Learning to prepare compost in bags for feeding a vegetable garden
To increase soil fertility, farmers use various types of fertilizers. Many of them have to be bought at the store or from neighbors, but compost in bags is easy to make with your own hands. The resulting mass contributes to the rapid restoration of the land after harvest. It contains humic acids, which protect the topsoil from drying out. In addition, during the growing season, plants receive an abundance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. How to properly prepare a unique top dressing and apply it on your site? We will find out what seasoned farmers say.
Making compost in bags with your own hands
It turned out that self-made compost in bags has a number of advantages.:
- fast processing of components;
- transportability during storage;
- complete protection from environmental influences;
- ease of preparation.
To get quality raw materials, you need to pick up strong bags. Usually, the strength of the polyethylene is indicated on the packages. They must be spacious enough. The maximum volume of the "container" is 250 liters. For small areas, bags with a capacity of about 120 liters are suitable. In this case, the place that is sealed with tape is taken into account.
As you know, aerobic microorganisms are killed by sunlight. Given this moment, black bags are suitable for the case. Otherwise, rotting will begin in the mass, which will spoil all the compost. In addition, it should be remembered that compost is a rather corrosive substance. Over a long period, it is able to destroy non-durable material. Therefore, experienced gardeners choose the most durable bags.
You can use white non-transparent bags intended for the removal of construction waste.
Collecting the necessary components
Competent composting in garbage bags begins with the selection of raw materials. Traditionally, nitrogen and carbon components are used. The rate of chemical reactions and the quality of the resulting mass depend on their ratio.
Nitrogen raw materials make up:
- mown green grass;
- weeds uprooted;
- tops of beets, carrots without fungal damage;
- waste of fresh fruits and vegetables;
- manure of any origin.
Carbon material make up:
- bark of trees and shrubs;
- sawdust;
- fallen leaves;
- lignified plant stems;
- needles;
- paper;
- cardboard.
Of course, dry components are harvested in advance. The rest in the course of life. For example, when clearing an area of weeds, the plants are dug up by the roots. For business, as a rule, a pitchfork is used. Since it is impossible to pull out deep roots with a shovel.
The most suitable weeds are bindweed and runny. With their powerful root system, they take an abundance of nutrients from the soil.
Competent distribution of raw materials
When the components are ready, proceed to the composting of the garbage bags. This is best done where the fertilizer will be stored. Otherwise, during transportation, the material from which the bags are made may be damaged.
Each nitrogen layer must be diluted with carbon components. If you only lay grass, you get a fetid mass resembling silage.
A carbon layer is placed at the bottom of the bag. The dry foliage creates a soft cushion. It wonderfully absorbs the liquid that appears during the decomposition of the green mass. In addition, the leaves are carefully compacted to free the layer of oxygen. Next, the cut grass and weeds are distributed.
Each component is alternated with carbon materials:
- dry foliage;
- straw;
- paper;
- hay.
The filled bag is carefully pressed with their body, releasing the air outside. Then they are sealed with tape.
If the air method is used to make compost, several holes are made in the bags for the vital activity of aerobic microbes.
Additional substances
To prepare quick compost in black bags, special biodegradants are used. They are a concentrated substance composed of a number of microorganisms. Due to this, the process of decomposition of hydrocarbon, nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide elements is accelerated. Consider the most popular solutions that are used to create high-quality compost in plastic bags.
The drug Dr. Robik
The American drug contains aerobic organisms. It is available in both liquid and powder form. When placing the fertilizer, each layer is poured or watered with the "Doctor Robik" preparation from series No. 209. Only 60 ml of concentrate is sufficient for 2 m³ of compost. On average, one package is enough for at least three bags.
The same substance is used to clean sewage and cesspools. The resulting waste is used to fertilize vegetable gardens.
Baikal EM-1
The biodestructor contains bacteria that process nitrogenous substances. In addition, it contains an abundance of yeast and fermented milk fungi. With the help of Baikal EM-1, compost is obtained in just 3 months. However, all components are preliminarily crushed and impregnated with a substance during filling. Enterprising farmers independently prepare substances that accelerate the composting process. Let's consider 2 simple technologies.
Recipe number 1
For the case, they take the components:
- chicken droppings (2 parts);
- nettle (5 parts);
- warm water (20 parts).
Substances are combined in a spacious container. Insist for about 12 hours. The prepared solution is carefully added to the compost.
Recipe number 2
Would need:
- water (1 l);
- granulated sugar (200 g);
- dry yeast (200 g).
First, sugar is diluted in warm water, and then yeast. The solution is thoroughly mixed, after which it is introduced through a tube into a bag with compost. The resulting mass is used for mulching individual areas.
To increase the nutritional value of the fertilizer, ash, potassium superphosphate and urea... When winter comes, it is important to properly store manure in bags on the territory of the dacha. It is best to hide them away from frost and precipitation. An insulated barn or a spacious pantry will do.
Decent disposal of fallen leaves
With the arrival of autumn, summer residents have a new problem. Trees and shrubs are losing their lush green outfit. Not knowing what to do with this good, the owners of country houses simply burn it. Acrid smoke enters the atmosphere, and disgruntled neighbors are furiously outraged.
Of course, the resulting ash can fertilize the site. However, it lacks nitrogen, which rises into the atmosphere during combustion.
It is much more efficient to prepare compost from tree leaves that contains:
- phosphorus;
- calcium;
- potassium;
- nitrogen.
In addition, microorganisms multiply in such a fertilizer, which, getting into the soil, produce humic acid. The substance, in turn, stimulates the restoration of the upper fertile layer of the earth.
Compost is prepared according to the traditional scheme:
- from the site they rake all the fallen leaves;
- sort out the tops of peeled vegetables;
- prepare the cut grass.
All components are crushed as thoroughly as possible and placed in layers in a barrel. A layer of soil is poured at the bottom, about 20 cm high.It is impregnated with biodestructors or self-prepared substances. Then the crushed foliage is folded (about 25 cm) and watered with a biological product. Next comes the nitrogen layer, consisting of soft greenery, up to 10 cm high. Then the earth (5 cm), leaves, soil.
After 3 days, the components are thoroughly mixed with a shovel. Thanks to this, microorganisms begin to multiply intensively. The procedure is repeated every other day. After 3 weeks, the foliage compost turns brown and smells like fertile soil. It is brought to the surface of the garden, and then dug up.
Foliage compost is used as a fertilizer for fruit trees and berry bushes.
We learned in detail how to competently prepare high-quality compost with our own hands. For the case, you will need dense bags, biodegradants, nitrogen and carbon components. Following a simple technology, in 3 months a valuable fertilizer for vegetable, berry and fruit crops will appear at the dacha. Let's hurry to get down to business in order to get bountiful harvests from our summer cottages.
We prepare compost in bags ourselves - video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhPgE4Kj9dI