How to prepare and use prefabricated compost?
You can always find various garbage on the garden plot, which accumulates during the life cycle of plants, as well as during a person's stay at their summer cottage. However, getting rid of such waste, not everyone thinks that there is always an opportunity to use them with benefit - to prepare compost, another type of organic fertilizer. How to do it right?
To begin with, you should choose the right place on the site - a shady corner is best suited, where the compost heap will not be an eyesore and an obstacle to the passage.
The maturation process of the compost can be accelerated by periodically wetting it. the introduced waste begins to decompose more efficiently and form the final product. The compost heap should not be allowed to dry out - bacteria that play a key role in the ripening process may die. There should always be access to moisture and protection from sunlight, therefore it is recommended to place the ripening heap in the shady part of the site.
The place for collecting compost should be specially prepared - it should be covered with a layer of clay from 7 to 10 centimeters thick and thoroughly tamped, at best, if possible, subjected to the concreting procedure. On top, a material is applied that effectively absorbs moisture, such as dry leaves or peat. As for the season for which it is recommended to plan the composting, autumn is ideal because at this time of the year, a sufficient amount of plant residues accumulates, as the main material for harvesting.
After the base has been prepared, the collected waste is laid on it in an even layer, the height of which should be from 25 to 30 cm, suitably moistened, sprinkled with lime. The final stage is covering with a layer of earth or peat about 5-6 cm thick.
It is important to know that each subsequent layer of the remains is also covered with earth or peat, both from the top and from the sides. This nuance helps to protect the pile from flies and helps to retain moisture, preventing unwanted drying out.
In the autumn season, with a decrease in air temperature, the compost heap should be insulated by filling it with, for example, fallen leaves with a layer of about 25-30 cm. By spring, it is recommended to shovel the heap or transport it to another place.
In pursuit of the goal of accelerating the biothermal processes that contribute to the maturation of the compost heap, the method of forced ventilation is also used inside, i.e. enrichment of all binding elements with oxygen. This is achieved by laying a horizontal ventilation duct, which can be built from boards or an asbestos-cement pipe about 3 meters long, next to the compost heap laid in advance, in the free area of the site. Along the entire length of the board, holes of 15 mm in diameter are drilled in a staggered manner to provide access to oxygen. At the very end of the channel, a ventilation riser is equipped, the materials for which can also be pipes or wooden boards. The stand should rise above the surface of the stack at a distance of one to one and a half meters. After the process of laying the horizontal channel, it should be covered with large solid waste that cannot be tamped, such as, for example, broken brick.This will provide the so-called air drainage.
As soon as the drainage channel has been equipped, the compost heap is laid, also in the form of layers. The first layer contains waste in a semi-decomposed form, then a layer consisting of peat or dry leaves follows, then the sequence of alternation in a layer continues to the end. To avoid peroxidation of the compost, it is recommended to sprinkle it with lime or chalk, as well as wood ash or superphosphate in proportions of 1 cup per 1 square meter.
To prevent the compost heap from causing aesthetic inconveniences, such as an unpleasant odor, also to retain heat and moisture more, prevent the development of harmful flies, its surface must be covered with a film, mainly black. The function of such a shelter is also to suppress the growth of weeds on the surface of the compost.
Gradually, in the process of maturation, the temperature of the compost heap inside rises up to 60 degrees, on average after a week. A kind of heat treatment, launched by nature, contributes to the disinfection of the components, preparing them for the most important process - overheating of the heap. Thanks to the drainage channel, warm air is released to the outside, which prevents the risk of overheating. It should be remembered that ventilation can also contribute to the drying out of the heap, therefore, it is recommended to abundantly moisten it before installation, for this it is worth using warm water. Also, in the process of ripening the heap, it will not be superfluous to water it about 2-3 more times.
Prefabricated compost is, perhaps, the cheapest type of organic fertilizer for summer residents in terms of the availability of all the necessary materials - of course, it is not prepared instantly and a certain technology should be followed, without missing important nuances and points, but as a result you will get high-quality fertilizer that you can use to improve the quality of growth and development of crops in your garden area.