Humus. Why is it needed?
Everyone who is seriously involved in gardening has a goal: to get a good harvest. In order to achieve this goal, gardeners need to take care of the condition of the soil. The soil needs to be fed with organic fertilizers. Such fertilizers include humus. It can improve any soil by speeding up the multiplication of microorganisms and providing them with nutrition. The bacteria feed on plant debris and water.
Humusis an organic fertilizer, or simply put, rotted manure of herbivores, which has completely decomposed over time. It looks brown, loose, free-flowing, homogeneous, without a pungent odor.
It contains many soil nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, nitrogen, magnesium, copper, manganese, cobalt, boron, etc.
The humus includes the following elements:
Tannins such as resins, lignin. Animal remains, decomposed and non-mineral compounds. Protein of microorganisms, both living and dead. Carbon dioxide (bound)
Moisture is well absorbed by humus, and is also well retained by it and slowly gives off. Attracts worms, which are good for the soil. Scares away moles. The useful substances contained in humus feed the soil for about 3-5 years.
Soil that is well fertilized with humus consists of acids:
Ulminova.
Formed from the decomposition of herbaceous and plant residues. The soil becomes dark brown, dissolves in water
Humic.
Formed from the decomposition of herbaceous residues, the soil becomes black, one might say does not dissolve in water
Heeling.
Formed from woody plant residues, dissolves very quickly in water
For humus, different manure can be used, such as:
Cow dung contains a lot of fiber, due to it, the structure of the soil is improved. The earth becomes loose and moisture-consuming.
Horse dung- the most valuable, it contains a large amount of water.
When horse manure decomposes, a large amount of heat is released, decomposes quickly. Its structure is loose. Chicken manure is aggressive and must be handled with care. It is desirable to use it in a semi-liquid state in the form of a weak aqueous solution.
There are several stages of humus:
fresh - up to 3 months
semi-rotten - after six months of lying
rotted - after a year of lying with special conditions
in a state of humus - after 2 years of lying
It is best to fertilize the soil with humus in late autumn. It should be crushed and dry. The humus should be scattered over the damp earth so that it can be seen under the layer of humus and dug up.
If feeding is carried out in the spring, then humus is added to the holes or grooves themselves. It is recommended to distribute one bucket of humus to one square meter of land.
In summer, you can dissolve humus in water and use it as a root top dressing. There are many options for fertilizing the soil. Humus is one of the most abundant and nutritious fertilizers needed for good plant growth.
I must say that we should not forget about other organic fertilizers, such as peat, compost, ash.
Fertilize the soil and you will get the desired results.