Creating compost

Compost is a great additive to any soil as it improves the texture, nutrient content, aeration as well as water retention capabilities of the soil. Besides being an eco friendly way to deal with organic waste, it also increases drought resistance as it causes the soil to release water slowly and protects the ground against erosion. Due to the presence of microorganisms, nutrients that the plant needs such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus will be produced naturally in balanced amounts.

Creating compost is also a great way to reduce garbage as it reduces the amount of organic waste that will fill up the landfills. These are the list of items that can be used as compost:

• Animal manure (not pet waste- please see below)
• Cardboard rolls, cereal boxes, brown paper bags
• Clean paper
• Paper towels
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Cotton and wool rags
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
• Crushed eggshells (but not eggs)
• Fireplace ashes
• Fruits and vegetables
• Grass clippings, yard trimmings
• Hair and fur
• Hay and straw
• Houseplants
• Leaves
• Nut shells
• Seaweed (rinse off saltwater)
• Shredded newspaper
• Tea and tea bags
• Wood chips, sawdust, toothpicks, burnt matches

These items are not recommended:

• Meat, fish, egg or poultry scraps (odor problems and pests)
• Dairy products (odor problems and pests)
• Fats, grease, lard or oils (odor problems and pests)
• Coal or charcoal ash (contains substances harmful to plants)
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants (diseases or insects might spread)
• Pet wastes (dog or cat feces, cat litter, bird droppings) (might contain parasites or germs)
• Yard trimmings treated with pesticides (might kill composting organisms)
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs (substances harmful to plants)
• Milk yogurt or cheese (odor problem and might attract pests)

Steps for making compost:

1) Obtain a plastic bin with a cover that is at least 18 gallons in size. Having a second lid can help catch the nutritious liquid that seeps from the compost.

2) Add tiny holes all around the bin to allow air circulation in the bin. This will accelerate the decomposing process of the compost.

3) Fill the bin with compost material as stated in the list above.

4) Shake the contents of the bin every few days to aerate it. If the bin starts to smell, add shredded leaves or shredded newspaper to the mix to tone down the smell.

5) The compost can be harvested by running it through a sifter. Keep the solid materials that need more decomposition back into the bin.

There are 4 factors that help with decomposition, mainly moisture, oxygen content, temperature, and a good mix of ingredients. The perfect compost pile is damp without being wet, like a squeezed out sponge. It should also be well aerated, with plenty of the oxygen that aerobic bacteria need. The optimal compost bin should have drainage, airflow, insulation and a good mix of various ingredients. Keep the compost material damp but not too wet as water might wash away the nutrients in the compost pile. The compost pile also needs heat to decompose properly, so put it in a warm area.

A good compost pile consists of 75% of brown material and 25% of green material. Brown materials consist of dry, fiber-like materials like dried grass, leaves, and shredded newspaper. Green materials are juicy organic material such as fruit rinds and vegetable peels. If the compost is too wet, add more brown material. If it does not have a lot of green material, water may need to be added to the material.

Managed composting requires a lot of manual work, but generates faster compost as a result. It involves shredding all the material as it decomposes faster and shuffling the ingredients on a regular basis to encourage the decomposing process. Additionally, fibrous material can be added to encourage more heat to the compost bin, which will speed up the decomposition process.

Fertilizer Basics

Sometimes, the soil used for planting may not always have enough nutrients for the plant to grow up normally. The soil will then need to be adjusted with additives to make it more suitable for planting. These additives provide additional nutrients to the soil to help the plant grow faster. There are certain nutrients that every plant needs in order to grow healthily. These nutrients can be bought as fertilizers readily mixed in specific ratios or bought specifically for custom ratios.

Nitrogen (N)
The plant utilizes nitrogen for helping the plant to form stems, branches and leaves. It is also responsible for helping plants grow their leaves. The more leaves a plant needs to grow, the more nitrogen it needs. Organic compost provides nitrogen to the plant as the microorganisms breaks down the organic material within the compost. However, too much or too little nitrogen can cause problems. Lack of nitrogen stuns plant growth as well as causing them to have weak stems and yellow leaves. Too much nitrogen can cause the plant’s shoots and leaves to overdevelop while having underdeveloped roots, and poor tolerance to environmental stress and diseases. Fertilizers high in nitrates and ammonia usually provide nitrogen for the plants when applied. Application of nitrogen is usually to the roots of the plant. Nitrogen is easily washed out by the soil and needs to be reapplied periodically. Leafy greens need a lot of nitrogen to grow into strong, leafy plants.

Phosphorus (P)
Phosphorus is important for root growth and for seed germination. Young plants in particular need phosphorus to form their root systems. Adult plants, especially those bearing seeds and fruits need this mineral as well. Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots need phosphorus as well. Lack of this nutrient stuns the growth of the plant and also causes a purple tinge on the leaves of the affected plant. Phosphorus must be applied as close as possible to the roots as phosphorus reacts quickly to other elements. Phosphorus remains in the ground for years after its initial application so it needs not to be reapplied after its initial application.

Potassium (K)
Potassium or kalium promotes fruit and flower growth and helps the plant to resist disease. It is also very important for plants, as it is needed for stomata activation and the production of starch. Like phosphorus, potassium is locked within the soil when it in its natural state and is not readily available to plants, in addition to being easily washed away by rain. It should also be applied as close to the roots as possible as potassium is a very reactive mineral and will bind with other elements before it reaches the plant. Potassium that is readily absorbed by the plant is rare in natural soil, which is why the best source of it comes from fertilizers. Plants low on potassium will bear little fruit, have low resistance to diseased and will have scorched leaves.

Most general fertilizers will have the NPK marking on it, denoting that there are equal amounts of all 3 essential elements contained within them. For seeds, nitrogen and phosphorus are the 2 starter elements that are essential to kick start growth for the seedlings. With the exception of nitrogen, the other 2 elements need not be regularly reapplied depending on the type of plants that are being planted. Plants that bear fruit require a lot of phosphorus and potassium so they do need frequent application.

Applying fertilizer

Fertilizer can be applied through a few different methods to the plants, depending on the formulation of the fertilizer and the needs of the plants. These methods are used to ensure that all plants get adequate nutrients. They can be applied at different stages

Broadcasting
The recommended amount of fertilizer is spread evenly around the garden. This method is normally used for large gardens where it is more efficient to distribute fertilizers in this way.

Banding
Banding delivers nutrients directly to the plant. Some minerals such as phosphorus is easily absorbed by the soil and will be locked up by it if it is too far from the roots, leaving little or no nutrients for the plant to absorb. Banding is done by creating a furrow 5-6 inches from where the seeds are, 2-3 inches wide and 1-2 inches deeper than the seeds. Half of the recommended dose of fertilizer is then added into the furrow. The distance between the furrow and the seeds is crucial as getting them too close to the seedlings will cause the roots to burn from too much nutrients.

Side-Dressing
This is done after the plant has already grown to a certain level and is strong and firm. This can be applied either around the plant or by banding the plant at both sides. This provides additional nutrition for growing plants so that they will grow up as expected.

Foliar feeding
Foliar feeding is done by spraying liquid fertilizer directly on to the leaves as plants absorb nutrients directly from the leaves faster. Foliar feeding is usually used as a back up procedure when there is not enough fertilizer in the soil after planting, or if there is a need to accelerate the plant’s growth, or as an emergency measure to resuscitate a plant suffering from lack of nutrition. The absorption of nutrients from foliar feeding starts almost immediately, within minutes after the application.

Types of fertilizer

The use of fertilizer is to condition the soil to make it suitable for the plant. Certain soils may lack certain nutrients, thus requiring additional additives to make it suitable for growing. The easiest way to find out the kind of fertilizer that the soil needs is to use a soil testing kit that can be bought from any gardening store. Otherwise, general estimation of the soil would work as well.

There are 2 types of fertilizer in general:

Organic Fertilizer

Organic fertilizer basically comes the remains or the by-product of living matter. This includes plant compost, bonemeal, bloodmeal and manure. Organic fertilizer contains materials that stimulate the growth of microbes, or in some cases, provide the microbes to the soil that it is being added to. These microbes then break down the soil, releasing much-needed nutrients to the plant. The nutrients found in organic fertilizer is usually quite low compared to synthetic fertilizer, but they are well balanced in general although organic fertilizer with higher amounts of certain nutrients do exist. However, organic fertilizer releases its nutrients slowly, and might not release enough nutrients for the budding plant to grow at the desired rate. Organic fertilizers also add structure to the soil, making it more firm and suitable for plants.

Synthetic fertilizer

Synthetic fertilizers are produced using chemicals and are available in granular, powder or liquid form, making it easy to apply to the soil and also ensuring that precise amounts of nutrients are added. Synthetic fertilizers tend to release their nutrients faster and in most cases, instantly for the plants, causing the plant to grow at the desired rate. General synthetic fertilizers are also available in readily mixed forms for gardeners so that they can just add it to the soil. However, one risk with synthetic fertilizers is that it is very easy to overdose on them which causes the plants to wilt from having too much nutrients at once.

Fertilizers are usually added to the soil to enrich them, allowing plants to grow properly as they provide the proper nutrients for the plants to grow. The usage and mixing of both fertilizers are commonly practiced as well, but for organic farming only organic fertilizer made from compost is used to ensure that the plant grows as naturally as possible, while ensuring that there is sufficient nutrition.