you can, of course, purchase ready-made compost. The Biud product has proven itself well - a universal concentrated and environmentally friendly biocompost that can be used both for ornamental crops and for fruit and berry crops. To create this biofertilizer, both traditional composting methods and the latest are used. Finnish technology. The basis for the compost of this brand is high-moor and low-lying peat, cattle or horse manure, poultry droppings and fur-bearing carnivorous animals. Chopped straw, sawdust of hardwood 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 a biocompost in the series, created to fertilize the soil in autumn, it is called “Autumn”.

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

Mushroom compost is also not in short supply - you can buy it both in loose form and in briquettes. However, it is still worth trying to make compost yourself, because this will require very little effort, and all the necessary ingredients are waste of your life. Start collecting and layering organic waste at home, as described in our article, and the first bucket of compost you make yourself will inspire you to build a large garden fertilizer box and start a compost heap. 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

In order to have a good harvest, high-quality fertilizers are needed, everyone knows this. And it is best to take organic. One of these is compost. It is good that you can cook it yourself.

The word compost itself is of Latin origin, meaning “composite”. These are organic fertilizers made up of various organic waste that is on the farm. The result is a mineral-rich complex that nourishes and enriches the soil. Suitable for any plant.

Benefit and harm

What is the benefit of compost? The best part is that this fertilizer is practically free - you use all sorts of waste and earth to make compost. But this is its minimum benefit.

In a properly prepared compost, all components are in an ideal proportion, it combines all the necessary elements well, and it significantly enriches the soil. When it correct use productivity even in small areas increases by 30-40%. This is especially noticeable on sandstone, clay soils.

But compost can also be harmful. But only if harmful ingredients were used in its preparation, diseased plants that can spread the infection throughout the site, or if the soil is already overfed, additional fertilizer will only hurt, it can chemically burn the roots and destroy the plant.

What to cook from

Already in early spring, many are wondering how to properly make a compost pit in the country. It's not difficult at all, you can put anything in the compost heap. But there are some subtleties that must be adhered to in order for everything to work out correctly. Not everything can be put into it.

Best for compost

Basically, these are any organic things:

• peel of fruits and vegetables
• rotten fruits and vegetables
• dried and flying around the leaves of indoor plants, mowed grass
• eggshell, but only raw (it must first be crushed so that it dissolves faster in the compost. You can use a meat grinder or coffee grinder for this)
• raw husks from various seeds, spoiled food for birds and animals
• used sleeping tea leaves and coffee grounds
• stale and moldy bread
• the remains of any vegetable and cereal dishes, any stale meat and fish
• paper napkins, thinned natural fabrics, used paper towels - they must first be crushed
• sour milk and dairy products
• combed-out pet hair (unless you sprayed them with bug spray the day before)
• animal manure, bird and rabbit droppings
• needles and spruce branches.

Can not use

• tea bags, used wet wipes - they are made of thin plastic and are not recycled in compost
• raw and heat-treated bones of animals and birds - they do not dissolve in the soil, they remain there intact for years. This also applies to fish bones.
• contents of animal trays - most fillers are made from ingredients that do not dissolve in the earth.
• burnt sunflower oil- it contains a large amount of carcinogens.
• felt from dust bags, disposable vacuum cleaner bags, etc. - these things are not suitable for composting
• some types of weeds that take root easily and have already ripened seeds - you will get excellent and beautiful, strong weeds in a compost heap, they will feel great there
• fallen leaves of trees, berries and fruits grown near highways - heavy metal ions absorbed into them in compost are completely unnecessary
• glossy and colored paper, sawdust and shavings with paint residue, chipboard boards
• synthetic fabrics
• it is not recommended to moisten the compost with dishwashing water, especially if any detergents. After all, few people want to eat berries or vegetables with the addition of Fairy, but it will certainly get into them through fertilized soil into which water was poured with it.

Tops and leaves of diseased plants should NOT be added to the compost. Bacteria will feel great in the prepared compost, multiply quickly. As a result, the compost will be poisoned by them and will actually become a breeding ground for infection. Soil "fertilized" in this way will infect new plants with these infections. Such tops need only be burned.

At first glance, it may seem that the preparation of this fertilizer is a dirty, bad-smelling and time-consuming process that only experienced gardeners can do. It is a big misconception that it can only be cooked in the country. A small amount of compost can also be made in a city apartment to feed houseplants.

There are many cooking methods. Since the word compost means "composite", it is impossible to make it from one component. If you try to make it from one component, you get just rotted slime, unsuitable for use and laying in normal compost.

When cut, compost most closely resembles a layer cake.

A container made of boards is suitable, into which air passes and there is ventilation.

Not suitable - a concrete structure in which there is no access to oxygen. In it, the compost will turn sour.

Then the ingredients are stacked in layers:

• Drainage is required for proper maturation. To do this, put various twigs, sawdust, and wood chips on the bottom of the container. the thickness of this layer is 30-50 cm.
• Earth is covered on this layer. Its layer is also 30-50 cm.
• other components are stacked and leveled on the ground until their layer reaches 50 cm.
• A layer of branches is placed on it, then earth, and so on.

The total height of the compost should not exceed 1.5 meters. Next, it must be covered with earth on all sides, covered with an opaque film and left to ripen.

There is a danger that molds will form in the compost heap and begin to multiply there. They thrive in an acidic environment, so to prevent this scourge in the middle of the pile, you need to create a neutral environment. Simply add wood ash or lime to the middle of the compost. It will take a little, no more than 5% of the total mass of the finished compost. To do this, it will be enough to sprinkle the layers with ash or lime.

• In the middle of the compost, it is better to put fast-decaying grass. It contributes to the full formation of humus. These are chamomile, yarrow, valerian, dandelion. From above, it is useful to pour this layer with a solution of mullein, bird or rabbit droppings.
• The compost must be periodically mixed to better saturate it with oxygen. This will contribute to its enrichment and improve the structure and quality. Instead of stirring, it will be enough to pierce it through with a pitchfork, this will also help the flow of oxygen.
• In the upper layers of the compost, lay the more crushed parts - they are processed faster. In the lower layers, it is worth putting larger pieces. So the compost will ripen evenly.

leaf compost

In autumn, fallen leaves for most summer residents is a huge problem - where to put it in such quantities. And most of the time it's just burned. But by spring it turns out excellent compost, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium. Just those substances that are so necessary for plants.

It is believed that the foliage of fallen shrubs and fruit trees is the richest in these elements. But walnut leaves can also be very useful in compost. Only it should not be much in the total mass, no more than 10-15%, otherwise the humus can be acidified.

In order for the compost from the leaves to cook faster, the leaves need to be crushed. To do this, many use a manual lawn mower - it is easy to operate it, and then collect all the material. And to saturate the compost with nitrogen, it is advised to add mowed lawn grass to it.

You will need a 1 meter cubic container. First, a layer of cut grass is laid in it, then foliage and earth, about 5 cm each. Each layer must be moistened with water. Then again grass, foliage and earth, and so on until the container is full. Top the compost with mullein infusion. Close tightly with an opaque film and leave to ripen.
Such compost also needs to be watered and oxygenated regularly.

Instead of a container, gardeners sometimes use dense garbage bags, in which holes are made for drainage and aeration.

Such compost matures by the end of spring the next year.

Compost at home

To prepare it, you do not need any sophisticated equipment, everything you need is in every household.

You will need:

• plastic bucket, 10-15 liters
• plastic 0.5 liter bottles
• spray
• thick trash bag
• a package of good land, purchased or brought from the dacha
• bag of flour or sugar
• bottle of any EM liquid

How to do

1. The bottom is cut off in the bottles, they are placed on the bottom of the bucket - they will play the role of a drainage system.
2. The necks of the bottles are put into a garbage bag.
3. Ground is poured into a 3 cm bag, then they begin to fill with cleanings.
4. After filling by 2-3 cm, cleaning is sprayed with the prepared EM liquid.
5. Again fill with earth and purifications and earth.
6. The bag is tightly closed and left in a warm place under pressure.

The contents must be constantly moist, it must be watered with settled water. tap water from which the chlorine is gone. It also needs to be stirred once a day. Since the package is relatively small, this will be easy to do with a rubber glove.

When the compost is fully cooked, it is mixed with the remaining soil and stored in a cool room.

Water that is glass from the compost is an excellent fertilizer. It is diluted in a ratio of 1/10 and watered indoor plants. It is also suitable for feeding trees and garden plantings.

If during the preparation of the compost a “marinade” smell appeared from it, this means that there is too much acid in it. Just add some soda to the bag.

Compost in bags

Making compost in a trash bag is easy. An important condition - the bag must be taken the most dense and durable and dark in color, ideally black. In such bags, the soil will stay moist longer. It is recommended to install it in a bag of flour or sugar, for greater stability.
The volume of the bag depends on how much humus you plan to cook. Experienced gardeners and gardeners advise taking a bag of 250 liters - there is enough fertilizer from it for the entire plot.

How to cook

With this preparation, humus does not require additional aeration.

1. The compost bag is set up in a shady spot in the garden
2. Ingredients are poured into it in layers - first the earth, then cleaning, dry leaves, ash, soil, and so on.
3. All layers must be tightly packed
4. The layers are watered with water, it remains in the bags, with this method, drainage is not required
5. When the bag is full, its contents are additionally tamped, watered again and tied tightly.
6. To accelerate maturation and increase the number of microorganisms, EM liquids are added to the bag. Any will do.
7. After that, the bag is tightly tied and left to ripen.

Compost in bags should be exactly moist, but not wet. If accidentally over-moistened, the next few coats should be dry. Then the moisture will be distributed to them in a normal concentration.

It is better to start making compost in bags before winter. During this time, it will have time to brew properly, there will be more microorganisms in it, the fertilizer will become higher in quality. In autumn, there is more waste suitable for compost, the bags will fill up sooner.

Compost maturation

Putting all the ingredients in the compost is only half the battle. He needs to mature. To do this, you need to take care of him, otherwise he will not be of high quality. Courtship includes several steps

• it must not dry out. To do this, the compost must be regularly moistened. In hot weather, this will have to be done 2-3 times a week.
• You can insert several strong thick sticks into it to saturate the compost with oxygen.
• during the ripening time, it needs to be completely mixed with a pitchfork 2-3 times
• earthworms can be launched into the upcoming humus. They will help in mixing all the ingredients and aerating the compost.

Ready compost matures for several months. This time depends on the ambient temperature. In warm weather, this will take about 3-5 months. In cold latitudes, full maturation will take 7-10 months, sometimes it will take up to a year. Readiness is determined by its structure and smell - it should be almost black, similar to black soil, loose, and smell like rotten earth, like after rain.

If the compost is peroxide

If a sharp and unpleasant sour smell appears, this means that the compost is too acidic, and this must be urgently changed. A substance must be added to it in order for the acid neutralization reaction to occur. This substance can be ordinary baking soda. Add a few tablespoons to the hole and mix the contents of the hole well. A few days later bad smell will disappear. Next, you need to carefully fill the pit and monitor it so that this does not happen again.

Instead of soda, you can take wood ash and mix it with compost. Let stand for a few days, the smell will disappear.

There was too much alkali in the compost

And in this case, spruce or pine needles will help. This element oxidizes compost well. Take branches and needles, chop them and mix with the rest of the mass. In a few days he will be back to normal.

Acceleration of maturation

If you are not in a hurry, you can leave the compost to mature on its own. Modern technologies allow you to speed up the process several times - instead of months, it will take only a few weeks to be fully ready. There are products that work as compost accelerators. Quite a lot of these funds have been created, these are EM liquids (Humisol, Baikal EM-1, Urgasa, Tamair, and the like).

They must be diluted in water according to the instructions that are indicated on the package and pour each layer of waste with this liquid. In warm weather, compost can mature even in a week, but the norm and concentration should not be exceeded.

Mistakes in cooking

One of the main mistakes is when everything is thrown into the bin cleaning and waste, and the compost eventually turns into a disgusting-looking garbage heap. In such compost, over many years, a certain amount of humus is formed in its lower layers, but this is a dead substance that does not contain any beneficial microorganisms. So this shouldn't be done.

It also happens that despite seemingly all the conditions met, the preparation of compost also stretches for years.

This is due to several bugs:

• the absence of manure and earth in the prepared compost. An excess of carbon-containing components leads to the fact that the components become very caking, become too dense, they lack drainage. To fix this, you need to lay out all the contents from the pit, and simply shift it correctly, using the soil and manure layer.
• inadequate hydration. In a dry substrate, decomposition processes are too slow, the required temperature is poorly maintained. The process may even stop. To fix, simply fill the entire compost with water so that it becomes waterlogged first. Then add moisture as the top layer dries.
• Insufficient aeration of the substrate. Without oxygen, the microorganisms necessary for proper maturation cannot survive. The compost could be very compact. To fix it, you need to pierce holes in it, into which air will penetrate.

Fancy Helpers

Common earthworms are very helpful in making compost. They process it into an enriched organic fertilizer -. They can be dug up, as for fishing, or bought at a pet store. One small portion will be enough to improve the quality of the humus. But they can be added to the compost when it is almost ready, and looks like earth. In an unripe substrate, they simply will not survive and will be useless.

The compost heap itself often looks unattractive, and hiding from prying eyes does not work. Therefore, they try to decorate it with improvised decor.

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We prepare compost in the country: rules and technology for the manufacture of organic fertilizer

Many summer residents understand that if you annually exploit the site for growing vegetables and fruit crops and do not apply organic fertilizers, then soil fertility will dry out very soon.

How to make compost with your own hands and fertilize all cultivated plants with it in the country will be discussed in this article.

What is compost and its benefits for plants

To begin with, it is important to understand what compost is and how to make it in order to make a good fertilizer. Compost is a type of organic fertilizer that is obtained from the decomposition of weeds, plant residues, fallen leaves, kitchen waste and manure under aerobic conditions (using oxygen). The decomposition of organic matter occurs as a result of the activity of bacteria, and for this it is necessary that the humidity in this biomass be at the level of 45-70%, and the temperature of the medium should vary within 28-35°C. Along with bacteria, various insects and worms take part in the decomposition process. As a result of their vital activity, additional energy is generated, which contributes to a better decomposition of biomass.

The materials used to make compost require shredding. Large fragments decompose over a longer time. In terms of value, rotted plant residues are in no way inferior to humus and have the following advantages and disadvantages:

• as part of the compost, macro- and microelements for plant nutrition are presented in the right proportion;
• barely hitting the soil, it takes part in metabolic processes, making up for the lack of nutrients;
• it combines with the soil and becomes its integral part;
• after irrigation and as a result of showers, nutrients do not pass into the deep layers of the soil, as with mineral fertilizers, but remain in the soil horizon;
• it easily passes water and air, which is very important for the normal growth of plants;
• as part of this organic fertilizer, humus is present in large quantities, due to which soil fertility increases;
• overdose of plants with this fertilizer is impossible, since all the constituent parts are of natural origin;
• with natural decomposition, compost does not clog the soil with toxins;
• of the entire list of organic fertilizers, it is the most affordable and cheapest.

No appreciable shortcomings were found in the compost, with the exception of an unpleasant odor, which may accompany the process of decomposition of plant residues. In addition, flies, ants and other insects will always indicate their presence around the compost heap. But this problem is solved by arranging a door near the box and placing it in the most remote place of the site.

Factors affecting the decomposition of organic matter

The process of creating organic fertilizer from food waste and cut grass is divided into 3 stages: Decomposition. The components of the mixture are heated inside the heap, changing their structure. Beneficial microorganisms appear in the resulting product, including fungi, as well as earthworms, which contribute to the acceleration of the processing of organic matter into fertilizer. Humus formation. At this stage, it is important to supply the collar with oxygen, without which the microorganisms cannot breathe. Therefore, the shoulder should be shoveled several times, moving its outer layers inward and vice versa. Mineralization. Nitrogenous compounds decompose to bacterial protoplasm and nitrogen, and humus passes into a mineral form. After this stage, it can be used for its intended purpose. It will take approximately 10-12 months to complete all stages in favorable conditions.

Choosing a location for the composter

A compost heap, pit or box is best placed in the far corner of the garden so that they do not fall on Sun rays. If the composition for the future fertilizer is intensively illuminated by the sun, the process of its preparation will be greatly delayed. Do not set up the composter next to apple trees or other trees - their roots will sprout into a pile and pump out all the nutrients from the pile.

Composter device

If you are thinking about how to prepare compost in the country, then you should familiarize yourself with the device of the composter. Proper organization of the decomposition process is the key to quickly obtaining high-quality organic matter. It is not difficult to make it, following the recommendations. Composting can be done in a compost heap and in a bin. The first way is called classical. The outer frame of the compost heap is made of mesh, which allows air and moisture to pass through. If special additives are added to it, it matures in 9 months. The material for the manufacture of the box can be anything:

• grid;
• wooden pallets;
• slate;
• boards.

On the market you can buy ready-to-use plastic containers. The volume of containers is selected from 1 m³. If the capacity is less, the process of decomposition of organic matter will noticeably slow down.

Layering rules

It is necessary to lay materials in such a way that soft and wet layers are interspersed with hard and dry layers. This provides an influx of oxygen, which will accelerate the decomposition process. Nitrogen and carbon components decompose differently. Nitrogenous decompose quickly, absorbing a lot of oxygen and releasing heat. And carbonaceous substances have a loose composition, are rich in oxygen and, when decomposed, consume nitrogen. If you put an equal amount of these components into the composter, you can achieve the perfect balance. Layers with a thickness of 15-20 cm should be laid alternately and mixed well, ensuring their contact with each other. You can evenly spread chicken manure, fresh manure or a special stimulant to accelerate the maturation of compost into a pile.

A good organic fertilizer is obtained when the initial nitrogen and carbon components are taken in equal amounts. It is advisable to sprinkle the first layer of ingredients with a layer of earth mixed with lime.

What can and cannot be composted

Those people who believe that compost is just a bunch of rotting plant debris in the back of the garden, where you can throw everything, are wrong. This is not so, in order to get the right fertilizer, you need to prepare it according to certain rules. The following components are added to the composition:

• green grass, hay and straw;
• green parts of plants and individual weeds;
• small branches, pieces of wood and sawdust;
• food plant residues;
• manure of cattle, sheep, goats and bird droppings;
• chalk, ash, egg shells;
• special composting accelerators.

There are a number of ingredients that should not be put in a compost pit:

• food residues of animal origin, as they stimulate the process of decay with the release of an unpleasant odor;
• faeces of carnivores and humans, which may contain worm eggs;
• pieces of fabric, coated glossy paper, rubber scraps, stones;
• any chemicals;
• weeds that produce seeds that remain viable for a long time, as well as underground parts of rhizomatous and root offspring plants that remain viable;
• plant residues inhabited by pests and affected by fungal diseases.

Ways to accelerate ripening and hot cooking

The composting process can take from 4 months to 2.5 years, the time required for maturation depends on the size of the ingredients and the conditions created.

Important! The temperature inside the pyramid must be brought to 60 degrees or more. High temperature accelerates the decomposition of organic matter and destroys weed seeds, larvae of harmful insects.

For fast food nutritional composition it is better to apply the following actions:

• provide a pile (pit) with moisture and air;
• add a special accelerator (Baikal-Em, Unique-S) or fresh manure to the water for irrigation;
• shoveling layers to improve the supply of heaps with oxygen;
• warming the heap in winter to extend the period of active fermentation;
• watering with herbal infusion, consisting of 5 parts of chopped grass, 2 parts of chicken manure and 20 parts of water;
• watering the burt with yeast infusion;
• landing on a pile of zucchini and pumpkins, the root secretions of which contribute to the rapid decomposition of organic residues;
• the use of California worms in the processing of organic residues, which pass organic matter through their digestive tract and as a result biohumus is obtained.

There is another cooking method - hot composting, thanks to which the fermentation process takes place in a short time. This method also has other advantages:

• weed seeds lose their germination;
• pathogenic microorganisms die;
• the substance has a fine fraction.

A variation of hot composting is the Berkeley method, thanks to which the time for processing organic matter is reduced to 18 days. When using this method, the following requirements must be met:

• the temperature in the center of the heap should be at the level of 55-65 degrees;
• the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the components of the substrate should be 30:1;
• the height of the pile is brought to one and a half meters;
• all components must be crushed;
• layers are shoveled 7 times and mixed well.

The algorithm of actions for the 18-day Berkeley method is very simple:

• form a compost heap;
• 4 days do not touch it;
• then within 2 weeks of days turn it over every other day.

The compost is of high quality, dark brown color, with a good smell.

Important! If you notice that earthworms crawl into the prepared compost, it means that it has finally matured and contains a lot of nutrients.

Types and manufacturing technology on the site

The compost is ready for use when it has fully matured. Well-ripened material does not require additional application of mineral or other fertilizers and is capable of providing a decent and environmentally friendly harvest. For the effective use of organic fertilizer from plant residues, you need to know how to determine its ripeness. The following are the main signs indicating that the composition has matured and is ready for use:

• the material has a homogeneous structure and it is impossible to see the individual components;
• after overheating, the compost has a loose and loose consistency;
• compost has acquired a dark brown color;
• the finished product has the smell of wet soil.

Ripe compost looks like black soil with loose and porous composition.

There are many recipes for the preparation of this organic fertilizer. Some of them involve the use of only natural ingredients, in other cases mineral fertilizers are added to the organic matter - after all, the plant components contain enough nitrogen, and phosphorus and potassium are present in small quantities. To make the right compost, you need to achieve the right balance of these nutrients. Depending on the starting materials used, the list and number of additives can vary greatly. Below are the most widely used and effective composting technologies.

Classic based on herbs and food waste

This type is easy to manufacture, while being effective in use. Classic compost is prepared from simple and affordable components, among which it should be noted:

• green mass, consisting of tops, branches and algae - it makes up the first layer (20 cm);
• cattle manure - the second layer (10 cm);
• dolomite flour or crushed limestone - the third layer (0.5 cm).

Layers should be alternated until the height of the collar reaches 1.5 meters in height. This is how this type of compost should be made, the only drawback of which is a one-year or even two-year aging period. The finished product can be used on the site.

With manure and superphosphate

This composition, as its name implies, is prepared using superphosphate, which enriches the substrate with phosphorus. Phosphorus helps retain nitrogen by binding the ammonia in manure. Making such compost in the country is not difficult. This type of compost consists of the following components:

• land from the garden (10 cm);
• manure mixed with superphosphate in a ratio of 50:1 (10 cm).

This method is relatively fast and is suitable for maturation in 3 months. If the ingredients are bookmarked in the spring, then in early July, potatoes are already fed with ready-made humus and raspberries are mulched.

With the addition of bird droppings

Chicken manure is a very valuable fertilizer, but in its pure form it is not suitable for use, as it can burn the plant. The best way its use - bookmark in the compost. To obtain it, the following ingredients are mixed:

• a layer of bird droppings 20-25 cm thick;
• straw layer - 5-10 cm;
• a layer of sawdust - 5-10 cm;
• the top layer should consist of a layer of peat - 10-20 cm.

If you cover the compost pit with a film, then there will be no unpleasant smell and the product will ripen in 2 months.

In addition to the above components, compost can be enriched with the following ingredients:

• superphosphate;
• wood ash;
• potassium salt;
• ammonium nitrate.

Before laying the compost with your own hands, straw and branches are laid at the bottom of the pit as drainage. Two weeks after laying the top layer, the substrate is subjected to shoveling. Thanks to this procedure, all layers ripen at the same time. For application, you can dilute the finished compost in water or apply it dry.

Based on peat

With this method, you need to saturate the peat with mineral fertilizers, mixing everything well. The ingredients of such compost should be the following substances:

• weeds free from seeds - 100 kg;
• dry peat - 200 kg;
• ammonium sulfate - 350 g;
• sodium nitrate - 50-70 g;
• potassium salt - 50 g.

Compost is prepared as follows:

• on a flat area, a small layer of garden soil is poured;
• peat is poured in the second layer (40 cm);
• a layer of chopped branches, tops and grass is placed on the peat.

All layers need to be compacted a little, then ripening will be faster. Thus, humus can be made from grass, peat and mineral fertilizers.

For champignons

When preparing compost for growing mushrooms, you need to take the following components in given quantities:

• dry straw - 100 kg;
• liquid chicken manure - 100 kg;
• mullein, in the amount of 50 kg;
• gypsum - 5 kg;
• chalk - 3 kg;
• water, to give proper moisture to the substrate.

Such compost is not used for top dressing, it is used as soil for the cultivation of mushrooms. The ingredients are laid in layers, pouring water. The ripening period can be several months. During this time, the filled collar must be subjected to 4-5 times perebivka. A sign of the ripeness of compost humus is the state of a homogeneous mass of all components of the substrate.

How to cook in bags

Compost in bags is prepared when there is not enough space in the country. Let's try to figure out how to quickly make compost in bags and how to shed it to speed up maturation:

• first you need to buy thick black plastic bags;
• the turf is removed from the site, putting it in bags;
• crushed weeds are added to the bag;
• the mixture is spilled with biohumus or other biostimulant;
• sealed with tape.

After a few months, the compost will finally mature, it can be used to fertilize vegetable beds.

Production in boxes

Many devices have been developed for storing bio-fertilizers for plants. People prepare compost in a barrel, pit, pile, heap and box. Boxes can be bought or made with my own hands. They are mobile and stationary. In the stationary version, the perimeter of the planned capacity is first marked and stakes 1.5 meters high are driven in in the corners. Then the spans are sewn up with boards, between which gaps are left.

Cooking technology at home

Compost can be made in slow and fast ways. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. To quickly prepare compost, you need to work according to the following algorithm:

1. First of all, we make a container where organic residues will be stored. This may be a well-ventilated box, pit or pile with access to the contents.
2. At the bottom of the tank we make drainage from a layer of hay, straw, branches.
3. The components are laid in layers and without compaction, so as to ensure the alternation of wet waste with dry, solid components with soft ones.
4. To speed up the process, special organic decomposition accelerators can be added to the compost in layers: nitrogen supplements, leguminous plant residues, cattle manure.
5. To maintain the process temperature in the pile and create optimal conditions for beneficial microflora, you need to cover the pile with an old carpet or oilcloth.
6. Every month it is required to shovel the compost heap so that its outer layers fall inside, and the inner ones are on top and on the side.
7. In the summer heat, the contents are lightly sprinkled with water to maintain optimal technological humidity.

If you were able to make the container correctly and carried out composting according to the technology, then you will receive the finished product in 3-5 months.

If you set out to make the right compost from grass or branches, you should be aware that this process will be very long, but in the end you will get a quality product. You need to prepare the components for composting, put them in a pit and wait for 2 years. So, let's look at the technology of preparing a "food additive" for plants in a slow way:

• we dig a wide hole on an elevated site with a depth of 60 cm;
• inside the pit we lay chopped tree branches, bark, wood particles, grass;
• on top of the heap we fall asleep with a layer of soil and wait for 2 years.

An effective organic fertilizer will be ready for use in 2 years.

Use of organic fertilizer

Ripe compost is suitable for any crops with the same application rates as manure (15-20 kg per 1 m²). Methods can be very different:

• in the fall for the main tillage;
• under spring plowing;
• before planting potatoes;
• add to the wells when planting seedlings;
• spring and summer as a mulching material.

In spring and summer, ready-made compost is scattered on the soil and dug up to a shallow depth.

Strictly following the simple rules and country advice, on the basis of which this useful organic matter is prepared annually at home, you can also properly make compost in the country with your own hands and fertilize the soil to increase crop yields and improve fruit quality.

Discussing the benefits of composting is like discussing the benefits of clean hands, even indecent. Not only do we recycle garbage, we also get valuable organic fertilizer. The whole question is how to properly prepare compost in the country, how to make a compost box, and also how to speed up this process and not do extra work.

How is compost made?
Compost is organic waste 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, many weed seeds die in it. In addition, the amount of cellulose and pectins decreases, preventing plants from getting the same nitrogen and phosphorus in full. In general, a great thing to improve the quality of the soil. However, the production of compost has its own nuances.

Nicola's Garden Art Inc.

How to make compost on the site: with or without oxygen
First of all, it is worth deciding 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 breaks out in the ground, it is desirable to concrete the bottom and sides in it. Chopped organic waste is placed in this pool, it is compacted, covered with a film and covered with a layer of earth on top. Ensiling begins in the pit, anaerobic bacteria slowly but surely doing their job.

Amy Renea

A full-fledged compost with this method will turn out at best by the next season. However, many gardeners do not wait, and after a month they use silage - lay it under the beds, cover it with soil and plant 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 the supporters of this method assure, it is worth it: supposedly anaerobic bacteria are more useful than aerobic ones, and “cold” (soil temperature rarely exceeds 35 degrees) composting is more useful than hot. In general, the longer organic matter decomposes, the more valuable microorganisms it contains. Like it or not, it's hard to say, but what closed type composting well survive the seeds of weeds - a fact.

Therefore, most often gardeners use the aerobic composting method, with the involvement of oxygen. We will discuss it in more detail.

Homefront Farmers

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

CompoKeeper

The gardener's path is strewn with hundreds of recommendations on how to compost. Some do not put fast-rooting plants like field bindweed in the compost - otherwise they will sprout and ruin the whole holiday (let them dry first). Others laugh at these tricks - everything will be overwritten. Whether to lay the tops of tomatoes and potatoes, strawberry leaves in the country compost - everyone also decides for himself. They are often afflicted with diseases, but this is not at all necessary. But if you processed plants chemicals from pests, it’s definitely better not to put them in the compost. Plants affected by viruses must be burned.

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

Grafted landscapes

How to make compost: the science of composting
Before making 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 well-placed compost, the layers of both groups should alternate. The bottom layer is "brown".

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

Claude Pasquer Architecte Paysagiste DPLG

Ideally, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen 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 to understand that it is time to adjust the balance, the nose will help you.

It is better to put large branches at the bottom of the compost bin, they will provide air access. You can have a very small "pillow" of sawdust - for drainage. Further, nitrogenous layers alternate with carbon layers: we shift green grass from the lawn with last year's leaves, etc. Optimal Thickness layer - 15 cm. Sprinkle a little earth on top of each layer - it already has the necessary microorganisms, they will start the decomposition process faster. Also fill the box with earth from above. New waste is best placed in the middle of the pile so as not to attract flies and rodents.

Growers-chemists add dolomite flour, superphosphate and potassium to the composter, but with proper care all the right minerals compost will receive without these additives.

Claude Pasquer Architecte Paysagiste DPLG

What happens if you don't alternate layers
Nitrogenous materials are called a "furnace" - they decompose and heat up. The hotter the pile, the faster the compost matures. However, this environment is too acidic and there is little oxygen in it. You can deoxidize the nitrogenous layer with ash or chalk. Or add carbon materials to the "furnace" - they do not heat up, contain a lot of air and consume nitrogen. At the same time, without nitrogenous materials, carbonaceous materials 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.

Watch the temperature. If it exceeds 70 degrees, beneficial bacteria will die. If the pile "burns", its contents must be transferred to another box or mixed well.

GARDIGAME

How to make a composter
For waste composting, pits, trenches, heaps, boxes are made, 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 - heaps and boxes. A compost heap is not the most pleasant sight. It is laid 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 it, and it looks neater than a pile. 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 a DIY compost bin
To do this, you can use boards, pallets, old barrels or a metal mesh like a chain-link. The device of the compost box is quite simple. It should be no more than 1.5 m high, otherwise it will be difficult to mix the contents to ensure ventilation - without it, rotting will begin with bad smell. The length and width of the box do not have clear standards, most often it is 1x2 m and 1x1.5 m. You should not make a box less than 1 m wide, since the compost mass may not be enough for heating.

Steve Lick Timberworks

Sometimes the site under the composter is concreted - this is convenient for collecting mature compost, but worsens drainage and blocks the path for earthworms. The same applies to "pillows" made of clay, peat or sand. They are needed only if the compost is made from faeces and slurry.

When it comes to garden waste, it is more convenient to place the compost block directly on the ground. The most important thing is to provide air access on 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 already on them - sawdust for drainage, grass and everything else. Above - earth or peat.

GARDIGAME

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

birdseye design

The box is a relative concept. It is more convenient for someone to drill holes in a barrel that has served its purpose, for someone - to dig four pillars and enclose them with a net. And someone - to build a whole compost palace under the roof.

At Home Organic Farms

Lid and door are useful but optional options. The door will help to 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 board. The lid will close the box from the sun and intruders.

BLUEWAGON LANDSCAPE & DESIGN INC

Where to put the compost bin and how to decorate
According to sanitary standards, the composting device should be removed 8 m from the well, including the neighbor's one. If the site has a slope, then the pit is made below the well. One meter must be retreated from the fence.

If there is not enough space, a compost bin can be made from one section, two or even three - fresh compost ripens in one, and the finished mixture awaits its fate in the second. And the third - for shifting, so that the decomposition process goes faster.

Stepanova Elena

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

As long as there are compost bins, gardeners have been racking their brains on how to hide them in the surrounding beauty. One of the most interesting ways is a decorative flower bed made in a table on wheels. It is rolled over the composter. When you need access to the box, the flower bed-table is moved away. Another way is to combine the composter with the flower bed at once.

Noland Landscape Design

In the photo: you can cover the compost bin with 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 in the country
Of course, all gardeners though know how to quickly make compost. Depending on the composition and care, it can mature from two months to two years. The easiest way to speed up this process is to add biopreparations with bacteria. There are many of them on the market: Baikal EM-1, Vostok EM-1, Vozrozhdenie, Shine, Urgasa, Humisol, 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 yeasts, radiant fungi and their metabolic products. This army accelerates the decomposition of organic waste and suppresses pathogens. Each layer is sprayed with a solution with bacteria (carefully read the dilution instructions). After that, the contents are usually poured with water, covered with earth and covered with polyethylene.

Elena Veselova

If you do not trust bottled preparations, use ready-made, mature compost instead - sprinkle it between layers. This material is teeming with working microorganisms, so that after 2-3 months you can get the finished material. You can speed up decomposition by watering the ripening compost with manure infusion or adding bird droppings to it. Some gardeners water the pile with herbal infusion (herbal starter cultures).

When looking for the perfect method for making compost quickly, remember that the finer the waste, the faster it will decompose. 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 mixed from time to time. You can do this as early as 10 days after the bookmark. While mixing, loosen the contents, there should be no lumps in it.

So that the compost does not clog and ensiling does not begin, it is better to dry the tops and grass before laying it in the box.

For effective decomposition, organic matter needs moisture, the compost should not dry out. But you can’t fill it either, it will slow down the process. The ideal humidity is 60%. We check this way: we take the compost from the depth and squeeze it in our hand - if drops of moisture appear, then there is enough water. When it rains, the composter must be closed. Forgot to close - mix the contents. Waterlogged - add waste from the carbon group, they will remove the water.

GARDIGAME

Keep a balance of nitrogen and hydrocarbons. If the compost has cooled down quickly or does not want to heat up at all, then you need to add waste from the nitrogenous group - for example, fresh grass. There was a smell of ammonia - it's time to add carbonaceous components. Whether to add in such cases store fertilizers - urea or saltpeter - is a moot point. Most gardeners believe that this degrades the quality and environmental friendliness of the product, so it is better to do without natural remedies. The smell of rotten eggs indicates a lack of oxygen - take a pitchfork and mix the compost. Those who do not have the opportunity to regularly mix the contents of the compost bin shift the layers with large branches, this prevents them from caking.

Nature's Realm

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

Sushi photo

The next year, when the nitrogen in the trench decreases, you can plant onions, cabbage or tomatoes with peppers here. Compost beds are effective for five years. The last in them is better to plant carrots and potatoes. And then refill with fresh compost.

Amy Renea

How to make compost in trash bags
One of the most popular composting techniques in recent times 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 a bag, make holes in it with a pitchfork and leave it like that for a year. The 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 on the bottom of the bag, then organic matter is poured, which is spilled with Baikal or another compost accelerator. The bag is tightly tied, wrapped with tape and not touched for two months. Usually by this time the fertilizer is ready.

CompoKeeper

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

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

Why are worms good? They not only accelerate the maturation of compost, but also saturate it with useful substances, disinfect it, and give it a granular form. It does not use any questionable additives. Compost processed by worms is called biohumus and costs decent money in stores. And the worker from the worm is wonderful, it is able to produce up to 100 grams of useful substrate per season. It is not surprising that this method is gaining popularity from year to year; many benefits are devoted to breeding worms on the site. Let's go over the main principles.

Mark Hickman Homes

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

To breed worms, you will need a worm nursery. They are made in pipes, boxes (piles), beds, but not in pits. Most often it is a box-cube about a meter high with a door at the bottom. Below is a fine mesh so that moles do not crawl through. 30-40 cm of ready-made or semi-ripe compost are placed in it, watered and left to “lie down”. After a week, you can put 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. Then you can add new compost and do not forget to water it (only not with ice water). The substrate that the worms process is recommended to be mineralized from time to time - gradually add ground gypsum, chalk, eggshells, dolomite flour.

Steve Masley Consulting and Design

For the worm, a place in the shade is chosen. From above, it is better to close 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 seen by their condition. The accustomed tenants will be clean and mobile. The recycled vermicompost will be at the bottom - that's what the door is for. To prevent stale compost in the wormhole, it must be dug up, but not with a shovel, but with a pitchfork, so as not to damage the worms. Important point: These workers do not tolerate acidic or too alkaline environments. 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 fill them with "feed" - so that in the spring there is something to eat. From above, the box is covered with earth by 30 cm and covered with straw. And close all the cracks so that rodents do not get into it. For reliability, you can spill the worm with water - it will become an impregnable ice fortress.

Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association

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

B. Jane Gardens

Relax and enjoy
“From the abundance of information to a beginner, it may seem 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 just dump suitable crushed organic matter in one place, in two years it will turn into “black earth” itself. Air access is important, but often the slots in the sides of the composter are enough for it, only occasionally it is turned. I don't make lids or bottoms. It's raining - no big deal! Dried out for a while - also does not matter.

Do you want less smell and a more “scientific” composition? Shift leftover food waste with mowed grass and sometimes sprinkle with earth. 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 fills up in a year, the second “reaches”.

May 17, 2018 azarova

And in the old days there was a lot of manure, it lay in huge piles near the sheds with animals, no one composted it, it rotted itself, and therefore the people simply called it humus.
Sometimes compost and humus are called humus. But humus is a borrowed Latin word, meaning earth, soil. And it is more correct to talk about humus in the context of talking about the soil, about the constituent part of the soil. Humus is what remains of organic matter that has been in the soil for a long time, processed by soil inhabitants, combined with soil particles into a single complex and lost visible to the eye fibrous structure of organic matter.

When we take the soil in our hands in the spring, we feel the pleasant smell of the earth and see its black color, we say that there is a lot of humus in the earth, this is black soil. Therefore, the closest synonym for humus is chernozem.
When we take in hand good compost and we also see the black color and feel a pleasant smell, we still don’t call it humus or soil, but when we introduce such compost into poor soil, we understand that we are enriching the soil with humus, turning the soil into black soil.

But when we approach a heap of rotted manure, take humus in our hand, we do not always smell the soil, sometimes the humus has an unpleasant putrefactive smell. Intuitively, we understand the difference between black soil, between good compost, and between humus (an old pile of pig manure that we did not want to compost properly).
So we understood at the ordinary level what compost is, it is organic matter with which we worked, which we composted.

Why Gardeners Make Compost Differently

Someone is afraid of worms, read a lot of esoteric literature and strictly monitors the temperature of the heap so that all eggs and microbes die. Washes hands and vegetables endlessly with soap and brush after working in organic gardens.
Someone builds tables and calculates on a computer how much nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium is in which compost, and what additives should be added to it for each crop.

For some, compost is just a way to utilize the existing organic matter, reduce its volume, reduce the putrefactive smell, so that it is easier to take it out and bring it to the beds. For these purposes, I just put it in bags for six months.

There are fanatical naturalists who believe in the myths of soil digestion, who believe that compost is a loss of carbon energy, and all organic matter must be composted in the garden so that there is no loss, and all the sun's energy goes to the roots of plants. And humus is a dummy, bacteria poop that does not contain nitrogen.

I used to compost the other way too

In soil, especially depleted agriculture, not always contain all beneficial microorganisms. Therefore, in order to restore the soil, we must introduce composts with a high content of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms into it. Such inoculants can be: live compost, biohumus, vermicay, compost tea.

All novice gardeners have confusion in their heads

What materials should be used for the rapid maturation of compost

• Various types of manure and litter from pets (waste from the toilet and feces should settle for 3-4 months). This is a nitrogenous material. It causes "burning" of the compost heap.
• Hay, straw, leaves, coarse grass are carbonaceous material. All materials must be crushed: otherwise they are difficult to turn over, and it is more difficult for microorganisms to process them.
• Green grass with turf - contains soil microorganisms, it is with green material that they enter the compost heap.
• Wood mulch is food for mushrooms, mushrooms love to recycle wood fiber.
• In the middle of the compost heap, you can add a kind of seed - comfrey, nettle, yarrow, fish, food waste. This will speed up the overall decomposition process. These are compost activators or accelerators that help warm up the pile.

I'll tell you in detail, in order
First, we make a loose base of the heap: put hay, small branches at the very bottom. It is very important that air is easily drawn into the pile from below. Then we lay a layer of nitrogenous material, alternating with carbonaceous.
After laying the heap, pour water over it so that it is moderately moist.
Then we cover the pile with waterproof material and leave it for 4 days.
On the fourth day, we make the first transfer of the heap. Our task is to place outer material inward, and the inner outward. This is necessary for even composting, as the inside of the pile is hotter than the outside.
Then on the sixth day we do the second transfer of the heap. We control the heap temperature. We throw a bunch every other day, the outer material inward, and the inner material outward. On the 18th or 24th day, the compost should be ready, if it is not overheated or overdried.

Overheating will occur during the second third throwing - on the 6-8th day. Stick your arm up to your elbow in the compost heap. If you succeeded and you shout "Hot!" they pulled the hand back, which means that the temperature is above +50 ° C, and everything is fine. At +70 ° C, you will not be able to put your hand in a pile, it hurts.
During the composting process, optimal humidity should be observed, for this we take a little material from the base of the pile and squeeze it very strongly between the palms. If it drips a little, that's what you need.

What happens in the compost heap

How can live compost be used?

2. For vegetable beds, I prepare compost rich in nitrogen, which is dominated by bacteria. It has more grass, manure, food waste. This compost is better for fertilizer herbaceous plants and vegetables.

3. For the production of ACC, I leave the compost for 6-13 months for good maturation, it is better if it is overgrown with weeds. In this case, the ecosystem of compost organisms will be the most developed and diverse.
4. For the production of compost infusion, fresh compost 10-14 days before use should be shed with 1% molasses solution with the addition of 0.05% fish emulsion. (I make a "stink in a barrel" where I add nettle or comfrey, they have a good balance, a lot of nitrogen, and phosphorus, and carbohydrates). Then it is necessary to loosen well, this causes the rapid reproduction of all soil living creatures, followed by the lysis of most bacteria and fungi, while the compost is maximally saturated with antibiotics, amino acids and vitamins, and the infusion from it is the best medicine for treating rot-infected soils.

So, we need compost to quickly restore the fertility of the lands killed by the previous exploitation.

Why old drugs can not cure the earth

Modern mixed bacterial-fungal diseases reduce the immunity of plants, their resistance to frost, drought, pests, weeds, and no agrotechnical measures can save them from these diseases. We treat mushrooms - we get an outbreak of bacterioses, we treat bacteria with antibiotics - we get an outbreak of fungal diseases.

I have forty years of experience in the treatment of children from mixed microbial-fungal diseases, I use drugs - four in one, kill fungi, microbes, relieve inflammation and restore disturbed microflora of the skin or intestines.

What I saw in vermicoff and what I learned now

Not everyone can make worm compost, but everyone can make quality compost following the guidelines above. In compost, where there are no temperatures above 55 degrees, micro worms and millions of other micro soil animals manage to multiply in three to four weeks, and all of them excrete coprolites no worse than dung worms, and the composition of bacteria in it is no worse than in worm compost and the content of antibiotics that suppress all known soil pathogens is not worse, and the composition of beneficial soil anaerobes and protozoa is excellent. We get the effect of four in one.

How to make hoods and how to use them

Then you can add organic matter to such a cured soil, without fear of intensifying bacterioses, add ACh, and beneficial microbes will take root.
If a dozen beneficial bacteria are added to millions of pathogens, they do not take root, and if millions of beneficial bacteria are added to the ten remaining pathogens in the soil, they will take root, create their own ecosystem and will not let pathogens into their paradise.
Thus, the gardener can already in the first year on the killed soil get a crop and not reduce, but increase fertility.

This is the essence of my understanding of why a gardener needs the right compost.

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