Rotten apples as fertilizer for raspberries and strawberries
Many gardeners who grow apple trees are wondering - what to do with fallen fruit? Beaten apples are no longer subject to storage, moreover, they quickly begin to deteriorate. It's good if you have a subsidiary farm - cattle or pigs will gladly help you dispose of the tasty carrion. Otherwise, they just throw it away. And completely in vain, because rotten apples serve as an excellent fertilizer for cultivated plants, including for raspberries and strawberries.
Carrion as fertilizer
Fallen and spoiled fruits can be used as organic fertilizer for other crops. Due to the presence of a variety of trace elements after complete decomposition, they will not only improve the quality of the soil, but also help to obtain a bountiful harvest. At the same time, it is possible to make volunteers both for fruit and berry, and for vegetable and ornamental crops.
Experienced gardeners and gardeners practice two ways to use rotten apples as top dressing:
- direct application of fruits to the soil;
- use as a component for compost.
Carrion into the soil
To use fresh fruits as fertilizer, you must:
- Dig not very deep grooves between the rows of strawberries or raspberries (or around the bushes).
- Chop the carrion with a shovel or a hatchet (so that it decays faster).
- Pour the crushed apples into the grooves. If desired, you can add rotted manure and leaves to the fruit.
- Toss them with earth and cover with a layer of soil on top.
Before laying apples in the soil, you should select fruits with clear signs of fungal diseases or pests. This will exclude contamination of plants for which apple fertilizer is applied.
Rotten apple compost
Volunteers are an excellent compost component. Fruits decompose quickly, which in turn accelerates the maturation of the compost, and also enriches it with useful microelements.
To prepare compost, prepare a plastic container or make a wooden box. You can simply dig a hole in the far corner of the site, which is well lit. Put a layer of straw or branches at the bottom of the pit or prepared container. Then lay out the crushed apples in layers, alternating them with the ground. This is the simplest compost option.
To enrich the compost with useful elements, it is also recommended to add weeds, food waste, ash and a little manure when setting up. And the Quick compost preparation will help to accelerate maturation.
Cover the compost heap with plastic foil to avoid rapid moisture loss. Periodically, the contents of the heap must be agitated, and if necessary, sprinkled with water. Ready compost can be obtained in about 3 months. It is suitable for fertilizing both raspberries and strawberries, and is also used as mulch.
As for bacteria and fungal spores, which lead to the fall of apples, when the compost matures, they are completely neutralized. The high temperature kills all pests, and such compost is absolutely safe. For complete confidence, you can leave the compost to mature for two years.