A sign of civilization of a garden or country site is not the presence of any state-of-the-art irrigation system, a path with a special coating and not even ponds with koi fish, but first of all the presence of a compost heap.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – April 23, 2021 – Agriculture
In any backyard, we get a huge amount of plant debris. These are weeds, remote stepsons, and pruned branches of trees and shrubs, and fallen ovaries of fruit trees, and fallen leaves, as well as plant residues after cooking (potato and beet peeling, carrot tops, etc. e.). Where does it all go?
Yes, you can put everything in bags and take it to the trash. You can scatter in random clumps throughout the garden – to rot. But this option is not the best. Here and mold can settle, and dangerous mushrooms. As a result, all these abandoned weeds can create serious problems, becoming a source of fungal diseases in the area.
Therefore, if you want the site to have fewer pests, fewer diseases, and the soil to become fertile, it is desirable to recycle all plant debris. And today there are all possibilities for this. You can buy or make special containers for composting. But the box itself does not compost plant debris. Therefore, you need to know a number of rules on how to get quality compost.
First, only dried plant residues should be placed in the compost heap. For example, if you mow the grass on the lawn, do not immediately throw it in the compost pile. First, this grass needs to be dried or dried. When you remove stepchildren or extra leaves, be sure to dry this material. And only then put in a compost pile.
If the plant remains are large enough, they must be crushed before laying in compost.
Secondly, in order for fermentation and maturation of compost to go faster, it is desirable to add to the compost heap:
Nitrogen fertilizers
Because bacteria consume nitrogen during the processing of plant residues. The nitrogen contained in plant residues may not be enough. About 10 liters of plant residues need to add 1 teaspoon of urea or ammonium sulfate.
Be sure to add a deoxidizer
The fact is that when bacteria consume plant residues, carbon dioxide is released. Carbon dioxide acidifies compost and bacteria that decompose residues do not work as efficiently. Therefore on 10 l of the vegetable remains it is necessary to bring also 1 teaspoon of deoxidizer: ash, chalk, dolomite flour, or slaked lime.
Use active bacteria
Preparations of these bacteria (Baikal-EM, Country compost, etc.) can be purchased at garden stores. For example, the well-known Baikal-EM contains about 17 species of bacteria and fungi that contribute to the rapid decomposition of plant residues. If you add Baikal-EM according to the instructions to the compost heap, you will get a very fast maturation of the compost. And most importantly: during maturation, the temperature inside the pile will rise to 40-50-60 ° C. This will be enough to kill those dangerous bacteria, viruses, and pathogenic fungi that were on plant debris. This compost can be applied to plants without fear of infecting them.
Read also: Useful Tips That Help Properly Care for Plants from Spring to Autumn
Source: Ukrgate