Making compost DIY |

November 18

Making compost DIY

Compost is a logical consequence of anyone with a spirit of ecology, contrary to what you may think, realize it is not difficult and does not smell unpleasant.

WHAT 'THE COMPOST

With the term compost or compound is indicated a product fertilizer, humus-like, obtained through the natural decomposition of organic substances, fermented in the presence of oxygen and transformed into organic substances more simple, more assimilated by plants. This transformation, which is normally at the work of bacteria, is called composting.

Making compost is quite elementary: if you have a garden you can, very simply, to prepare an effective compound. Each of us produces a sufficient "production" of vegetable waste (waste vegetable peels, coffee or tea-leaf), dried flowers, wood and pruning branches, lawn clippings, leaves or sawdust. Accumulating all of these materials outdoors or in a suitable container, called "compost" or "composter" (see photo) is obtained in a short time the compost. To prepare a good mixture there are some simple rules to follow.

Choice of materials
those above are the ideals are less appropriate leftover food or cooked food of animal origin (may attract unwanted insects and animals), the consistency is too leathery leaves, twigs and needles of conifers (up to 1/4 or 1 / 5 the material to be composted).
Absolutely to avoid glass, textiles, batteries, paints, medicines, painted wood, coated paper and plastic should never be used because they pollute the compost with toxic substances.

Choosing the right place
The ideal place to put the "composter" is a corner-ventilated, preferably in partial shade or shade of deciduous shrubs in winter in order to have light and you see the sun in summer. The composted material can be introduced in the composter continuously adding new material as the oldest fermented.

THE STAGES OF COMPOSTING

Technically, the compost is divided into 3 stages.
a) The temperature begins to rise, we see overwhelming presence of certain bacteria, called mesophilic since they require a certain humidity. In this phase requires a high availability of oxygen, otherwise it has the production of ammonia (and odor), acids and other substances. The duration of this stage depends on the material used: for a week if you have used materials "soft", to 2-3 weeks if there are branches.

b) With increasing temperature, mesophilic bacteria die and are replaced by these thermophilic (who want to warm environments), which are responsible for the breakdown of organic matter. In this phase, the ideal temperature is 55-60 ° C: in the heaps large (greater than 1m x 1m) is advisable to measure the temperature and, if this arrives at 70 ° C, it is necessary to blow air or wet out, in order to make lowering the temperature, if it exceeds 70 ° C, the bacteria in the die and accordingly the process does not take place in an optimal way. However, if the mass is composed of different materials, such as vegetable waste, leaves and branches, the amount of air into the aggregate is sufficient to prevent an excessive increase of temperature. In this stage should turn the ground to prevent large differences in maturation between the inner and outer product and it is frequently necessary to wet. The duration of stage 2 can be up to several months.

c) The temperature returned to 40 ° C; the risk, at this point, is that the production of fertilizers acids is excessive. The addition of ammonia nitrogen (1-2 kg per m) can stop this process. The 3 rd stage can last from several weeks to several months, depending on the starting material

HOW TO HAVE A GOOD COMPOST

Always pay attention to the starting material if the product to compost is too wet, you will develop bad smells, so it is appropriate to adequately mix the wet with the dry materials (coarse and fine vegetable scraps). In this way will be obtained, inter alia, a material of good porosity with a good circulation of air in its interior. If the ground gets too dry you should moisten. Important is then the carbon / nitrogen ratio in the initial mixture should be between 15 and 30, ie 15-30 g of nitrogen per gram of carbon.
Since no analysis is difficult to determine this relationship, you can use as reference the table with some values.
The temperature measurement indicates the stage where you find the material, the temperature should be measured at least 40 inches deep, with a special industrial thermometer graduated from 0 to 100 ° C.
The mass is mixed after 30 days in winter and summer after 15 days, you need to mix 3-5 times a month to cool the mixture, 4-6 for the compound ready and mature over 10 for the compound.

Composters
The composters can have different shape and usually have a capacity of between 200 and 1000 liters. They are equipped with flaps, fissures and ventilation systems to allow air circulation and have the advantage to hide from view the material to be composted; also, are inaccessible to domestic animals and promote the maturation of the material in the cold periods. By contrast, if not open laterally, the operation of mixing is difficult and laborious.

VARIOUS TYPES OF COMPOST

Obviously the compound varies depending on the material that yes is employed and the duration of the composting process.
Composed cool: materials "soft" who have suffered from 1 to 3 months of composting and then the process is not finished yet.
To use this product must spend at least one month before sowing or planting.
Composed ready: he had at least 4-8 months of composting, but the transformation into humus has not yet reached particularly high levels.
Composed of mature: Depending on its components has been 12 to 24 nesi composting; contains less nutrients.

USE THE COMPOST
The compost, depending on the type and maturity, has a range of uses. In preparing the flower beds ready for the compost is recommended, but not recommended for soils of potted plants. The compound is instead the mature the ¬ EALE for the preparation of potting soil to be used for pot plants.
The recommended dosage is at most 1/3 compared to the other components (peat, sand).

Taken from pianteamiche.com