Cultivating flowers or vegetables always requires fertilization. It is difficult to tell whether the organic fertilizers sold on the market are genuine or fake. In fact, we can make our own compost using broken plant leaves and daily garbage. , it is absolutely necessary to use organic fertilizer to fertilize flowers. Follow this article’s instructions on how to use plant compost! This composting method is very simple, and it only takes a little time to make good fertilizer for your favorite flowers.
Method/Steps
- 1Prepare the compost bucket you need. When you compost, a compost bin helps keep the ground tidy and reduces the number of animals attracted to food scraps. You can adjust the air humidity and temperature inside the compost bin based on its construction. The minimum size for a compost pile is 0.76 to 1 cubic meter. You can make larger piles, but small-scale compost piles can also be used.
- 2Mix the following evenly in your compost bin, we highly recommend:
- Green substances (substances with high nitrogen content). Green matter promotes heat production during the composting process. Perfect green materials include: young weeds (choose those that have not yet set seeds), yarrow, pigeon droppings, lawn weeding leftovers or other green plants, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and tea leaves can also be used Slag (tea bags can also be composted, provided you remove the staples), and various plants.
- Brown substance (substance with high carbon content). The brown material is used as fiber for composting. Brown material includes fallen leaves, dead plants and weeds, wood chips, straw, dried flowers (including dried flowers for display, but remove the plastic foam packaging of dried flowers before composting) and hay.
- Other compostable materials. You may not have thought that these things can be composted before: paper towels, paper bags, cotton clothing (shred and use), egg shells, hair (or dog, cat, etc. hair).
- Gas. Airless (anaerobic) composting is a viable method of composting, butDifferent bacteria in the process will cause the compost to smell like vinegar, attract flies, and make the compost look unsightly and sticky. If you think your compost needs more air, open the compost bin and add some dry material or brown material as mentioned earlier.
- Water. Your compost should be as moist as a sponge that has been wrung out of water. Adjust the humidity according to the climate. When the compost is too dry, you can add water directly or use green substances to increase moisture. The lid of the compost bin helps the compost retain moisture. Pay attention to changes in compost moisture. If there is too much water in the compost, the compost may not get enough air.
- Temperature. The temperature of compost is very important, as the activity of microorganisms during the decomposition process is determined by temperature. The easiest way to measure the temperature in the pile is to feel it with your hands. If the compost feels warm or slightly hot, it means that the microbial activity in the compost is high and the compost material will be decomposed quickly. However, if there is too much gas in the compost at the same temperature, the microbial activity will decrease. You need to add more materials with high nitrogen content to increase the microbial activity.
- Soil-enhanced composting. This is not a required step, but adding a layer of garden soil or some freshly finished compost to the compost can help increase bacterial content and speed up composting. If you compost freshly pulled weeds, the dirt trapped on the grass roots will also do the trick. You can speed up composting with this method, but sometimes it doesn't work very well.
- 3Mix the ingredients in layers in your compost bin so they are evenly touching and avoid forming large clumps. Especially avoid compressing large amounts of green material together, as they will quickly form anaerobic clumps.
- If possible, first put a layer of brown material, such as crushed leaves, on the bottom of the bucket. They will create enough air at the bottom of the bucket.
- Try various material mixing ratios. Brown stuff can outnumber green stuff three to one, or it can be half brown stuff and green stuff, depending on what materials you have on hand.
- If the compost needs extra moisture, lightly sprinkle each layer with some water.
- 4Tidy your compost regularly. Turn it over once a week or every two weeks to remove impurities from the compost. Then use a pitchfork to move the entire compost to a certain location and wait a while before moving the compost back to its original location. Mixing the compost in this way helps air flow through the compost, speeding up aerobic decomposition because anaerobic bacteria decompose more quickly than Aerobic bacteria are slow and can produce a sour smell. Overall, organizing compost helps aerobic bacteria grow.
- Try turning the compost from the inside out and from top to bottom. Break up any clumps or stuck materials. If the compost looks dry, add water or moist green material; if the compost looks too wet, add dry brown material. If you are increasing the volume of your compost pile, add new material as you turn it over and mix it evenly with the old compost.
- 5Be careful about adding materials that decay slowly, such as heavy tree branches, folded newspapers, plant ash, wood shavings and prunings. These items can all be composted, but be careful to break them down first when you compost them, as these materials are more difficult to break down than other materials, especially when composting for a short period of time in cold climates. If you can, shred these heavy materials to help them break down faster.
- 6Learn what cannot be composted. Never compost objects that cannot be damaged for health or hygiene reasons, meat and meat off-cuts, bones, plastic or synthetic fibres, oils or fats, pet or human waste (except herbivorous animals such as (than rabbit and horse droppings can be used), knotted weeds and diseased plants, disposable diapers (nappies), shiny paper or magazines, coal and char, ashes and cat litter. Place these materials in your usual trash can.
- You should also try to avoid composting materials such as bread, pasta, nuts and deli foods. These materials are not easy to break up and will become sticky and sticky as they rot. It is best to only start composting at the beginning.Add some from time to time to help the compost generate heat. (If you have squirrels or monkeys near your garden, the nuts will disappear quickly!)
- 7Harvest and use your compost. If all goes well, you will eventually find a good layer of compost at the bottom of your compost bin. You can apply this layer of fertilizer to the bottom of your flower beds.
- You can use a coarse mesh or your hands to sift through the compost to pick out any clumps that have not been broken up.
- Freshly finished compost can grow plants, but it also depletes nitrogen from the soil as the compost material continues to decompose. If you're not sure whether your compost pile is ready, leave the compost in the bucket for a while, or spread the compost around the garden and let it sit for a few weeks before planting.
Tips
- To make compost faster, prepare the compost materials: cut leaves, chop branches, crack eggshells.
- Encourage your family to compost by placing your compost bin where it is easily accessible.
- Composting will go quickly as long as you use the right ratio of materials (three parts brown material to one part green material) and choose the appropriate volume. Keep the compost moist and turn it once a week.
- If you insist on composting, you can create two new piles of old compost every year. The separated compost will continue to decompose, it just takes more time to decompose completely.
- Sometimes, you may need a new pile of compost. At this time, you can stop adding materials to the old compost and let the old compost stop decomposing naturally.
- Place a small compost bucket near the dining area. This bucket should be of a good size and easy to fill. Transfer the contents of the bucket to the larger compost bucket every day to keep the smaller bucket clean and sanitary. You can use a small plastic bucket (garden bucket with a lid) or use a simple ceramic bucket - both look great, are easy to clean, and are easy to transport.
- Sprinkle water into the compost pile in a dry environment to increase humidity.
- To help the compost break down, add some red worms to the bucket. Worms can be purchased on the Internet. If you are using a compost bin with an openable bottom, open the bottom and the worms will automatically enter the bin.
- Layering is a very effective method of composting - one layer of brown material, one layer of green material, and one layer of decomposing worms (onlyIt is sufficient if the temperature does not exceed 25?C).
- If you live in an apartment complex, you can share your composting facility with others.
- You can cut the top off a plastic milk jug, leaving the handle on, and place it under the kitchen sink to collect compost material.
- Drawing a black garden cloth over the compost pile will help increase the temperature. If you live in an urban area, this will also make the environment look tidier and keep the air flowing.
- If you are unable to compost for any reason, contact your council and ask if they collect garden waste for compost. Many councils collect discarded Christmas trees in January and chop them up for composting material.
- If you clean up your garden, remember to collect vegetation for decoration! These are free and the best compost material, unless you also have a lawnmower. The lawn mower will turn the chopped grass into fertilizer for the lawn, which can provide 40% of the nutrients needed by the lawn. Other lawns that do not use compost need to be added with chemical or ordinary fertilizers after a few days of mowing.
- The fastest way to compost is to mix one part chopped green matter and three parts fallen leaves (can be chopped with a lawn mower), put it into a three-sided bucket without a top and bottom, keep it moist and use it every two weeks The pitchfork flips once.
- While not guaranteed, compost will generally heat up as it decomposes. If your compost is mixed well, you will most likely notice a warmer temperature inside the compost, with steam coming out even on a cold morning. This is a good sign.
- If you wish to add food scraps to your compost pile, place them underneath the garden waste. This will reduce the number of animals and flying insects attracted to food scraps, but a compost bin with a lid will work just as well.
Notes
- Do not add materials listed under "Materials that should never be composted" to your compost pile - they will completely ruin the compost, whether for other reasons or for hygienic reasons.
- If you compost weeds, let them dry before adding to the pile. If you don't do this, weeds will continue to grow in the compost.
- Although dog poop can be composted, it can only be done in compost bins with special conditions approved by the city government. Such compost bins are usually located in local parks. Do not use compost sites or nearby vegetable and fruit gardens. If you require further information please contact your local council. You can also make suggestions to the city to provide trash cans along dog walking routes in parks.
What do you want to prepare?
- Where to place the compost bin
- Plant debris, garden waste and other materials that can be composted
- A pitchfork or other tool for turning compost
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