Compost is a complete fertilizer for garden beds. The only drawback is that it takes a very long time to ripen; you have to wait 1–2 years. But it is possible to prepare a quick dressing. This will require natural ingredients and garbage bags.
Unlike feeding in special boxes in bags, it matures several times faster. For example, if you start preparing it in the spring, by autumn it will already be ripe and ready for fertilizing plants. To make proper fertilizing, you must follow 5 rules.
Gathering ingredients
For the base, you can choose ordinary weed grass that grows in any area. Coniferous and deciduous trees are also allowed. Fruit, maple, oak, and birch leaf products are ideal for compost.
The main rule when collecting components is that they must be young. They need to be collected before flowering and seed formation. If these conditions are not met, compost will only increase the growth of litter.
If deciduous tree products are selected for composting, it is important not to damage the roots when collecting them. To do this, it is recommended to use a special garden vacuum cleaner or a hand rake.
You can sow useful grass between the rows on the site. When the grass comes up, mow it with a lawn mower, then put it in a bag.
Grinding
The collected material must be crushed before packing into bags. The simplest method is to use a mulcher (garden shredder) in automated mode.
If the foliage is collected using special equipment, the output is already crushed. If necessary, you can also use the manual grinding method.
Bookmark material
Thick, black plastic garbage bags are suitable for storing raw materials for composting.
To prepare the fertilizer, it is necessary to create drainage at the bottom. For this:
- use sawdust or branches, laying them in a thick layer;
- place the prepared raw materials on top;
- alternate it with layers of food waste and soil;
- If the mixture turns out too dry, moisten it with a small amount of water.
Do not compact the bags too hard. It is important that air enters the compost. It is also recommended to make small holes.
Adding composting accelerators
To speed up the maturation of compost, as well as improve its organic composition, it is recommended to add accelerators. You can prepare them yourself.
Best recipes:
- To prepare the mixture you will need chicken droppings, nettles and warm water. Combine the components in proportions: warm water – 20 parts (of the total volume); nettle – 5 parts; chicken manure - 2 parts. Leave for 12 hours. After this, carefully pour it into the general mass with the prepared compost.
- Dissolve 200 grams of sugar and dry yeast in a liter of water. Mix well and pour through a small hole in a plastic bag.
When preparing compost, in addition to weeds, you can add nettle or comfrey. This will speed up the ripening of the fertilizer and supplement it with organic matter.
Care during maturation
As the compost matures, it is necessary to monitor its condition. It is important to regularly stir the contents of the bags so that the foliage is evenly rotted.
It is necessary to monitor the moisture level inside the bags and control the sufficient supply of oxygen. To create the necessary conditions, you should alternate 2 stages:
- Seal garbage bags with adhesive tape, thereby creating airtight conditions for green matter inside.
- Open the bags, allowing oxygen to penetrate inside. If necessary, make additional holes in the bags.
The maturation process must be controlled independently. The guideline is that the compost should have the aroma of wet grass.
Tips for those who prepare their own plant food
When preparing your own compost in garbage bags, you need to know when it is ripe and ready for use. Tips on what signs you can use to determine the maturation of compost fertilizer:
- the green mass becomes brown;
- The texture of the compost is loose and loose;
- in appearance it resembles clay of a homogeneous structure with the exception of small protruding branches.
If the grass mixture in the bags matches these descriptions, it is time to use it to fertilize the plants.
Experienced gardeners assure that compost prepared in garbage bags is more effective than ready-made commercial fertilizers. It is important to follow the rules for preparing the mixture to obtain the desired result.
