To make compost, how to start a compost bin.
Making compost is a easy work. We need compost to nourish our plants. A well decomposed compost feeds our plants 30%. Also we use compost in our garden as potting mix. Compost is rich in Nitrogen, Pottasium , Phosphorus, Calcium, Magnesium, etc. Compost is nothing but a organic fertilizer made by help of bacteria. It is made from left over food, onion peels, eggshells, tea leaves,
green vegetables, banana peel, roots of vegetables, leaves, dried leaves, straw,cow dung, hen waste, etc. You can make compost by using any organic decomposable matter. Also you can make
Vermicompost with help of earthworms. Making a compost is easy task. Also while making compost you can harvest compost tea. Compost tea is nothing but water full of nutrients and bacteria came out of compost bin.
As Compost is a decomposed matter it is soft and similar to grannular soil. Composting needs bacteria to grow, so we need to add homemade bacteria culture regularly. To get fine compost it will take about 60 to 90 days. There are some different methods in which you get ready to use compost in 40-45 days.
The colour of compost is similar to soil when dried and brown when it is wet. Compost can be olny used
in soil application. Compost tea can be used for spray, irrigation, and soil.
Sometimes you may see fungus in compost during its process, but it’s normal. You must mix compost using any tool or sicle at every 4 to 5 days so air will reach till bacteria. Otherwise it will not decompose and will become hard. Aeration is neededfor decomposition. Aslo you should cover compost bin to maintain moisture and to avoid insects attack. You can also put earthworms and make vermicompost
To make Compost follow these steps:
1) Take a plastic container , a small plastic drum or any container which can store about 50 kg matter.
2) Drill some 8-10 holes in bottom of container, dont dirll holes in sides.
3) take a steel net if you have or lay small cardboard cuttings and cover the bottom.
4) Put some dry leaves along with cardboard.
5) Put garden grass, green leaves, straw, etc.
6) start putting your waste materials
7) add some small layer of soil after some waste.
8) Fill your compost bin in 1-2 weeks (more as you fill).
Add compost, manure, wood ash,etc in layers. Ash contains calcium.
9) After filling whole bin add layer of soil.
10) Keep a dish in bottom of container to collect compost tea.
11) Water bin regulary at interval of 5 to 7 days. Keep it moist, do not over over wet.
12) Every few weeks give the pile a quick turn with a pitchfork or shovel. This aerates the bin. Oxygen is required for the process to work, and turning “adds” oxygen. You can skip this step if you have a ready supply of coarse material like straw. Once you’ve established your compost pile, add new materials by mixing them in, rather than by adding them in layers. Mixing, or turning, the pile is key to aerating the composting materials and speeding the process to completion. If you want to buy a composter, rather than build your own bin, you may consider a buying a rotating compost tumbler which makes it easy to mix the compost regularly.
13) Compost ready after 60 days.
What to compost?
Other : Manomay Jyotish : AgriFarming : Tractor Junction
Composting at home is a great way to use the things in your refrigerator that are a little past their prime, which helps reduce food waste. You can also compost certain kinds of yard waste rather than send them to the dump. Collect these materials to start off your compost bin right:
Fruit scraps
Tea leaves
Vegetable scraps
Coffee grounds
Eggshells ( they can take a tome to break down)
Flowers
Ash
green beans shell
onion peels
Grass and plant clippings
Dry leaves
Finely chopped wood and bark chips
Shredded newspaper
Straw
Sawdust from untreated wood
cow dung
Manure
animal
Green vegetables scraps are good source of nitrogen and Iron. Tea leaves are source of nitrogen and phosphorus. Eggshells are made up of 95% of Calcium Carbonate(CaCo3).
onion peels, banana peels, potato wastes are good source of potassium. Dry leaves are source of NPK. Add crushed soaked beans they contain different useful acids like amino acid, fulvic, gibberelic acid etc.
Moisture is also essential.
The contents of your compost bin should feel like a sponge that has been wrung out well. Too dry, and microbial activity will be diminished. Too wet, and the microbes that thrive in anaerobic conditions will take over––this often results in bad odors in the pile and an almost complete stoppage of decomposition. If you find that your pile is too dry, give it a watering with the hose, even digging down a bit into the pile to ensure that you’re moistening it all the way through. If it’s too wet, turn it, adding shredded newspaper or another high-carbon material as you do so to help soak up excess moisture. Cover with a tarp if rain is keeping the pile waterlogged.
Finished Compost
After three weeks or so of this routine (depending on the air temperature and other environmental conditions, such as precipitation), you will have beautiful, dark brown, crumbly compost to add to your gardens or lawn. Dry compost in sun for 2 days. Seive the dry compost and remove big particles. Big particles should be used in garden bed or farms.
Compost Benefits
For one, it’s free. You get to use kitchen waste, lawn clippings, leaves and other vegetation that would otherwise get thrown away. In fact, you might even save money on landfill fees.
Potting mixes and soils that are rich in compost produce vigorous plants regardless of whether you’re growing vegetables, growing herbs or organic rose gardening.
Improves garden soil structure, texture and aeration.
Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition.
Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water.
No need to add fertilizer — just mix compost into the soil. This contains nutrients that plants need for optimum growth, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. And it’s an especially good supplier of micronutrients that are needed in small quantities such as boron, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.
It feels good. When else can you turn trash into treasure? Plus, scraps stay out of the landfill, reducing your footprint.
How to use compost?
Compost can be used after drying, it can be used as direct application soil. It can be used in plant nursery along with cocopeat. You can use it by spraying. take 100 gram compost and put it in water for 24 hours and then stir it and use in spray as needed. Compost tea can be used by similar methods.
Also while doing irrigation or watering plants you can add compost water in it.
Compost is rich in nitrogen, Phosphorus, postassium. You Should add compost regulary to four farm/field/plants at interval of 10-15 days. Compost is made up of organic carbon, which is necessary for your field soil. In India organic carbon of soil is below 0.3 to 0.5, but 1.5 to 3 is needed for best growth. You can use this for Mango Farming.
While making compost you should know following things:
Compost bin should not be placed in house because bacteria digest food and produce gases like methane, Co2, etc which make smell also bad odour comes.
There should be lid on bin otherwise it’s smell will attract flies and they will lay egg. And their will be large attack of larva. Also it protects bin from rain.
But there should be some holes on lid for passing of gases.
You can make compost directly in pile but when rain comes it washes out nutrients.
Compost tea should be harvested and again put into bin or use in plants.
You can use neem leaves in compost so fungus will not grow also harmful insects will not come.
If ph of compost too high or too less then you can mix lime or vinegar with compost in case of acididc ph and ash in case of alkaline ph.
Add curd or Yougurt in water and give it to compost to make it in less time. Also you can use waste decomposer.
Old compost must be added used while making new so good bacteria will grow. (If you have)
You can add trichoderma or copper lactate to compost if excessive fungus.
Don’t add oily food to compost it attracts ants and kills some good bacteria and also it reduces process of evaporation.
You can add Jeevamrit or bacteria culture mixed in jaggery water along with pulses flour(protein provider for bacteria) to compost.
Cut big vegetables into small piceces so they will decompose fast otherwise they will remain half undecomposed and full of fungus.
Final Words
Making compost is a easy work. This organic fertilizer can be created easily by taking needed precautions and care. Just Follow points mentioned in guide carefully. And powerful compost is created. Thanks for giving time to read this guide. Ask any queries in comment or contact at [email protected] . Thanks!