Compost from peat and grass. Peat as a fertilizer for the garden and suburban area. Comparison with humus and manure

Summer residents are paying more and more attention to the organic component of top dressing of grown crops. Peat as a fertilizer holds a leading position along with compost. However, it is worth paying attention to the features of the use of this type of organic matter, so as not to harm the site, vegetables and fruits growing on it.

Types of peat and their use

Three types of peat - raised, lowland and transitional - differ in composition, acidity and, accordingly, the scope.

General characteristics of the riding type:

• 95% are undecayed plant residues;
• pH indicator - 3.5-4.

High-moor peat is not used as a fertilizer. It is an integral part of ordinary compost, substrate for containers, greenhouse beds, mulch.

The following indicators are characteristic of the lowland species:

• 95% plant residues, fully or partially decomposed;
• pH 5.5-7.0;
• nitrogen content - up to 3%, phosphorus - 1%.

The high content of humus allows the use of lowland peat as a fertilizer to reduce soil acidity.


The transitional species is also used to increase fertility and improve soil structure in the garden.

In areas with fertile soil, peat fertilizer is not used. It is used on sandy or clayey soils poor in organic matter, as well as on depleted soils.

How to feed the soil with peat?

Peat introduced into the soil decomposes very slowly, so the timing of top dressing is “floating” - from early spring to late autumn. Often summer residents scatter it in winter, directly on the snow.

Before using peat, it is aired - poured into piles in the open air, kept for at least a week. This is necessary in order for the toxic substances to completely decompose. When airing, monitor the moisture content of the material, the lower permissible limit is 50%.

Peat fertilizers

Peat-based fertilizers have a positive effect on the soil, improving its characteristics such as moisture and breathability. They lower the content of nitrates, neutralize the effect of pesticides. The presence of humates and amino acids has a beneficial effect on the development of horticultural crops.

The most common fertilizer that is prepared from peat at home is peat compost.

The cooking method is quite simple, subject to the main rule - the maximum height of the compost heap does not exceed one and a half meters.

1. A 2x2 m area is being fenced off.
2. Spread peat in a layer of 25-30 cm.
3. Pour sawdust 10 cm.
4. The next 20 cm layer is various organic residues (tops, straw, food waste) mixed with garden or garden soil.
5. Then, manure is laid out at a height of 20 cm, and 30 cm of peat on top.
6. The sides of the pile are covered with earth, polyethylene is thrown on top.
7. Make sure that the prepared compost does not dry out. Periodically watered with water at the rate of 100 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.

Manure can be replaced with dry bird droppings (sold by specialized stores). It is diluted in water at the rate of 2.5 kg per 10 liters.

Several times during the summer-autumn, the compost is mixed so that the fermentation process takes place evenly. For the winter, the compost is insulated with foliage, spruce branches or other mulching material.

Peat compost is ready for use in a year and a half.

Peat-fecal compost is also prepared:

1. peat is aired;
2. bring its humidity to 70%;
3. under a canopy lay out a layer of about 45-50 cm, make indentations;
4. liquid mullein or bird droppings diluted with water are poured into the pits, covered with peat;
5. the sides are covered with soil;
6. when the top layer dries, water it.

Such compost matures for 12 months.

If possible, compost is prepared from only two components - peat and manure, laying them out in layers. Such a “layer cake” is regularly spilled with herbal infusions.

The soil is fertilized with ready-made compost in the same way as with manure or humus: they are scattered over the beds, laid out in the near-trunk circles of trees and shrubs. For 10 m 2 of beds, 10 to 20 kg of peat compost is required. The amount depends on the level of soil fertility and the need to improve its structure. A 5–6 cm layer is formed in the landing holes or the near-stem zone.

When using peat not purchased through official outlets, the degree of decomposition of its components is assessed. To do this, squeeze a handful of the substance, draw it over a sheet of white paper. The color of the trace determines the degree of decomposition:

• the trace is absent or barely visible - up to 10%;
• yellow, light gray or brown trace - 20-35%;
• smooth saturated gray, brown or close to black trace - 35-50%;
• thick, dark smear colors or a dark spot on the arm - above 50%.

Extract from peat

The hood is the result of electro-hydraulic processing of peat. It is used when there is no need to change the structure of the soil. It is very difficult to cook on your own, because special equipment is required. Purchase liquid fertilizer ready-made at garden centers. The advantage of the extract is the increased content of nitrogen, additives in the form of mineral salts. Usually used for leaf dressing, preparation of seed and planting material.

The fertilizer, developed by specialists from Belarus, is produced by the domestic industry. It is a liquid with a 4% peat content. The concentrate is completely safe for people, animals, does not harm the environment.

Pre-treatment of seeds, bulbs, tubers contributes to the development of a powerful root system. Provides excellent protection against scab and rot. Top dressing increases the stress resistance of crops, their drought and cold resistance.

Using industrial peat fertilizers for your garden, carefully study the instructions for use. For different vegetables, berries, flowers, the method of application and the concentration of the working solution vary.

A few examples of the use of peat oxidate:

• potatoes - preplant treatment of tubers with a solution of 50 ml of the drug in 4 liters of water;
• cucumbers - seed soaking and foliar top dressing at the rate of 1 ml per liter of water;
• roses are watered during the formation of buds with a composition of 40 ml / 10 l;
• for indoor plants, a solution is prepared from 4 ml of the product and 1 liter of water, watered at the stage of active growth every three weeks.

Peat when growing potatoes

For feeding potatoes, peat organic matter is used according to one of the following options.

In clayey or sandy soils per square meter of area, 30-40 kg of raw materials are applied in spring or autumn before cultivation. In this case, peat feeds the soil, structures it, adding a loosening component to clays or a moisture-intensive component to sand.

On soils of low fertility, peat compost is used, adding 10 kg per square for autumn or spring digging.

The timing of adding peat compost depends on the type of soil. The heavy ones are ennobled in the fall, the lungs are fertilized in the spring, best of all at the same time as the tubers are planted, pouring them into the hole along with wood ash.

Faced with the need to radically replace the soil in a garden or garden plot, summer residents face a choice - peat or black soil, which do they prefer? Practice shows that with the same material costs, the first option is preferable, since its consumption is lower. In addition, chernozem is usually “charged” with pathogens, pest larvae, and seeds of difficult-to-eradicate weeds. Grassroots or transitional peat is sterile in this respect and will not cause much trouble to the owner.

Peat is a decomposed substance of the remains of plants and animals, which includes minerals. By its nature, it is formed in swamps, where there is high humidity and where air does not enter. In addition, it is used as a fuel, due to its high carbon content, and it is also cultivated with soil, used as a building material.

Peat formation

In nature, various plants and organisms that live in swamps or overgrown reservoirs die out, resulting in a mass that becomes larger and larger over time. Peat formation occurs under conditions of a minimum amount of oxygen and high humidity.

Depending on the stage of decomposition of organisms, several types of peat are distinguished:

• Horse, when the compressed layers have not completely decomposed.
• Lowland when decomposition has occurred completely.
• Transitional peat is a state of mass between upland and lowland species.

A person fertilizes the land with various means, but it is peat that has been known for its useful qualities since ancient times, so it is used not only in agriculture, but also for working on private land plots.

Peat as soil fertilizer

Many gardeners and gardeners believe that the land can be cultivated with peat alone, although this is an erroneous opinion, despite the high percentage of humus in it, it is not recommended to fertilize the soil in this way. This is easily explained by the fact that the peat mass contains a minimum amount of nutrients, it should be noted that it contains enough nitrogen, but it is difficult for plants to assimilate such an additive. Experts do not advise using only peat as a fertilizer, since only a maximum of 1.5 kg of nitrogen falls on a ton of land, and other elements are also needed for the development and growth of crops. For top dressing it is necessary to use other mineral, as well as organic fertilizers.

In addition to the fact that peat contains humus, it also has a porous structure, which significantly increases the physiological qualities of the soil, this applies to any composition. Due to such fertilizer, the earth passes water and oxygen, breathes with ease, without difficulty, and the roots of the plant feel good in such an environment. This applies to low-lying and intermediate types of peat, if we talk about the riding type, then it is best used only to shelter plants from frost.

For some types of soil, peat does not play a role and does not give anything like fertilizer, especially in relation to fertile land. But if the soil in the area with impurities of clay or sand is depleted and lacks organic matter, then peat with additional fertilizers will change the situation for the better. Crops will bring a good harvest, and houseplants will take on the appearance.

Peat soil is exceptionally valuable, only with the addition of other mineral or organic substrates or in the form of compost, which is especially useful for plants.

Positive qualities of peat

This type of fertilizer has numerous positive features, if used correctly, for example, it nourishes not only depleted soil, but also gives it lightness, makes the structure porous, due to which both air and water enter the root system of plants faster.

In addition, peat is an antiseptic of natural origin, therefore it cleanses the soil of harmful bacteria, maintains microflora and protects against various harmful bacteria and fungi. In addition, it easily increases the acidity of the soil, if necessary, thereby increasing the effectiveness of fertilizers. The optimal pH value should be equal to 3.5, otherwise peat, as a fertilizer, can harm crops.

Important! Improper use of such raw materials as fertilizer will cause the plants to grow slowly, and in some cases even lead to death.

Negative influence

Some gardeners do not know how to properly use peat, so they make various mistakes in the process of tillage, for example, it is not recommended to apply it with a continuous method. Other feeds, organic or mineral, should be added to it. You can not use high-moor peat in the form of fertilizer, as there will be no sense, since in most cases they are used for mulching. For sandy and fertile soils, peat mass, as an organic fertilizer, is not suitable.

Do-it-yourself peat harvesting

All composting work begins with the preparation of a place for its placement, for example, a box, the raw material is laid in layers, between which earth or manure is located.

In order for it to become fertile, it should be laid in layers no more than 50 cm thick, or it should be thoroughly mixed with plant residues. A distinctive feature of peat is that it retains moisture well, so during its storage it is necessary to cover it tightly, otherwise the rains will lead to the formation of a wet and heavy mass, which is simply impossible to dry afterwards.

Self-made compost must be moistened until the raw material is loose so that water does not run in a stream if you squeeze the fertilizer with your hand. In the box where the peat will be stored, it is necessary to put a good layer of drainage, for example, from branches. As a rule, many harmful soil microorganisms do not live in an acidic environment, the pH of which is 5 units, in peat this indicator is less, therefore, before composting, it is necessary to have raw materials that have become sour. To do this, lime flour and ash are added to it, in any quantity, mixing thoroughly.

In agriculture, there are two types of peat composting:

• Layered, when the mass and manure are laid in layers, alternating raw materials in turn, until the height of the stack is equal to 1.5 meters.
• Focal, when peat is first laid, and then along and in the middle of the pile of manure.

Manure is laid on all sides, and in summer water or liquid is added to the pile, in addition, peat compost is useful to add fertilizers with potassium, lime, given the acidity of the soil.

Peat fertilizer for plants and seedlings

For seedlings and crops, fertilizer is prepared once a season, it is applied in autumn or spring, for digging, which increases soil fertility. By its composition, peat is tight, so it should be slightly modified before being embedded in the soil. When spring comes, they remove the film that covered the peat mass for the winter, add fresh feces and mix well, leave to infuse for a maximum of two days, then scatter it on a new drainage to make the fertilizing material loose and fill it with oxygen. After use, they are closed again so that rain does not get in, and left to mature until the onset of autumn.

peat formation

The main disadvantage of this fertilizer is that it does not contain clay and sand, as well as pebbles, which create a drainage effect.

Sand and clay are very important for the soil, and the latter even more so, because it contains all the nutrients so that they are not washed out, it helps to form high-quality humus elements. In simple words, clay is a favorable basis for fertile soil. The fact that the peat mass is formed in a swamp environment makes it rich not only in humic substances, but also in organic matter. The parameters of the ratio of sand and clay does not matter, the main thing is that these components are present.

To fertilize the beds, it is enough to add several buckets and sand, clay, not forgetting about other ordinary mineral fertilizers, especially nitrogen compounds. Fertile soil is fertilized, and peat soil must be processed without fail, since many substances are practically absent in such raw materials.

As a rule, phosphorus and potassium are added either to peat compost or directly to the flower beds during their creation. In fact, they are already compost heaps, since they are mixed with as much manure and bird droppings as possible, grass mass and fertilizers, as well as ash and other additives, phosphorite and dolomite flour. After everything is mixed, the pile is left to infuse and mature for at least a few months.

For more information on how to obtain, use and store peat in the form of fertilizer, you can watch the video

Peat belongs to minerals. On an industrial scale, it is mined as fossil fuel. But it is used as a fertilizer by farmers and gardeners. In private courtyards, beds are mulched with peat, plants are fed. In different quantities, they are applied to the soil to improve its fertility.

The formation of peat deposits occurs due to the death, gradual layering and incomplete decay of mosses, reeds, cuckoo flax and other marsh plants, as well as worms, ciliates and other representatives of invertebrate animals. To understand where to get peat, you need to know - it and the swamp are always closely related. Therefore, biomass decomposes in the warm season, and at a low level of groundwater. The intensity of decay depends on the type of vegetation, its chemical composition and the special conditions inherent in stagnant water. Excess moisture, low oxygen volume and a large number of soil organisms are the main factors affecting the chemical composition of the peat gene layer.

It is clear that the conditions for the formation of chernozem from plants in the open air and peat under the water column are fundamentally different from each other. Therefore, the chemical composition of terrestrial and underwater organic matter varies greatly. Peat loses a lot in terms of nutrients. It has less nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. At a cursory glance, they are similar in appearance to each other - an attractive black or dark brown color, crumbly, homogeneous substances. A closer examination reveals a big difference in that in the underwater organic matter there are undecomposed remains of roots, stems, and branches of vegetation that have not completely decomposed. But in a mixture of black soil and peat form a soil composition that is best suited for the growth and development of cultivated plants. Gardeners should know that vegetables and berries will feel uncomfortable on the same peat and will not give a good harvest. This organic matter should be used to acidify the soil, increase its fertile qualities, improve mechanical properties.

Chernozem

This classification is determined by the location and composition of plants, which are the basis of organic matter. There are two large categories of this natural formation: upland and lowland.

horse peat

This type of mineral consists of sphagnum mosses, sedges, heather bushes, which took nutrients from the surface layer and atmospheric precipitation. Such swamps consist of soft water, which contains very little calcium. But these plants are rich in carbon, so high-moor peat is used as fuel. He has a low ash content. There are many remains of undecomposed plants in the marsh organic matter. It has acidity. But the main advantage of the riding natural formation is the ability to retain large volumes of water while passing air.

Outwardly, it is a loose, light brown substance, poor in nutrients. Therefore, this type of organic matter is most often used as a heater for the winter for mulching in gardens of fruit trees, shrubs and berries. High-moor peat substrate is successfully used in greenhouses for growing seedlings of vegetable plants and flower crops. It stimulates the growth and development of seedlings and increases their resistance to insufficient or excessive moisture, heat and light. Humic acids give this effect to marsh organics.

General conclusion. The use of high-moor peat in a greenhouse as a substrate for growing seedlings reduces the harmful effects of the environment. In the garden, this type of organic matter is used only after slaking with lime, dolomite flour or ash. Natural formation is well composted in a mixture with manure. Before entering into the soil, it is desirable to mix the compost with sand, turf and mineral fertilizers.

lowland peat

The organic matter of this type of natural formation is fed by groundwater. It is based on species of alder, green moss, sedge, reed, fern, horsetail and other plants. Lowland peat consists of 70% organic matter, so it can be used to improve the fertility of the poorest soil. It is distinguished by a weak acidity with a pH of 5.5–7.0. In appearance, it is a layered, lumpy structure of black or dark brown with a grayish tinge. Lowland peat is considered a good organic fertilizer. But in its pure form it is not always used. A good use case is a mixture with compost, sand and mineral fertilizers to improve the fertility of clay soils. The mixed mass is scattered over the surface of the garden up to 10 cm thick. After that, deep digging immediately begins. The digging depth must be at least 25 cm.

Lowland peat has a beneficial effect on improving the porosity and moisture capacity of the soil. It becomes much more nutritious for plants and beneficial microorganisms. Loams become looser. Improves their aeration. Especially low-lying formation is widely used for "multi-storey" cultivation in gardens and vegetable gardens, greenhouses. Here it is the basis of the substrate, mixed with a set of micro and macro elements necessary for plants.

transitional peat

This type of marsh organic matter occupies an intermediate position between high-moor and lowland peat. According to its characteristics, it is closer to the second type. It is characterized by medium and low acidity (pH 3.1–4.7), the presence of a sufficient amount of nutrient organics and trace elements. When introduced into the soil, transitional peat decomposes worse than lowland peat. But like the other two species, it is an excellent shelter for shrubs for the winter. They fall asleep rhizomes of grapes, raspberries, gooseberries, roses, strawberries and other berry and flower crops.

It has already been noted above that peat is useful for the soil, enriching it with humus. This is facilitated by the presence of fibrous remains, which help to improve the friability of the soil. This soil structure allows the root systems of plants to develop normally, ensuring good growth of the ground part. Today, the peat mixture, sold in bags, is readily dismantled by summer residents for growing seedlings, using them in greenhouses, and applying them to the soil before planting seedlings in open ground.

Mulch from a peat mixture is sprinkled with vegetable and berry crops. For spring or autumn digging, swamp organic matter is applied at the rate of 3–4 kg per square meter.

Peat mulch is sprinkled with the roots of shrubs. It is scattered around the trunks of fruit trees. It retains moisture well, prevents the formation of a crust after watering, and contributes to loosening the soil.

Manure is the most valuable fertilizer for vegetables. It contains all the essential plant nutrients. And if manure is regularly applied to the soil, then, as a rule, your garden will not need any other fertilizers. Horse manure on a straw bed is considered the best: it contains more nutrients, gives them more generously to the soil, and when decomposed, it warms up faster and stronger. Therefore, horse manure is considered the best biofuel for stuffing (see the story about sheltered ground). It is very good to apply such manure to cold and damp clay soils: horse manure warms such soils, and then the harvest here can be obtained earlier.
Cattle manure warms up more slowly, it gives the soil and nutrients more slowly, but its effect is longer than that of horse manure. It is especially good to apply cattle manure to warm and light soils: loamy, sandy, sandy.
Sheep manure, although rich in nutrients, decomposes slowly, and therefore slowly releases nutrients to the soil. In order for sheep manure to quickly give nutrients to the soil, it is good to water it well with slurry before applying it to the soil.
Pig manure is poor in calcium and can be very acidic - such manure significantly increases the acidity of the soil, so it can only be applied with the addition of lime (500 grams of fluffy lime per 100 kilograms of manure). Pig manure decomposes slowly and cannot immediately give a lot of nutrients to the soil. It is best to apply this fertilizer in warm and light soils, like cattle manure.
Long-stored fresh manure begins to decompose, overheat. Pereprevaet manure gradually and eventually turns into humus. Humus is a black homogeneous earthy mass.
Humus is very rich in organic matter, humus introduced into the soil immediately begins to give the plants the nutrients they need. Therefore, when the soil urgently needs nutrients, it is better to apply humus, semi-rotted manure than fresh manure. Fresh manure still needs time to warm up and begin to decompose, and in fact nutrients enter the soil only after the manure begins to decompose. Therefore, fresh manure is usually introduced into the soil in the fall during the autumn cultivation of the land, so that the manure has at least a little time to overheat before the spring work.
It would seem that it would be more profitable to give the manure a proper turn over, and only then introduce it into the soil - after all, in this case, the nutrients will be given to the plants as soon as possible. But this is not usually done, because, overripe, manure loses a large amount of nutrients and, above all, nitrogen, which is essential for plants for their successful growth. That is why the manure collected over the summer is brought into the soil in the fall, they are usually not left to be stored until spring in order to avoid loss of nutrients, and even if manure has to be stored, then it is stored especially carefully ...
A special area with dense soil is prepared for storing manure. On this site, a layer of 25-30 centimeters is placed either dry earth, or peat, or dry leaves - this dry litter will have to absorb slurry.
On such a dry litter, manure is gradually laid. So that the manure does not immediately begin to decompose and does not lose nutrients, it is well compacted - in loose heaps, manure quickly decomposes.
Every 15-20 centimeters of manure lay out a special pad - peat bedding. Peat for this purpose is taken well-ventilated. Poorly ventilated peat, recently taken from lowland areas, is very acidic, which can later, when this peat is introduced into the soil along with manure, increase the acidity of the soil. The thickness of the peat layer is the same as the thickness of the manure layer - 15-20 centimeters. If the necessary peat is not at hand, then in extreme cases it can be replaced with ordinary soil, which was used for manure bedding.
A layer of manure is again laid out on a layer of peat and well compacted - and so on.
Manure must be protected from rain and frost. To do this, manure is covered from above with peat or earth, the layer of such shelter is about 20 centimeters. And above the peat (or earth) they arrange another, additional shelter from dry leaves, reed stalks. In winter, more snow is piled on top of such a pile of manure.

In a similar way, manure should be collected and stored from spring to autumn, only in this case it would be nice to make a small canopy over the pile of manure to protect the fertilizer from summer rains. The manure collected in this way is applied to the soil in the fall.
They do it this way. Manure is spread evenly over the garden. Usually, from 500 to 800 kilograms of manure are stored per 100 square meters of a garden (per hundred square meters of land). More manure is prepared for heavier and colder soils, less for lighter and warmer ones. More manure has to be brought in of less) quality.

When the manure is scattered, they begin to dig up the soil: the manure is supposed to be embedded in the soil on the same day so that the fertilizer is fully preserved. When digging manure, each time it turns out to be at the bottom of a hole dug with a shovel, under a layer of earth equal to approximately the size of a shovel bayonet.

The weight of the manure varies greatly depending on whether it is fresh manure, packed in a heap or rotted. Therefore, every time you should, with the help of scales or steelyards, which are still preserved in the peasant economy, determine how much a bucket (or some other measure that is convenient to carry manure to the garden) weighs of manure that you are going to apply to the soil today. And then you will already make a simple calculation and determine how many such buckets filled with manure you need to take out to one or another part of the garden.
Usually, if a variety of vegetables are grown in the garden, and not just early ones that require a large amount of nutrients, if in this way the soil in the garden is not greatly depleted in one year, fresh manure collected during spring and summer is applied to the soil once every two year, that is, through autumn. This amount of organic fertilizer is enough to provide the soil with enough nutrients for two years to help the soil regain its fertility and maintain the best soil structure all the time. If some individual vegetables need additional nutrition, then it can be provided in the spring by adding humus to the soil or during the summer by feeding the plants with liquid dressings made from slurry or bird droppings.
Bird droppings contain more nutrients than any manure. But the nitrogen contained in it quickly decomposes and is lost along with ammonia. In two months of storage, if no action is taken, bird droppings will lose half of the original nitrogen contained in it.
In order for bird droppings to lose as little nitrogen as possible, the collected fertilizer is immediately air-dried and then stored in a dry place. If bird droppings are collected in winter, it is best to freeze it, and thaw it in spring and apply it to the ground before spring tillage.
Bird droppings are introduced in the spring a few days before sowing, grinding the fertilizer well and evenly distributing it throughout the garden. Approximately 30-50 grams of fertilizer are applied per 1 square meter.
When the plants appear on the beds, bird droppings should be applied between the rows so that the fertilizer does not get on the plants: bird droppings can cause burns to vegetables. The grooves between the rows of vegetables, where the fertilizer was applied, are covered with earth and the fertilizer itself is well mixed with the soil. It is best to prepare liquid top dressing from bird droppings.

Peat

Peat is used in gardens as an organic fertilizer, however, for the most part it is used only together with other organic fertilizers: manure, feces, household waste. Therefore, peat is more often used for making composts.
The best peat is well decomposed. Well-decomposed peat soils hands, smears paper with a dark brown color. In addition, peat must be well weathered. Peat that has just been brought from the swamp is not suitable for fertilizer - it should be in the wind at least during spring, summer and autumn.

Composts

To compost means to mix. Therefore, "compost" means a mixed fertilizer made up of various organic fertilizers.
Composts, depending on what they were made of, are peat-dung, peat-fecal and prefabricated. It is easiest for you to prepare the so-called prefabricated compost.
A variety of organic residues are used for prefabricated compost: tops, leaves, plant residues, sawdust, weeds removed from the garden, garbage taken out of the house, kitchen waste, ash.
In order to arrange a compost heap, you must first of all choose somewhere in the garden, to the side, a flat area about 2.5-3 meters wide and about the same length. Peat, straw, dry leaves or just dry earth are laid on this platform with a layer of about 30 centimeters. Then, various organic residues are laid out on this litter as they accumulate. If the collected residues begin to dry out, then after about a week they are watered. It is best to water with slurry; if there is no slurry, then simply water it with water: the compost heap should be wet all the time.
After watering, the collected organic residues are covered with a layer of peat, humus, straw, leaves, earth, and again, day after day, house garbage, weeds removed from the garden, kitchen waste, sheep manure, goat manure, manure from rabbits are brought here and piled up. And again, after a week, the compost heap is watered with slurry or water, and again covered with either peat, or straw, or humus, or simply earth.
Accumulating manure can also be laid out here, laid, like other organic residues, in layers.
Usually a compost heap is not raised above one and a half meters. From above and from the sides, by autumn, it is covered with peat or earth in order to trap the gases formed during the decomposition of organic substances (and, above all, ammonia, which carries nitrogen from the compost heap). And before frost, the compost heap is covered with earth, dry leaves, reeds, spruce paws, in order to prevent frost from the collected fertilizer. In winter, a pile of compost, as well as a pile of manure stored until spring, is piled with more snow.

In order for the decomposition of organic residues to proceed, the compost heap is properly shoveled about once every one and a half months, trying to ensure that the outer layers of the heap get in and the inner ones out.
The compost planted in the spring is ready for the new spring to fertilize the garden. Semi-decomposed organic residues are ready to give nutrients to the soil. They are usually brought in in the spring. The garden is fertilized with compost either in the same way as with manure, spreading the compost evenly throughout the garden, and then digging it along with the ground; or during spring digging, compost is introduced into furrows, rows, holes, thus creating the most favorable nutritional conditions for plants.

sod land

Soddy land is a good organic fertilizer, because the topsoil contains a lot of nutrients. Sod land is necessary for the preparation of special mixtures for growing seedlings, it is necessary for the construction of polycarbonate greenhouses.
Preparing sod land is not very difficult. To do this (best in the spring), cut the turf into pieces (best in the meadow) and put it in a pile. The bottom layer of turf is laid up with grass, the top layer is laid down on it with grass. Then again: grass layer up, grass layer down, and so on. If the soil is dry, it is watered with water or slurry. The edges of the heap pile at the top are raised so that the water does not roll down the sides. Here, in such a heap-stack, the remains of plants are overheated, and finally only soft, humus-rich soddy land remains.

leaf ground

It is easy to prepare the land from fallen leaves, which, like soddy land, is needed to make nutrient mixtures when growing seedlings and can always help out seedlings of vegetables planted in a not very well-fertilized plot of the garden. To prepare leafy ground, fallen leaves are collected from autumn and piled in a pile in a place where the leaves will not be blown away by the wind. Here the leaves hibernate. In the spring, a bunch of leaves are dug up, mixed. In autumn, the leaves are again mixed and dug up. Over time, the leaves spray and turn into a loose mass, resembling a good humus.

Silt from the day of the river, pond, lake

Silt, mined from the bottom of lakes, ponds, rivers, has long been considered an excellent fertilizer. It was thanks to this silt, carried in the flood over the flooded meadows, that the water meadows grew and bloomed. For a long time, the famous Rostov gardeners, who grew a variety of vegetables on the Yaroslavl land, used the fertile silt accumulated at the bottom of Lake Nero. If there is at least a pond near you, try to get silt from the bottom of the pond, bring the silt home and ventilate it properly (you can’t use silt freshly mined in a river, pond, lake: it will make the soil too acidic, like unventilated peat), dry it, and then add to the soil and check how your vegetables react to such top dressing. Usually, when fertilizing, silt is introduced into the soil at the rate of 3-4 kilograms per 1 square meter. It is especially good to use silt on light soils. If the silt obtained by you from the bottom of a pond or lake turns out to be very fertile, then consider that your garden is provided with organic fertilizer for a long time - the reserves of silt in the pond, in the lake are usually large. And it’s worth extracting them from the bottom of the reservoir - this is how you will help the reservoir: make it cleaner and prevent it from overgrowing.

Ash

Ash is the most valuable mineral fertilizer. You already know how to store and how to use ash. Ash will come to your aid when you need to reduce the acidity of the soil - here you will need more ash (up to 7 kilograms of wood ash per 10 square meters). If the acidity of the soil is not at all high, then you will need less ash as a mineral fertilizer (2-4 kilograms per 10 square meters of the garden). You can make ashes in the fall, along with manure, and in the spring. You can simply evenly sprinkle the ground with ash before processing, you can place the ash in the holes-holes and at the bottom of the grooves where the seeds will be sown. Ash will help you and scare away many enemies of plants. But we will talk about this with you when the time comes to remember the enemies of the garden. In the meantime, my advice to you is to collect the ashes, store it in a dry place so that it does not lose its properties: the ashes will always help you out. Just remember that there is absolutely no nitrogen in the ash, which is so necessary for plants for normal growth, so you won’t get a good harvest in the garden with the help of ash alone.

The best option for making peat compost is lowland peat. In such peat, there is much more nitrogen and calcium than in high-moor and transitional peat, the acidity is low. The amount of nitrogen contained in lowland peat is approximately the same as in manure, but its state is inaccessible to plants. The amount is 2-3% in the form of nitrates and ammonia. The reason for this is the poor decomposition of peat organic substances by microorganisms, but if manure, slurry and feces are added to it, a favorable condition is created for the mineralization of nitrogen, which it contains.

Peat and fecal composts

Peat fecal composts (consisting of one part peat and one part feces or 1:1) is a strong and fast-acting fertilizer, which contains almost 2 times more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium than manure.

In the absence of peat, feces can be diluted with water (1:10), and such a solution can be used. However, one should not forget that for vegetable crops that are used without cooking, the use of feces in its pure form is impossible, because diseases will spread.

For other crops, they can be applied 15 to 20 days before planting, by spreading them evenly over the site, otherwise the plants may burn out.

Compost can be used when a homogeneous, crumbly mass is obtained from it. In the summer, this will take about 3 months.

The best option for vegetable crops is to apply it next year. If you lay it in the fall, then its period can last about 6-10 months.

Before entering into the soil, it must be crushed with a shovel or fork. If there are any problems with the laying of compost, then it is necessary to weed the grass and plant residues in the sun to dry and burn.

In this way, before the planting season, a large amount of ash is harvested seasonally, in which there are a lot of nutrients necessary for plants (including trace elements), except for nitrogen.

Ash for vegetable crops is used with the calculation of 50 -100 g per square meter. m.

Peat manure composts

Peat-manure composts are produced to activate the remains of vegetable peat that have not decomposed, promotes the formation of humus and improves the physical qualities of manure. For peat and manure, the ratio should be 1:1 or 1:2.

The compost can mature within 1-2 months. In spring and summer, more peat is added to the compost, and in autumn and winter, the best option is to increase the mass of manure to protect the compost from freezing.

Peat-manure compost (especially with acidic peat) can be improved by adding 1-2 kg of lime material, 0.5 - about 8 kg of potassium chloride, 1.5 - 2 kg of phosphate rock per 100 kg of compost.

The application rate is 3-4 kg per sq. m.

Peat manure composts

Peat manure composts are also highly effective. Bird droppings in their pure form have a high density and poor flowability. If you store it in a heap, then it gets very hot, the consequence of which is a significant loss of nitrogen.

In addition, like manure, it contains a large number of weeds that must be disinfected. Due to the high concentration of nutrients in bird droppings, it is better not to apply in its pure form.

Bird droppings are composted with peat in layers - 1:3 for 1.5 - 2 months. When composting the mixture, it will be useful if you add potash fertilizers, lime materials, wood ash.