Composting plant waste. How to speed up the maturation of compost? Nitrogen rich ingredients

12.03.2020

Composting is an aerobic, natural process of decomposition of organic matter by various types of fungi and bacteria, as a result of which food and garden organic waste is converted into a soil-like material, which is called compost.

Compost- a very useful product for conditioning and fertilizing the soil.

As a result of composting, the following end products are created (% of the outgoing waste volume):

compost (40-50% by weight);
gases (40-50% by weight);
residual materials (10% by weight).

Residues include plastics and other materials that do not decompose, as well as non-compostable organic materials that may need to be returned to the composting process.

Composting can take place at various scales:

owners of private houses - yard composting;
by a local authority or an enterprise on a large scale - centralized composting.

Yard composting is the composting of garden waste and plant residues. Which can be carried out by individual homeowners on their plots. The simplest form of yard composting is the heaping of organic material and turning it over periodically to enrich the microorganisms with oxygen. With this passive composting method, it can take from several months to one year to turn waste into compost. Compost can be used both for soil conditioning and as fertilizer in the garden. To speed up the process, turn the compost at least once a week and keep it moist during the dry period.

Centralized composting includes windrow composting and tunnel composting.

Both methods require:

a certain degree of screening, grinding and mixing. The windrow is a trapezoidal pile, the length of which exceeds its width and height. The swaths are regularly turned over by front loaders or
special turning mechanisms. The temperature rise that occurs during composting causes exothermic reactions associated with respiratory metabolism. Removal of all pathogens
possible when the compost waste reaches a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for 1-2 hours. The first stage of composting takes place over six to eight weeks, after which ripening takes place, which does not require frequent
turning over. As a rule, ripening lasts 3 - 9 months. The tunnel method involves the placement of organic waste in a tunnel-type chamber that can rotate for better mixing and aeration.
material that is intensively ventilated with fans or ventilation ducts. After pre-treatment in the tunnel chamber, the compost material matures in swaths. By this method, composting
is faster because this method is more suitable for composting food waste. However, the tunnel method involves significant energy costs.

Compost video:

The natural process of processing organics is accelerated with the help of destructor preparations. They are prepared on the basis of spores of various kinds of effective microorganisms (EM preparations).

Briefly about organic destructors

The preparations are diluted in dechlorinated water - rain, spring or tap water, but settled for 2 days, with a temperature of + 25 ... + 32 ˚ C. Otherwise, "good" bacteria will not multiply. Biological products have a different degree of concentration, which affects the amount of the resulting working solution. Liquid preparations are available in plastic containers. To remove excess air, the bottle is squeezed, while the contents rise to the neck, displacing the air; screw on the lid.

Excess air from a plastic bottle is easy to squeeze out; without it, the biological product is well stored.

Without access to oxygen, bacteria do not lose viability throughout the entire storage period.

There is a certain sequence of charging the heap with the maturation accelerator:

As the heap forms, each layer of organic matter 15–20 cm thick is shed with the preparation (if it is a powder, then it is poured with water).
Processing of organics with a biological product is carried out in layers
Sprinkle with a layer of earth about 5 cm thick or crush with grass.
From drying out, each treated organic layer is covered with grass or earth.
The pile is covered with agrofiber, a film from drying out, because the bacteria "work" only in a humid environment.
The compost bin is covered with a film, regardless of the degree of filling

The finished pile looks like a layer cake.

Schematically, a compost heap, fertilized in layers, looks like a cake

Liquid preparations

Shake the vial before use. If the contents are poured out completely, the bottle is rinsed with water and the residue is poured into a working solution, which is usually prepared in the proportion of 100 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water.

Embiko - per 1 m 3 of organic matter.
Embiko has a pleasant kefir-silage smell.
Ekomik Harvest - consumption: 5 liters per 1 m 2 for each layer of compost; matures 2-4 months.
Ekomik Harvest concentrate - the kit includes a bottle with a concentrate, a nutrient medium and a bioadditive. The components are dissolved in 5 liters of water, insist. The working solution is prepared in a standard proportion.
100 ml of Ekomik Harvest concentrate from a bottle is designed for 5 liters of water
Revival - ripening 1–2 months.
Biopreparation Renaissance is safe for both humans and animals.
Gumi-Omi Compostin - 50 ml per bucket of water. Compost matures for 1.5–2 months under an earthen cover, 1–2 months under a dark film.
The use of compost with Gumi-Omi Compostin significantly reduces the risk of plant damage by fungus.
Oksizin - is available in 20 ml bottles with a dropper. Consumption: 40 drops per 1–1.5 l of water for 100 kg of organic matter. The drug is added to water, not vice versa, because there will be strong foaming. Ripening time 3-5 weeks.
Oksizin is produced on the basis of fermented beets
Compostello - 1 package is designed for 1 m 3 . The powder is dissolved in 20 liters of water, infused for 30-45 minutes. The solution is used throughout the day. Effective at +10 °C. The heap matures in 6-8 weeks.
Compostello "digests" even weed seeds
Baikal EM-1 - applied in layers (matures 2–3 months) or once in September on a finished pile. In this case, very warm water is used - approximately + 35 ... + 40 ˚C, the pile is insulated for the winter.
Baikal EM-1 - a classic example and a representative of the modern generation of concentrates

Last year, I "started" the compost heap in the second way. In addition to grass and food waste, ¼ of the organic matter was goat droppings. In April, I started using what I got. On top of the heap was covered with a dense crust, under which there was a decent quality compost, though not very crumbly. It was inconvenient to use it in cups, but it fit perfectly into the wells.

Video: how to prepare a working solution from a concentrate

Powder preparations

EM-Bokashi - based on fermented wheat bran. Consumption: 100 g of powder per 10 kg of raw materials. Ripening lasts 2-3 summer weeks.
Dr. Robik 209 is based on soil bacteria, so the organic matter powdered with Robik is sprinkled with earth. Effective at +5 ˚C. Consumption: 1 sachet (60 g) per 1–1.5 m 2 layer, collected within a month.

Homemade Organics Destructors

Homemade bokashi is cooked on rye or wheat bran. In 1 liter of water, dilute 2 tbsp. spoons of the EM drug (Baikal, Radiance) and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar or jam. The solution is kept for 30 minutes, the bran is moistened to a lumpy state, the mixture is put into a bag, tied tightly, releasing air, left to ripen for 7–14 days in a dark, warm place. The finished mass has a fruity smell. It is dried, used in the same way as the product from the manufacturer.

Video: how to make bokashi yourself

Folk remedies:

Herbal infusion - combine grass, chicken manure and water in a ratio of 5:2:20. They insist a week.
Yeast infusion - a mixture of 3 liters of warm water, 0.5 cups of sugar, 1 teaspoon of any yeast is fermented, adjusted with water to a volume of 15 liters. To maintain the balance of calcium, first the pile is poured with ash infusion: three liter jars of ash are infused for 24 hours in 10 liters of warm water, filtered. On a bucket of water take 1 glass of infusion.
Urine of animals and humans, diluted four times with water.

Video: how to make herbal infusion

I replace the nutrient medium (earth for a layer of organic matter - author) with potato broth, nitrogen with urea. I put half the volume of nettles in a pile, pour water from the eggplant over the palm of my hand, in which the potatoes were boiled (starch), and, sprinkling with urea, I shove the rest of the grass on top. And so every time I arrive, I bring 2 liters of compost tea with me and spill it. Compost matures without manure and has no less nutritional value.

OsgoodFieldinglll
https://olkpeace.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=157&t=51985&start=1600

Bacteria can also be a friend of man, if you use their activities for good. Biological preparations to accelerate the maturation of compost are proof of this.

Every gardener sooner or later faces the problem of improving the quality of the soil on his site. Even fertile soil with excellent characteristics begins to deplete over time. One way to restore soil quality is to use compost.

Composting trench:

A trench is dug in early spring to a depth of about 50-60 (some do 120) centimeters.
During the summer, gradually fill with waste.
Once every 7-10 days, you can water with infusion of manure or fresh grass. This contributes to the rapid multiplication of microorganisms that process waste.
For the winter, the trench should be covered with straw, cardboard or sawdust. With this method of laying waste, their processing continues even in winter, unlike compost in a heap located on the surface of the earth.

More information can be found in the video.

Compost preparation. Anaerobic and aerobic types of decomposition. The ratio of carbon and nitrogen. How to properly lay a compost heap.

Compost is a fertilizer obtained as a result of the microbial decomposition of organic matter.

Compost is used by almost all gardeners, regardless of what agricultural practices they adhere to, whether they dig the soil, or just loosen it, use mineral fertilizers, or do without them.

In almost any garden, and kitchen garden, there is a pile, or pit, for recycling waste from the kitchen and garden debris. Someone for composting builds all kinds of boxes, barriers, using metal mesh, boards, slate - any material that encloses a place adapted for composting organic waste.

The resulting compost has a loose, breathable structure and is enriched with all the nutrients needed by plants. In fact, compost in the garden is very good!

And almost every gardener considers himself an expert in this matter, but some simply do not think that compost can be prepared in various ways: “What's so difficult? He threw in a bunch of weeds, herbs, dumped kitchen waste in the same place, watered it, and wait until it all rots!”

In general, right. But I would like to understand a little more about the biological processes that occur during the decomposition of organic matter, so that composting in the garden does not take place spontaneously, but according to a planned scenario.

Anaerobic

It is also called "cold", proceeds at temperatures of 15 - 35 ° C, with the participation of anaerobic microorganisms that receive energy in the absence of oxygen.

The compost heap with such composting is rammed, covered with a film, or laid in pits. But, it is better to refuse such a composting method. Why?

A significant disadvantage of this method is the slow decomposition of organic matter, and the process of decay itself, with a lack of oxygen, can become harmful to plants, provoking the development of fungi, including pathogenic ones.

In anaerobic fermentation, the carbon present in the fermenting materials is not converted into carbon dioxide, as in aerobic fermentation, but into methane. Hence the bad smell. In nature, this process occurs at the bottom of swamps, and in compost heaps it can occur at high compost moisture.

Aerobic

Faster, proceeds at higher temperatures, without an unpleasant smell. Most gardeners prefer aerobic composting, that is, with air access.

Although it must be admitted that in the compost heap, both aerobic and anaerobic processes occur simultaneously. If there is more oxygen (air) in the upper layers of the compost heap, then, accordingly, aerobic composting will prevail there.

Aerobic fermentation occurs in nature on a large scale and is the dominant way in which waste from fields and forests is converted into humus that is beneficial to soils and their inhabitants.
Therefore, gardeners most often strive to use this particular method, systematically mixing (shifting) decaying organic matter in a pile to provide it with air.

It happens that the compost mass sometimes heats up to 70 ° C, as it were, “burns out”. Rejoice at such temperatures, or not?

There is an opinion that hot composting leads to the destruction of pathogenic organisms, as well as to the fact that weed seeds that fall into the compost heap lose their germination.

As experiments have shown, seeds that have undergone heat treatment in a compost heap still partially germinate, so when laying grass for composting, you should avoid collecting weeds after they bloom.

Learn more about the composting process

At the first stage, all microbes present take part in the processing of waste. At the same time, there is an intensive process of oxidation, that is, interaction with oxygen, during which heat is released.
The most striking and fastest example of oxidation as a chemical process is combustion. As for the decomposition of organics, this oxidation is slow, and heat (energy) is released slowly during this process.

But what happens to microorganisms at this time? They will die from the high temperature.? The fact is that there are a number of so-called thermophilic bacteria that develop at high temperatures (above 50, up to 90 ° C, depending on the species).

The cell membrane of thermophiles is temperature resistant. This is due to its structure and chemical composition. It is these bacteria that continue their work, it is they who heat the compost heap to a critical temperature at which other microorganisms cease their activity.

Some microorganisms die, and some pass into an inactive form (cysts) in order to survive as a species. Cyst (from the Greek kystis - bubble), a temporary form of existence of many unicellular plants and animals. It has a protective sheath, also called a cyst.

Some protozoa can exist in unfavorable conditions in the form of a cyst for several years.
Later, the activity of thermophiles will decrease, as will the temperature in the compost heap itself. Bacteria dormant in cysts will come to life and continue their work. With favorable temperature and humidity indicators, new microorganisms will colonize the compost and continue the process of decomposition of the compost heap components.
From the above, it follows that high temperatures, indeed, can partially destroy certain types of microorganisms - both harmful and beneficial.

But, pathogenic microbes tolerate adverse conditions better, so the assertion that hot composting disinfects compost is not entirely legitimate.
Many experienced gardeners keep their compost heaps small and low so they don't heat up as much. Such heaps are quickly populated by worms, which in turn leads to more valuable and nutritious compost.
When laying organic matter for composting, it is worth considering one more circumstance.

Organics is nothing more than a combination of various chemical elements with carbon.

In addition to carbon, nitrogen plays an important role in nature - an important building material for amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids and other compounds.
And the organic materials that we use for composting contain both carbon and nitrogen and are characterized by the ratio of these chemical elements.
So, for example, in sawdust, the approximate ratio of carbon to nitrogen: C / N \u003d 500/1
in straw С/N =100/1
in foliage С/N =50/1;
in lawn grass С/N =15/1
in vegetable waste С/N =13/1
manure compost С/N=10/1
This means that the compost obtained as a result of the decomposition of grass will be more saturated with nitrogen than the compost obtained with a predominance of sawdust.

Therefore, when laying a compost heap, one should alternate or mix nitrogenous components with carbonaceous components.

That is, it’s good to mix sawdust with manure, and shift vegetable waste with dry foliage, etc. Tree branches should definitely be chopped, grass should be chopped, if possible.

The smaller the components, the faster the decomposition process will proceed.

What is usually put in the compost heap?

Waste from the kitchen: vegetable peelings, egg shells, offal and fish bones. And also, shavings, sawdust, paper, weeds, grass cut from lawns, leaves collected from under trees, straw, brushwood.

It is advisable to sprinkle the layers of components with wood ash, then the compost will be more nutritious.
Through a layer of 25-35 centimeters add a little earth "for sourdough".
It is desirable to shed each layer with an EM preparation, this will significantly speed up the composting process. After 5 - 10 days, the pile, if possible, is mixed, and when it dries, it is moistened.
If EM preparations are not available to the gardener, to speed up composting, you need to lay some ready-made compost saturated with microorganisms. If there is no such possibility, you should use sourdough, from grass, manure, land from the garden. Well, you can not add anything, using the rule “And so it will do!”, But then the mature compost will be obtained at a later date.

Composting allows you to get valuable organic fertilizer and dispose of waste that becomes harmless to the environment.

“Fast composting. Compost in one season is made by larvae "-

What can be put in the compost: any organic residue is allowed: weeds (preferably directly with the earth on the roots, without shaking off), tops of carrots and beets, cabbage stalks, apple cores and potato peels, paper napkins and toilet paper, fish husks and heads from herring, coffee grounds and stale tea, waste from a juicer, water in which meat was washed, and so on. We also lay cut grass from a lawn mower, any organic matter, including feces and the contents of chamber pots. There is nothing to be afraid of - in the process of composting at elevated temperatures, everything is sterilized and decomposes to simple organic compounds. All this is laid in layers and sprinkled with earth (maybe even clay) or peat, sometimes sawdust is added, but in moderation. It is very good if you are not too lazy and mow young nettles (until the seeds ripen). It is even better to add comfrey, any legumes, yarrow, dandelions. This speeds up the composting processes and makes our substrate healthier.

For people who doubt the success of the event called “make our own compost” and that the components of the compost decompose to simple organic compounds, it can be advised to form two heaps in parallel. One pile with feces, and the other without them. Gardeners with an inquisitive mind, prone to experimentation, will have the opportunity to observe which one will be “ready” first. And it will be possible to use the resulting substrate in a differentiated way. Under garden crops, the one that is “without”, and the second - under decorative trees, shrubs and flowers.

What not to put in compost: cucumber and squash tops, stems of nightshade (tomatoes and potatoes), cut peonies, irises and phloxes, leaves of apple trees and other fruit trees and bushes, clematis cut in autumn, shoots and leaves of roses. It is better to burn all the listed residues, because by the end of the season, as a rule, many pathogens of various diseases accumulate on them!

Do not put weeds in the compost that have already released panicles with seeds. The fact is that the seeds are able to remain viable for several years, so there is a threat to spread them across the compost site, which is highly undesirable. The same applies to dandelions. Important! You can compost them only as long as they have not dissolved their "parachutes" with seeds. No need to lay branches and straw - they rot slowly, then you won’t be able to choose them from the finished compost. It is undesirable to put the roots of wheatgrass and horsetail in the compost - there, in the dark, they feel at home, they grow fat on an abundant nitrogenous substrate and - they do not go anywhere, they only multiply. Therefore, the roots of these truly malicious rhizomatous weeds must be carefully selected and burned or fermented in a bucket until bubbles go. And only then send it to the "marten" of the compost heap.

Do not confuse a compost heap with a garbage dump. No municipal solid waste should end up in the compost bin! Do not try to put vacuum cleaner bags in the compost heap! It is not recommended to put nut shells, tea bags and cigarette butts (nothing takes them!), Charcoal ash, in particular, from the grill (wood is possible!). I want to pay special attention to the fact that water after laundry should never be poured onto a compost heap!

Is it possible to pour out the contents of the dry closet? You shouldn't do this for two reasons. Firstly, the active substance that decomposes feces is the most chemistry. Its presence will violate the environmental friendliness of the compost, the consequences of which will be unpredictable. And, secondly, in this case, an excessive amount of moisture will enter the compost, it will “float” and turn sour.

Can you put ashes in compost? Ash, only wood does not hurt, like lime. Not only is ash a natural deoxidizer, it gently alkalizes the soil, it contains almost all the minerals necessary for plants.

Technologies, methods and methods of composting organic and plant waste, sawdust

What composting technologies exist and should the contents of the compost bin be rammed? Remember that we are making aerobic compost, that is, oxygen plays an active role in its preparation. By tamping the contents of the box, we thereby prevent the access of oxygen and slow down the composting process. As the compost matures, the pile itself will settle and shrink in size.

What to do and what waste composting methods to use if there is an unpleasant smell? With a properly organized composting process, problems, as a rule, do not arise. In a compost heap, in a completely incomprehensible way, some cunning biochemical processes take place that convert all kinds of waste into a homogeneous, well-structured fertile substrate that has a faint smell of mushrooms and rotted foliage. It smells like an autumn forest.

If the composting methods are chosen correctly, but still there is an unpleasant smell, then something was done wrong. But everything is easy to fix - just add peat or any earth, and no smells will bother you.

How often should the contents of the compost bin be turned over?

During the composting process, which lasts the entire summer season, the compost heap should not be turned. Mysterious organic metamorphoses are already underway there, a certain temperature regime has developed, which should not be disturbed by additional aeration. But in the spring, when the compost heap thaws, you will remove the top of the undecomposed residues, transfer them to the empty adjacent compartment to the bottom, where they will become the basis for the compost that you will form in the new season, and by autumn they will certainly reach “condition ". Composting vegetable waste greatly speeds up the cooking process. If there is no strength to wait until spring or autumn plantings are in progress and compost is really needed, you can do this transfer operation in the fall, and take the finished compost (it will definitely be less than in spring) around the site, covering the plants from winter cold. It can be strawberries, phloxes and geyhers, clematis, roses and any other sissy plants.

Should I cover the compost heap? In summer, it stands open, precipitation freely gets here, the compost “breathes”. But if you still have the finished compost from last year and you didn’t have time to carry it around the site or put it in bags, be sure to cover it with a dense black non-woven material. This is done so that it does not become clogged with dandelions and seeds of other weeds. For the winter, according to the rules, the compost is closed with some dense, but breathable material. For this, a piece of an old carpet is best suited, which does not rot and lets air through. This is done to maintain a certain temperature in the compost heap so that it does not freeze longer, and there, with the participation of oxygen, the processes of organic transformations continue. It is desirable that this "marten" work longer.

What is the procedure for composting organic waste: from the beginning of the season, you begin to fill one of the empty compartments, layering weeds, kitchen waste, lawn grass after mowing, etc., and sprinkle each layer with earth or peat. Then the composting of sawdust is gradually added, giving the mass a light structure, enriched with minerals.

Can sawdust be used? Only from hardwoods. Coniferous sawdust is impregnated with resin and does not decompose well.

Do I need to grind the components of the future compost when laying? So the process will go faster. Be sure to chop the watermelon rinds into small pieces and chop the rotten apples. Otherwise, the apples will not rot, they will remain intact until spring!

Should I water my compost pile? It should be moderately moist. Usually 1-2 buckets of kitchen slops per day are enough.

If the weather is hot and you see that the pile has dried up, it should be shed a little, preferably with EM preparations.

How to determine by eye when the compost is ready? When there is nothing left of the compost components, except for a homogeneous, crumbly dark-colored substrate with the smell of rotten leaves, consider that the job is done.

How to speed up the maturation of compost? Two or three times a season it is necessary to shed this pile with a solution of some special composter solution, which are now commercially available in the assortment. I know from my own experience that for the natural composting process, when organic residues turn into a homogeneous, well-rotted earthen mass, one had to wait two years. But when using microbiological preparations, this process is reduced to one season! By spilling EM preparations, you “launch” beneficial microorganisms there and speed up the process of compost maturation.

Is it necessary to sift the finished compost? With properly made compost, this is not necessary. When loading a wheelbarrow with finished products, make sure that there are no large insect larvae that like to settle in a fertile, warm environment.

Cooking leafy earth: how to make and cook

How to prepare leafy soil, which is necessary for growing seedlings and some plants? Sick leaves of fruit trees, of course, it is better to burn. If you have a forest area, then birch, maple or oak leaves are best folded separately. In a shared compost heap, they will slow down the composting process as they take longer to rot. Before making sheet soil for it, you can specially make a box covered with mesh on all sides for better aeration. The front wall must be made on hinges, in the form of a door.

Leaf fertilizer is available to everyone: if you cannot afford to allocate a special place for obtaining leaf humus, collect the leaves in bags, preferably mesh, in which potatoes are sold. If there are none - in ordinary plastic ones, but in this case they must be perforated for air access or left open. Then put them somewhere in a secluded place and "forget" for two or three years.

Leaves are harvested either by hand, with a fan rake, or with the help of special vacuum cleaners. An excellent tool for collecting leaves on the lawn is a regular lawn mower with a hopper. By collecting leaves in this way, you seriously save your time and effort. But remember that when working with a lawn mower, the leaves must be dry!

On the other hand, it's not so bad if the leaves are wet from autumn rains. The preparation of leafy earth is accelerated, since the humid environment contributes to their rapid decomposition. But in this case, they must be raked only by hand. Usually in our garden we clean the leaves in the spring, they have already dried up over the winter, are quite wet and will rot well.

Layers of leaves are interspersed with layers of earth, even the most barren (but not sand!). And one more condition - no other organic matter should be added to the leaf humus, unless the addition of mowed grass does not interfere. All this "layer cake" from time to time (2-3 times per season) should be spilled with a solution of EM preparations.

After 2-3 years, you will find yourself the owner of a beautiful fertile leafy land, airy and well structured. It can be used for sowing seeds and growing seedlings, mulching in the garden, adding to the holes when planting flowers, when planting flowers in garden containers.

Obtaining soil and organic fertilizer vermicompost

What is biohumus? The red Californian worm, a relative of a simple earthworm, "tamed" by man, passing organic residues through itself, gives out "on the mountain" the most valuable organic fertilizer vermicompost, which is used to feed seedlings and indoor flowers, germinate seeds, when planting seedlings on beds in the garden, when planting potatoes, when it is added to each well. Soil vermicompost helps to accelerate the growth and development of plants. It is also useful when sowing a lawn. In this case, 1 kg of seeds is mixed with 3 kg of vermicompost, then they are evenly scattered and lightly buried in the ground with a rake. Californian worms are also indispensable in the maintenance of country toilets. They literally feed on the contents of the cesspool, while the unpleasant odors that usually accompany these establishments disappear. Now there are nurseries of these useful creatures and entire farms where biohumus is produced.

If desired, you can organize the production of biohumus and breed them at home, for this special technologies have been developed for breeding worms. The essence of these technologies is that two boxes with a large-mesh bottom are placed on top of each other with a sort of whatnot.

Food for worms - finely ground vegetable and other organic residues, along with worms, are poured onto the lower level. As they eat the contents of the box, the same vermicompost is formed there. Then (or immediately, it doesn't matter) the box located above is filled with organic remains, the worms crawl there and begin to develop a new space. And the bottom box with ready-made vermicompost can be put into action. Having freed from the contents, it is put into place by the upper tier, and the process continues further. The difficulty lies in the fact that this living "factory" for the production of vermicompost cannot be left unattended for more than two weeks, since the worms will simply die without food.