There are many things that people throughout the world do to help tend to their gardens. This can be anything from choosing pesticides that are safe for both their plants and the environment, to making sure that their plants have well fertilized soil to grow in. Many people are drifting away from store bought fertilizers, however, and are instead choosing to make their own at home using a process called composting.
What Is Composting?
Composting is a process to create fertilizers that relies solely on the decomposing process. Compost can be made with any organic waste such as plant leaves, kitchen scraps (such as banana peels, apple cores, etc), and lawn trimmings. Although it has been growing in popularity in the modern years composting is actually a very old practice that dates back to as early as at least the early Roman Empire. During this time it was typical for farmers to collect plant scraps and spoiled crops and store them somewhere. As these items decomposed they would eventually be broken down into compost that they would add to their crops in the next season. This provided them with an efficient method of gathering fertilizer as there were few other alternatives for it during this time period.
This also helped prevent soil erosion. Soil erosion is what takes place when the top layer of soil has eventually run out of use able nutrients. The result of this is that no plants are able to grow there and the soil is unusable. A place where this often happens is where there have been farms for many many years. It is this soil erosion that makes it impossible for farmers to have enough crops to sustain their families.
Why is Composting Better for the Environment?
When it comes to the nutrients provided in name brand store bought fertilizers there are actually less than there are when you compost as these brands typically provide four nutrients at most. In addition to these nutrients, however, there are also many chemicals present in fertilizers that are harmful to the environment.
When these types of fertilizers are used outdoors, primarily in plants that are not potted, the chemicals are moved as run off. Runoff is the result of rainwater picking up harmful chemicals, such as oils, and moving them. The majority of the time this runoff finds its way to streams, rivers, and oceans where it pollutes them. This is dangerous for plants and other life forms living in the ecosystem.
An ecosystem is any environment and all of the organisms living in it. These ecosystems have delicate chemical balances that the disruption of could result in the elimination of one of that ecosystem’s species of life. For example, oil from cars can move as runoff into rivers when it rains, resulting in the death of certain species of algae. It doesn’t stop there though and instead can cause a chain reaction.
Not only does the algae die off but any organisms that were feeding off of it will have a food shortage. This will continue farther and farther down the ecosystem’s food chain until eventually the population has depleted so much so that it is almost impossible for anything to live there.
On top of it killing of certain species of algae the runoff fertilizers can also do the opposite as well for water that does not flow, which believe it or not, can actually be even worse for the environment. As the fertilizers nurture the algae they begin to grow and reproduce at an unusually fast rate, resulting in a thick layer covering the surface of the water. This layer prevents the water from receiving necessary oxygen, eventually suffocating all life that resides under the surface. These facts are why many people have taken to composting which allows them to not only choose what goes into their plant’s fertilizer but also control where all the nutrients end up.
Choosing a Container
The first thing that you want to do when beginning a composting heap is to find a container that suits your specific needs. Many people choose to store their compost underneath their kitchen sink as that is where it is most likely to not be in their way or accidentally get thrown out so it is important that you choose a container that both prevents mildew growth and odors.
A Stainless steel compost bucket. Sold online there are many different types of compost buckets but the one that is most commonly used is large and made of stainless steel, similar to a cooking pot. This stainless steel prevents the growth of mildew that could contaminate the soil. The lid that comes with the bucket also has holes drilled into it to further help prevent mildew growth as it cuts back on the humidity of the pot’s contents.
Another option in terms of compost storage works well if you are choosing to store your compost somewhere outside of your home, such as a storage shed, rather than under your kitchen sink. Instead of choosing to purchase a specially designed compost bucket you could use the cheaper alternative of a plastic gallon ice cream pail. This can be efficient as it still offers plenty of space for storage while also having a handle, making it easy to carry your compost around from flower bed to flower bed in your garden.
If you don’t want to put quite as much time into waiting for your compost there is another alternative. Although they are quite pricey there is a machine that can convert your recycled goods into use able compost overnight. This can be beneficial if you have a large garden that uses up a lot of fertilizers but otherwise could be a waste of money if you only need a little compost to sustain your plants. On top of the high price they also take up a large amount of space. This means that unlike with the previous containers you will need to have an outdoor space designated specifically to your compost.
A final option works well if you only need to produce a small amount of compost, such as for indoor potted plants. Instead of either of the previously mentioned storage units you could instead use a small plastic kitchen container. This way you would have plenty to suit your needs but also would not have a large container taking up all of your space.
What Can be Used to Make Compost?
Now that you have a container picked out for your compost heap it’s now time to begin adding to it. It’s important that you are very particular about what you add to it and how much because each item benefits the soil in specific ways. Grass clippings, for example, provide a rich amount of Nitrogen to the compost while wood chips provide a lot of Carbon. You want to finally have a fairly balanced Carbon to Nitrogen ratio but if you are not positive how much you have of each one you should always add more Carbon rich items to be sure.
Something that you want to keep in mind is the things that absolutely can not go into your compost pile. One type of item that you will want to leave out is meat scraps. Both from red and white meat, adding scraps of meat to your compost can attract a large number of pests that you do not want to transfer into your plant’s soil when the time comes to use up your compost.
You also want to be careful what types of plants you add to your compost as well. Adding any diseased plant clippings can transfer the disease from the compost and into that new soil that your plant is going to absorb nutrients from, thus transferring the disease to your new plant as well. This will cause your plant to become sick very quickly and can ultimately result in it dying with little you can do to help it.
You also should avoid throwing in banana peels, peach peels, and orange rinds. This is because these are often covered in pesticides that you want to keep your plant from absorbing as it could end up poisoning it. Many people make the mistake of trying to rinse off these items and then adding them to their compost anyway, but this can be bad as often these things are not only covered in pesticides but have absorbed them as well. As these decompose they will release the pesticides into the soil which will then go on to affect your plants by killing them instead of the bugs that you want to prevent.
As for using pet feces, or other manure for that matter, as an additive to your compost there is something that you need to keep in mind. Whether or not you add this is dependent on the types of plant you are hoping to grow. If you are simply growing plants for aesthetic purposes, such as vines or flowers, then there is no reason to avoid adding manure to your fertilizer. However, if you are growing crops that you intend to eat then you should avoid adding it. This is because feces often contains contaminants that when absorbed into your plant could make you or others sick at the time of consumption. Although this is not something that happens every time it is better not to take the chance, especially if you plan on giving the food to young children, the elderly, or anyone else that may be easily affected by food borne illnesses.
One thing that often is not taken into consideration is the use of shredded paper. Despite not being able to recycle paper that has been shredded you could still add it into compost as it provides an excellent source of Carbon. You should keep in mind though not to also add paper that has any colored ink or gloss on it, as the chemicals could be harmful for your plants. Sawdust can also be added for the same reason but should be done in small amounts or spread out thinly throughout the compost to prevent it from clumping. Clumping could cause issues with water later on as the decomposing materials will become stuck to the sawdust, resulting in them taking longer to be fully broken down.
Filling Your Container
It is not only important what you fill your container with but how you do it as well. There are very specific ways that you can layer the items added to your compost in order to produce the best compost in the shortest amount of time. This way you can get your compost finished as soon as possible, which is especially helpful if you needed it quickly before the ideal season for the plants you wish to grow arrives
The first thing that you want to do is line your compost container with a layer of soil. This will allow your compost to be consistent aerated as it decomposes, especially if you choose to add worms to the soil as well. If you do choose to add worms to the soil you should specifically add red worms, also known as wiggler worms, panfish worms, and tiger worms. Given their bright attractive red color that makes them ideal as bait these worms can be purchased at most bait shops if they are not native in your area.
The next layer that you will want to add to your is some twigs or straw, each which benefit the compost in a similar way. As for the twigs they allow the water to properly drain through them and into the soil at the bottom of the bucket, prevent the compost from absorbing too much water. With the straw it does the same but is more efficiently for those who choose to grind up their larger portions of the compost before adding it to the bucket. This more fine filtration prevents too much of the compost from rinsing through and into the soil during watering.
Now it is time to add the components of your compost heap. In order to avoid an unhealthy amount of mold growing within your compost heap, while also still having moisture present, it is important that you layer it in the proper way. This means that in order to have it well balanced you need to alternate between adding dry ingredients and adding moist ones. Moist ingredients would be things such as food scraps, tea bags, and seaweed while dry ingredients would be things such as leaves, twigs, and wood ashes. Then you can add manure if you choose to use any, or any other Nitrogen rich source.
In order to keep the compost moist you need to consistently water it while also being careful to avoid adding too much, so as not to accidentally drown out your compost. A way to keep in mind how much water you are supposed to add is that the compost should only be moist and never soaking wet. Something important is that you keep the humidity present as well by always having the lid on top of your container when you are not watering it.
The final thing that you need to do is constantly turn your compost. All this means is that you must take a small shovel or other tool and flip around your compost inside of the container. This will ensure that your compost has enough oxygen mixed throughout it and the soil to keep the decomposition process happening. Depending on the amount it will be done in around 3 months.
How To Use Your Compost
How you choose to add your compost to your soil depends on how large, and how many nutrients, you want distributed around your plants area. If you are planting something large, such as trees or bushes, you will want to a large amount of compost into the soil before planting them. This way as they grow and absorb nutrients they will have enough to sustain them for awhile. If you were to instead scatter the compost on the surface of the soil the rain could have a difficult time allowing the nutrients far enough to reach the roots once the plant grows larger.
If you are working instead with potted plants or small flower beds it may be in your better interest to instead sprinkle the compost on top of the soil. This will allow the nutrients to drain into the soil and because these types of plants do not grow roots that run as deep into the soil as others it will be easy for the plants to always reach them. It is also easy to add these additional nutrients as is needed by the plant. This is especially useful for plants that are more delicate when it comes to their chemical balances.
Why Is Fertilization Important?
As organic materials begin to decompose they form a substance, also known as compost, that is packed full of nutrients. The six most crucial of which are magnesium, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, calcium, and potassium. Each of these nutrients perform a key role in ensuring that all of the plant’s systems function properly so that the plant stays healthy.
Magnesium to start with helps the plant properly go through photosynthesis. When doing this it produces Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a special pigment found in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. It is this pigment which causes the plant to have a healthy green color. This is the reason behind why when plants have dying brown leaves you can often attribute it to a magnesium deficiency.
In plants Sulfur is largely responsible for keeping the plant healthy as it is the main nutrient that protects the plant from diseases and aids it with seed production. Also Sulfur is what allows the plant to construct the proteins which make up the majority of their structure. With a low level of Sulfur plants will become wilty and weak, likely unable to last long.
Potassium also plays a role in photosynthesis similarly to Magnesium. It is in charge of opening and closing the stomata of the plant’s cells. This stomata acts as a gateway between the plant’s cell and the environment, so in more simple terms, Potassium controls how much CO2 flows into the plant cell.
Nitrogen partially does the same job as both Magnesium and Sulfur combined. On one hand it works similarly to Magnesium because it helps aid the plant’s production of Chlorophyll, and on the other hand it works the same way as Sulfur because it helps with the production of proteins. Because it does both these jobs if the plant is low on all three components it stands little to no chance of surviving, especially without any changes being made to its soil.
Calcium in plants plays an enormous role in the health of a plant because it is responsible for the formation of cell walls and holding them together. Cell walls are what protect the cells insides, including the plant’s DNA, from becoming damaged by outside factors. If the cell wall were to become damaged it could lead to the plant’s growth of root tips and new leaves to malfunction. This would result in leaves and roots that are deformed.
Phosphorus is responsible for seeing that the plant grows at a healthy rate. In order to go through processes such as cell division, respiration (producing energy that the plant is able to use), and then storing that energy, it is necessary that the plant has enough phosphorus in its system. Without being able to complete any of these processes the plant’s growth would be stunted. Depending on what stage the plant is at in its life cycle when it develops this phosphorus deficiency the plant could get stuck either as a sapling or a fully grown plant that is unable to generate the seeds necessary for reproduction.
