Preparation of EM-Compost in winter >

In winter, a gardener has an excellent opportunity to prepare EM compost, which he can use to grow high-quality seedlings, renew the soil in flower pots, and take the rest to his own plot.

Some will be surprised, because there seems to be no plant residues, but an experienced EM technologist knows that even in winter there is material that can be used perfectly.
First of all, this is food waste, which is found in every home. The second is the soil that you have already brought home for future seedlings and a bucket of sawdust. Well, and of course, EM products - , Emix powder (Urgasa) or .

Food waste for composting Any will do, except those containing vegetable oil. When crushed, they will create the basis of compost; the smaller they are, the faster the processing occurs. The soil, 10-15% of the total volume, will provide a binder for the future product, and the sawdust will absorb excess moisture.

If the sawdust is fresh, you must first deoxidize it:

To do this, mix a bucket of sawdust with a glass of fine quicklime, pour it into a plastic bag or bag and add hot water. After a week, the sawdust is ready for use. If possible, dry them.

Compost is easy to prepare in colored plastic, tightly tied bags, or sealed plastic cans, this avoids unpleasant odors. At the bottom of the container or bag, pour a small amount of sawdust, they will always take away excess moisture, pour out the daily portion of waste, throw in a handful of earth and add the EM product. Tie or close the container tightly.

We add the next portion of food in the same order until our container is full. After that, we begin to fill out the next one.

Complete compost readiness and its decomposition depend primarily on the size of the components; the smaller the fraction, the faster this will happen.

Second - temperature, during which fermentation (ripening) of compost occurs, it should be positive, at least 15-20 degrees. Under these conditions, in two months you will receive a completely finished product. Its you You can store it outside, in the garage or at home. You can use it for seedlings by mixing an additional 1/10 with soil or use it as is instead of soil. 1-2 tablespoons of compost can be infused for 24 hours in 1 liter of water - an excellent fertilizer for indoor plants.

Which essential oils are best used for fermentation?

In first place, of course, is the drug Tamir, if it is not available, you can always replace it Emix dry fertilizer

And of course, they use it to prepare compost. Good luck to you.

Question answer

1. How to properly start a compost heap?

When laying effective compost, you need to adhere to a certain ratio between carbon and nitrogen. Carbon should be 25-30 times more than nitrogen.
Carbon contain sawdust, leaves, straw, paper.
Nitrogen Contains nettle, pea and bean stems, grass clippings, manure.

2. Is it necessary to use picking of seedlings when watering with EM?

Effective microorganisms actively promote the formation of additional root shoots, so growing seedlings using EM technology does not require picking them

The definition of the word compost comes from the Latin “compositus”, which means “well prepared” or “composed”. In the understanding of gardeners, compost is an organic fertilizer that is prepared from a mixture of various substances of mineral, animal and plant origin.

Fertilizer is an integral component in the process of growing any crops, including growing indoor flowers.

Previously, compost was made, mainly from manure - a large heap was created, in which, over time, both in winter and summer, the process of rotting and decomposition of microorganisms took place, after which a ready-made fertilizer was obtained.

Nowadays, manure has become an expensive “pleasure” for the majority of the urban population. But this does not mean that modern urban gardeners have no chance of producing compost themselves. No matter how strange it may sound, compost can be prepared in an apartment, in winter, and without manure.

Where to get the components

In winter, compost can be made from ordinary organic scraps that you throw into the trash every day. That is, from what we consider garbage, you can make high-quality fertilizer and use it in the summer in your garden plot, country house or in the apartment itself to feed indoor plants.

Helpful advice: In winter, compost can be made from ordinary organic scraps from the kitchen table, such as fruit and vegetable peelings, etc.

Necessary equipment

To prepare compost at home, you do not need any special equipment or premises - the whole process takes place in your apartment or on the balcony.

All you need is:

• bucket;
• sawdust;
• plastic bottles (volume -0.5 l);
• plastic bag;
• sprinkler;
• bucket of soil;
• large plastic bag;
• EM-liquid (EM - effective microorganisms), for example, "Urgasa", "Tamair" and others.

Ingredients

Once you have purchased the necessary composting equipment, you can begin the process itself. To do this, you need to select suitable ingredients and make sure that no substances unsuitable for compost get into this batch.
Suitable ingredients include:

Suitable ingredients for compost

• cleaning fruits and vegetables;
• rotting vegetables and fruits;
• seed husk;
• eggshells (crushed);
• leftover dishes from any cereals;
• dried bread;
• tea leaves and coffee grounds;
• paper (torn into small pieces).

Ingredients that are not suitable for composting include:

Unsuitable ingredients for compost

• meat and fish;
• pet feces;
• used oil;
• bones;
• fruit pits and seeds of any plants.

Note: you need to approach the choice of ingredients head-on. Carefully review the list of acceptable and unsuitable ingredients for composting.

Cooking steps

Some will say that preparing compost at home is not hygienic, has a bad smell that spreads throughout the apartment or something similar. Not at all. Your guests will not even know that the process of preparing high-quality fertilizer is in full swing right under their noses. Unless, of course, you announce it yourself.

The process itself is simple and does not require any general knowledge or experience from you. Anyone can prepare compost by studying the technology and reproducing all stages of preparation.

1. Preparing the container. This question is decisive for the entire subsequent procedure for preparing compost, so it must be taken seriously, since there are several ways to prepare a container for composting:

   

   Factory-made composter 280 liters

   • Preparing a container with a drainage system. Stores sell special tightly closing tanks with a drain valve at the bottom. But if you can't find such a tank, that's okay.

     You can take an ordinary plastic bucket and build a drainage system at the bottom from half-liter plastic bottles. To do this, you need to cut off the bottom and neck of the bottles.

     The number of bottles will depend on the size of the bucket. This system will prevent the compost bag from touching the bottom of the bucket and allow excess liquid to drain.

     Instead of bottles, you can fix the mesh at a small height from the bottom.

   • Preparing a container without a drainage system. Some craftsmen prepare compost without drainage.

     Sawdust is poured onto the bottom, which absorbs excess moisture, as a result of which there is no need to periodically drain the liquid.

   • Preparing a container with a worm compartment. There is another option - soil is poured into the bottom of the bucket, into which red (earthworms) are introduced. A mesh is attached to the top.

     The advantage of this option is that the composting process is significantly reduced and the quality of the final product is even higher.

2. Laying down the ingredients. You need to take a tight plastic bag and place organic products in it, mixing them with soil and EM preparations (dry and liquid). Depending on which container preparation option you used, adding the ingredients will have the following features:
   • The first option is if you used a container with a drainage system. It is necessary to make 4-6 holes in the bottom of the bag through which excess liquid will drain. Don't just throw it away - you can use it as a drain cleaner or cat potty cleaner. And if this liquid is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, you will get a good fertilizer for house flowers, which can be used when watering them.
   • The second option is if you used a container without a drainage system or with a worm compartment. You will need to mix the ingredients, deflate and seal the bag. After a certain time (2-3 days), the bag will need to be opened, air released and the ingredients mixed.



Ingredients can be added as they become available

It is not necessary to immediately add the entire volume of ingredients that fills the volume of the container. Most often, this cannot be done - few people can collect a whole bucket of organic residues from their kitchen table.

Therefore, you can fill the container in stages, every day. But at the same time, the ingredients need to be finely chopped, and each portion should be filled with a handful of soil and generously moistened with EM liquid from a spray bottle.

Gardeners advise: Organic residues must be cut as finely as possible to speed up the composting process.


It should be noted that with any of the above options, your ingredients must include soil, constituting 10-15% of the total mass fraction of compost.
3. Composting. This stage is the longest, but your participation in it is almost not required. Due to the length of time, the composting process is divided into three periods:
   • Mesophilic. Lasts 7-10 days. At this time, colonies (microorganisms) begin to appear and multiply in the container. In this case, the ingredients noticeably sag, and excess liquid is released, which must be drained.
   • Thermophilic. It can last up to several months, depending on the ingredients and the degree of grinding (the finer, the faster). A characteristic sign of this stage is an increase in temperature to 70-75 degrees. At this time, harmful bacteria die, and the total mass begins to decrease. The compost should be periodically moistened to prevent it from drying out, and also stirred to provide oxygen.
   • Cooling. Lasts up to six months. At this stage, the compost turns into a homogeneous mass of brown color, loose structure and earthy smell. The listed characteristics are an indication that the compost is ready, after which it can be taken out to the balcony or garage and poured into a large plastic bag, and the empty container can be filled with a new portion of ingredients for preparing compost.

The stages that go from growing vegetables to turning their remains into compost

As it turned out, a family of four can prepare about half a ton of compost during the winter period, which will be tens of times superior in quality to ordinary manure. Therefore, preparing compost in winter is a good cost saving and qualitative change in your gardening.

Finally, some useful tips:

• The ingredients for making compost should not contain construction waste (concrete, bricks, cinder blocks, etc.), meat and meat waste, glass, printed publications, fabric, or long-decomposing products, such as plastic.
• Do not put ingredients that contain harmful substances into compost. For example, plants treated with any chemicals, as they kill microorganisms necessary for the composting process.
• Compost must have access to oxygen. Stir ingredients occasionally.

For a detailed explanation of how to prepare compost at home in winter, watch this video:

Everyone knows the truth - plants develop best and bear fruit in fertile soil. But where can you get it if plants are planted on the site from year to year that absorb useful substances from the ground. Many chemicals have been created to nourish the soil. But don’t forget that this is chemistry, and everything you put into the soil will end up in the crop. But there is an alternative - make your own compost.

What is compost and how to make it yourself

“What is compost and how to make it?” - this is a question that novice summer residents often ask. Compost is an organic fertilizer obtained by decomposing various raw materials of plant or animal origin.

You can make compost yourself at your summer cottage. There are two options for making natural fertilizers for the garden.

• Compost heap. This is the most common option for producing compost; it is also cheap and simple. You will need to make the frame in such a way that air and moisture can get inside. The best material for manufacturing would be wire mesh. Preparation of compost from the beginning of laying to full maturation takes from six months to 9 months.

Compost pile at home

• In a special box for receiving organic fertilizers. You can buy it in the Sad-Ogorod store departments. This device is protected from insects getting inside. Inside the box there is a drum that turns the substance. In addition, in the middle of the container there is a hose for moistening the waste.

Methods for making compost?

Experienced gardeners recommend preparing organic matter with your own hands. The options that provide the most effective results are a compost heap or compost bin. In these cases, waste decomposition and rotting occur best, because inside the layers the temperature and humidity are practically unchanged. The ripening time of organic matter directly depends on the volume of filling: the most filled pits and the largest ones become ready for use more quickly.

The most acceptable are compost heaps with the following parameters:

• width – 1.5 m;
• length – 2 m;
• depth - about a meter.

You can double the size and make two compartments: one for storing finished compost, the second for laying new one.

It is also possible to place a compost heap directly on the ground. It will also be well ventilated in natural conditions. Excessive moisture should be avoided. When putting waste into a pile, don’t get carried away; the optimal sizes for it are:

• base perimeter – 1x1 m;
• in height – 1 m 20 cm.

Compost bin

Necessary components for a normal composting process:

• oxygen;
• water;
• nitrogen.

In the presence of these factors, beneficial bacteria begin to act and participate in the decomposition process, and thus compost is prepared.

How to start preparing compost?

Before you start composting, you need to prepare a shallow hole (the depth is approximately equal to the bayonet of a shovel). The lowest layer in the pit should be small branches cut from fruit bushes or trees. This layer acts as drainage, allowing excess liquid to flow down.

If you already have ready-made compost, then a small part of it should be placed on the branches. This will speed up the decomposition process; beneficial bacteria from the finished humus will enter new layers. For all subsequent layers, food plant waste or grass, leaves from the site are used. They are evenly distributed on the surface, trying to compact them, and watered with water. Sprinkle earth on top.

To prevent the pile from falling apart and being blown away by the wind, it is worth surrounding it with a fence made of boards or wire mesh with large cells. The top is covered with a special covering material (spunbond); in extreme cases, straw is used. So you have a finished composter with your own hands.

Making compost for the garden

What components does compost consist of?

Compost is a natural nutrient that helps restore soil structure and increase its fertility. But first you need to know how to properly prepare compost. T It is necessary to create certain conditions for composting to proceed normally:

• Creating an optimal moist environment inside the compost heap. It should approach readings from 45 to 70%. But if it is not possible to measure humidity readings, then this is done “by eye” - the normal moisture of a substance resembles a wrung out sponge. The temperature indicator is also important - within 28–35 degrees. Waste that is overdried will not decompose, and waste that is too wet will begin to rot. In hot and dry weather conditions, compost needs watering. If it rains constantly, then you should definitely turn over the contents of the pit. It is unacceptable to overheat the substrate above 60 degrees, because at this temperature all beneficial bacteria die.
• A prerequisite is oxygen access to all layers of the compost heap. To do this, it needs to be shoveled constantly (about 2 times a month), with the lower layers lifted up, and the side layers moved to the center.
• The presence of bacteria and earthworms in the compost pit will have a positive effect on the process of composting biomaterials. They participate in the decomposition of waste.

Observing all the conditions, you can prepare compost at your dacha with your own hands quickly and easily.

What ingredients can you use to make compost?

We have learned how to make compost, now we need to figure out what ingredients are suitable for this. Symbolically, all components can be classified into two varieties:

Components with a high level of nitrogen are otherwise called green mass. These include:

• cultivated herbs;
• massive parts of vegetable and fruit plants;

Making compost from greens

• food waste of plant origin;
• bird droppings, domestic animal manure.

Question 1: How do I know if waste is being converted into organic fertilizer?
Answer. When your waste smells acidic, you're doing something right.

Question 2: The color of the EM compost has not changed much. Does this mean everything is lost?
Answer. The color of waste in a sealed bucket does not change, because... EM compost does not interact with air. When compost gets into the soil, it decomposes and interacts with it.

Question 3. The smell of rot coming from the sewer. Is it possible to get rid of this smell with the help of EM?
Answer. Please drain the juice from the bucket and use it during the day, if you do not drain it, its quality will deteriorate when exposed to air and high temperature.

Question 4. Why does the smell of waste remain unpleasant even after it has been treated with EM?
Answer. Because the environment contains a large number of bacteria that cause rotting. If the bucket is not sealed, bacteria will begin to multiply and act, causing rotting, and this will spoil the compost. It is important to activate the bacteria that cause fermentation and increase the activity of the essential oil.

Question 5. How not to spoil the compost?
Answer. Firstly, try to maintain tightness, because... fermentation occurs when air is not introduced. Add fresh waste to an airtight container. Use the required amount of EM_preparation in the required concentration or EM-bokashi. Mix everything well. It is important to remove excess liquid and air when making compost.

Question 6. Why does mold not appear when treated with EM?
Answer. You have nothing to worry about. Mold does not appear when waste is not exposed to air. When you use plastic bags to store food, the food does not spoil for a long time, because... is in a sealed state. But when food is exposed to air, white mold appears.

Question 7: I placed food in a plastic bag, created a sealed condition, but the food spoiled.
Answer. You need to know that most plastic bags sold in supermarkets are made from polypropylene, and these bags are waterproof but air-permeable. Therefore, when producing EM compost, it is important to use a sealed bucket.

Question 8. What to do when the waste smells rotten or there are larvae in it?
Answer. This is problem. First, pour hot water over the waste to kill the larvae, then bury the waste away from the plants, treat it with a 1:100 EM solution and cover it with soil. A month later, when the fermentation process is over, you can use this soil for planting.

Question 9. What to do when preparing compost from waste grapes and other juicy fruits?
Answer. Break melon and other fruits into small pieces before putting them in a bucket. Since the fruit is very juicy, it is necessary to drain the liquid from the bucket frequently.

Question 10. I used food for compost that contains a lot of salt. Would a high salt content be an obstacle to fermentation? How does food containing high amounts of salt affect the soil?
Answer. Ponder this. Don't you use a lot of salt to make brine? Fermentation is not affected by large amounts of salt. Even disinfectant can decompose when processed with EO! So you shouldn't worry. In addition, the salt content in the waste is not so high and decreases as the liquid drains.

IN survey 11. What to do with shells and large pieces of waste?
Answer. Egg shells and mollusk shells do not decompose in the soil. They do not affect the fermentation process, but calcium, magnesium and other minerals that are so necessary for plants will be absorbed by them. Therefore, we recommend grinding shells and eggshells. Large pieces of waste must also be crushed to speed up the fermentation process.

Question 12. I specifically do not use meat and fish when preparing compost. They have a strong smell. How does this food affect the quality of the compost?
Answer. You don't have to worry about this. Good compost comes from more than just vegetables and seeds. When you add meat, you need to double the dose of the EO preparation or bokashi. Then you won't worry about the unpleasant smell.

Question 13. I live in a city apartment and don’t know where to use EM compost.
Answer. You can use it to fertilize your house plants. If you know gardeners, give the compost to them. In Japan, reception of EM compost has been organized in some cities. Check with your neighbors or contact the EV Information Center.

Question 14. Can EM compost be used with other fertilizers?
Answer. Mix fertilizers with soil and EM compost in a ratio of 1:3:1. Sprinkle the mixture with a 5-centimeter layer of soil. After a week, cover the surface with plastic wrap and try to prevent liquid from getting there. Make sure that seeds and plant roots do not interact with EM compost.

Question 15: Will EM compost be effective if it is on the surface of the earth?
Answer. No. Ready compost must be mixed with soil. If the compost is on the surface of the ground, microorganisms present in the air will spoil it.

Question 16: EM bokashi and the fermentation liquid are strong acids. Could they be harmful to plants?
Answer. The pH of compost and EM liquid is 3.5-4.5. This acid is neutralized in the soil with which you mix the fertilizer. You will not harm the plants if you follow the instructions to use EM fertilizers at the specified concentration.

Question 17. I am using EM compost, but I am not seeing any results.
Answer. You should compare the results with and without EM compost. Make control rows for this.

Question 18. Why do sometimes good and sometimes bad vegetables grow when using EO?
Answer. Maybe it's because you use EM compost differently. (Strict adherence to the recommendations will help you.)

Where and how compost is used.

As an original fertilizer you need:
1. Use after plants are planted.
2. Bury near trees in the garden.

Question 19: How long does it take for EM compost to turn into soil?
Answer. It depends on the ratio of soil to waste and the time of year, but usually EM compost turns into soil in 2-4 weeks.

Question 20: When I used EM compost to grow tomatoes, only the stem grew, but the vegetable itself grew poorly. Why?
Answer. This was due to the influence of nutrients. Or maybe you watered them too often. Farmers know how much nutrients their plants need. Plant several seeds using varying amounts of compost. If the compost is oversaturated with nutrients, avoid using other fertilizers.

AGAIN ABOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS:

• You can’t dig the ground, limit yourself to only surface tillage to a depth of 10 cm, when working in the beds, forget what a shovel is, it’s better to use “swifts”. The soil itself will become loose.
• Unfermented organic matter is ineffective.
• If something is missing, for example, some microelement, and everything else is in excess, there will be no rapid growth of microbes, so the compost must be multi-component and varied.
• Use compost as a bacterial starter and a breeding ground for earthworms, without scattering it all over the site, but applying it “targetedly”, directly into the hole, so as not to feed the weeds; At the same time, be sure to sprinkle the compost with soil so as not to damage the roots of the seedlings when planting on the compost.
• EM compost made at temperatures above 45 degrees is almost 2 times weaker than compost fermented at temperatures of 20-40 degrees.
• The smell of ammonia appears in compost where the carbon-nitrogen ratio is disturbed; in this case, it is necessary to add carbon-rich components to the compost: sawdust, paper, straw, but best of all crushed brown coal.
• For the winter, place part of the compost with earthworms in double or triple garbage bags and leave it in the basement or closet of your apartment; if you feed the worms with fermented food waste once a week, you will get super biohumus and a huge number of earthworms by spring; even if the worms do not reproduce (the acidity is not suitable), this super biohumus will become an excellent bacterial starter for seedling mixtures and beds.
• Study the works of Yu.I. Slashchinin, A.M. Igonin, V.V. Fokin, who, in essence, teach EM technology.

If you want to prepare compost at home, then this article is for you. Good and high mushroom yields depend on many factors, at the beginning of which compost comes first and a lot depends on the quality of the substrate. It was believed that the best compost could only be obtained from horse manure. However, due to the limited capabilities of manure collection and the practice of mushroom pickers, other organic substrates were discovered. These are synthetic or artificial composts that can be prepared using manure from various farm animals: cattle, pigs, poultry. As well as various industrial wastes: beer grains, sunflower cake, malt sprouts, corn cobs, fish meal, yeast waste and other waste.

Based on the experience of many mushroom growers, some methods for preparing compost have been developed that take only 3-4 days.

How to make compost

The moistened mixture of straw, brewer's grain, peat and lime is thoroughly mixed and pasteurized, i.e. I process it with steam at a temperature of 60-65 °C. The next day the temperature is reduced to 53-55 °C, and on the third and fourth days to 22-25 °C. After this process, mycelia are planted in the compost. Many methods can be described, but this method of producing compost at home is quite effective and the fastest.

Below we present the three most common recipes for making compost that can be made at home. Not just in an apartment, but in dachas or suburban areas.

Method one

Dry straw - 100 kg; bird droppings - 100 kg, plaster or alabaster - 6 kg.

Method two

Dry straw - 100 kg, brewer's grains - 6.5 kg, raw or dry manure, where the nitrogen content is not more than 4% - 1.5 kg, urea - 0.5 kg, alabaster - 0.6 kg, chalk or lime - 0.3 kg, superphosphate - 0.3 kg.

Method three

Dry straw - 100 kg, animal manure - 100 kg, urea or ammonium nitrate - 0.3 kg, gypsum or alabaster - 1 kg, chalk powder - 0.5 kg, superphosphate - 0.2 kg.

They work according to the first method, i.e. compost is produced in most factories and this suggests that the productivity of the first method is quite high.

Where to begin

At the beginning of composting, the straw is moistened using irrigation. This is somewhat reminiscent of the process of making compost, just like the process for making it at home.

Irrigation kommosat for growing mushrooms

To do this, the straw is cut and laid loosely on a hard surface. To soften the straw, trample it down daily, i.e. you need to trample on it thoroughly and then moisten it again. This process will take you a couple of days. After three days, the straw does not absorb moisture so abundantly, and this indicates that the straw is ready for further composting.

If you are planning to make compost in winter. Then you will have to irrigate with hot water.

After the straw is soaked, dry chicken manure is added to it at the rate of 100 kg of manure per 100 kg of dry straw, and irrigation is carried out again for 30 minutes.

The next day, briquettes are formed from straw with chicken droppings, or placed in molds () after mixing the mixture.

Add gypsum. Gypsum prevents the loss of ammonia from the compost and improves the overall structure of the compost. In addition, gypsum provides growing mushrooms with calcium and neutralizes excess amounts of oxalic acid secreted by mycelia.

Compost is considered ready after 5 - 7 days. Of course, waiting longer will be much better for duration and yield. The characteristic feature of the finished compost is a loose structure, dark brown in color, where the humidity is approximately 70%. If you find that the compost is too wet, you should add gypsum and mix again.

How to determine humidity

You can determine the degree of readiness and moisture content of the compost by taking a little substrate in your hands. A high-quality substrate should not stick to your hands, and your hands should remain wet. If you determine there is a lot of water in the compost, add gypsum as we noted earlier and mix again.

The amount of compost you make can be used on an area of ​​2.5 - 3 square meters and this is quite enough for you to start mushroom production at home.