It is safe to say that the fertility of the soil directly depends on the content of humus in it. Most of it is in the black soil. That is why it is black. If not a large number of calcined chernozem on fire, then most of the humus will burn out, and it will immediately brighten.
And so, let's try to find out what is humus and how does it appear in the soil?
In fact, there is no secret here. We live in a world that is filled to the limit with microorganisms and bacteria. They are also found in the soil. Over time, plant and organic remains accumulate in it. Microorganisms are taken for their processing, as a result of which humus is formed.
The composition of the humus is quite complex. This product cannot be considered the result of simple decay of plant and organic residues. Two groups of microorganisms are involved in its formation, aerobic and anaerobic. The activity of the former is aimed at the complete processing of plant residues, as a result of which soluble salts are formed. The second microorganisms only partially decompose plant residues. So, for example, the same peat is formed precisely as a result of the activity of anaerobic bacteria.
The paradox is that humus can only form if two groups of microorganisms act in close symbiosis with each other. Substances that are formed in the course of their activity must contact each other and form new compounds, which will lead to the formation of humus. The separate activity of microorganisms does not lead to the formation of humus.
In order for the soil to contain both types of bacteria, it must be rich in moisture and contain a large amount of air. Only in this case can we expect the formation of a large amount of humus. With a lack of air and a large amount of moisture, anaerobic microorganisms will prevail in it, and, conversely, with a high air content and a lack of moisture, aerobic microorganisms.
In the soil, humus is distributed unevenly. Most of all it is in the surface layer, and as it deepens, the amount of humus decreases. This is due to the fact that with depth, the branching of the roots becomes less, which means that the volume of the source material for its formation also decreases.
The composition of the humus can also be completely different. In forest soil it contains great amount soluble substances that are easily washed out by rainwater, forming a reddish coating on the bottom of ravines. In chernozem, on the contrary, there are more insoluble substances, which give it a black color. In addition, they have a viscous cloddy structure, due to which the chernozem takes the form of a sticky wet mass.
It is humus that makes the soil fertile. At the same time, it must be remembered that this structure is easily destroyed, for example, if the soil is loosened too often, or if chemical fertilizers. In everything you need to observe the measure. It should be based on the principle - do no harm.
In articles on gardening and organic farming, it is often recommended to increase soil fertility with the help of organic fertilizer - humus. Let's find out how humus is useful, how to prepare it and how to use it.
What is humus
What is humus made of and how to cook it yourself
IN Lately in horticultural markets, you can buy ready-made humus in bags, however, at a rather high price. It is more profitable to buy manure on the farm and prepare the humus yourself.
The literature describes many tricks, without which, according to the authors, it is impossible to prepare the “correct” humus. In reality, everything is not so complicated: the manure is laid out for maturation in a pile or in a compost box. From above they are covered with roofing material, shields, and it is possible with a dark film if a box is used that is ventilated through the sidewalls. It’s not scary if the shelter slightly lets water through, the main thing is that the rains do not wash the mass through and through. Maturation lasts 1.5-2 years. The humus matured when it became free-flowing throughout its volume, of a uniform dark color, and its volume decreased by 3-4 times compared to the original.
How to speed up the maturation of humus
To get the humus yourself faster, place the maturation collection in a secluded place not blown by the north winds - then it will not freeze for a long time and the bacteria will continue to work even at the beginning of winter.
In warm weather, stir the humus with a pitchfork about once a month, trying to pry deeper, and slightly moisten before that.
Use EM preparations ("Baikal", "Siyanie-3" and others) that accelerate the maturation of composts.
How to use humus
Humus is a very valuable material, it is useful to all garden, garden and indoor crops with almost no restrictions. The exception is only some ornamental crops that require depleted soil (plants for, desert, orchids).
Humus can be applied to the soil for digging in spring and autumn after harvesting and clearing the site.
In autumn, a bucket of humus, 1-2 tbsp. superphosphate, 2 tbsp. phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and 2 cups.
In the spring, humus application rates are determined based on the needs of the culture. For planting vegetables, roses, flowers, garden strawberries, humus is applied in 2-4 buckets per 1 sq.m.
Humus as a component of fertile soil for growing seedlings is used together with garden soil, compost. For seedlings of vegetables and flowers, humus is introduced into the nutrient substrate, on average, about 1/2 of the total volume.
A moderate dose is applied under some annuals (nasturtium, kosmeya,): they can “fatten” with an excess of organic matter, that is, grow leaves to the detriment of flowering.
Humus is applied under strawberries in the fall, the completion of fruiting and mustache jigging. It is good to mulch a layer of humus on strawberries from above with straw or sawdust. Humus should be laid in a layer of about 5 cm thick, and the plants themselves and the horns themselves should not touch the humus, otherwise they may rot.
Under productive crops with an extended fruiting period (cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini), humus is embedded during spring digging of the soil to a depth of 15 cm.
Under raspberries, humus is laid out from spring to mid-summer with a layer of 5 cm as a mulch, without sealing.
For most indoor plants, it is used as an additive to nutrient soil, on average, about 1/4-1/3 of the total.
You can learn how to grow plants, what kind of gardening and gardening work you need to plan, you can . Also, please pay attention to the information block to the left of the text. The links in it lead to related articles.
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I am friends with nature, if it is necessary to lie in the sun and do nothing, but heavy physical work- definitely not for me. When I arrived in the village, a lot of questions arose, the most disturbing one was related to animal waste. I didn’t understand why farmers keep them so carefully, the secret was revealed to me, now I can open my own business. I will also share my discoveries with you.
Where does humus come from
I know that the inhabitant big city it will be unusual to be in the countryside. Some do not know how potatoes grow. I am calm for myself, because I am enlightened in these matters. But most of all you will be surprised by piles of animal waste in the garden or near the barn. At first I thought that the owners simply did not have time to clean up. It turns out that humus is not garbage that needs to be disposed of, but organic raw materials.
Humus is formed in the process of disintegration of particles (rotting). For this, animal feces are taken. Namely: pigs, horses, cows, birds (bird droppings). Waste can only turn into manure if it has been properly stored.
Other subtleties
Humus can be used not only in agriculture. I will talk about how to make organic fertilizer with my own hands later. Because you must learn all the properties of humus:
- It is very expensive, they build a business on its sale.
- The mixture of humus is not always the same; hay, sawdust, peeling potatoes are added to the waste.
- The composition of humus contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium.
- It is used not only by gardeners, farmers, but also by ordinary people as an alternative source of heat (thrown into a wood-burning boiler).
Do-it-yourself humus
An organic mixture can be made if you have animals. Just do not rush to sell it in this form! First, buyers have preferences. They prefer to order cow or horse manure.
Secondly, it is necessary to make an organic mixture from feces. To do this, it is worth making a canopy so that water does not get there. Then collect animal waste, cover it with film or burlap, and wait a whole year.
Humus is a term that is used in almost every gardening guide. But, an amazing fact - not many people know what it is, and many experienced gardeners cannot explain this designation.
So let's figure out what humus is, what it consists of, how to properly prepare and store it. Also, we will deal with other important issues related to this topic.
Humus - what is it
Humus is the same as mature (rotted) manure. That is, if we talk about leaf humus, then compost from tree leaves is assumed. But, today it is no longer customary to call humus compost.
So, each humus can be prepared from various components. Therefore, after the word "compost" it must be indicated from which components it is prepared.
What is humus made of
Humus perfectly absorbs moisture, it contains a lot of useful nutrients. Its fractions will not lose elasticity, which allows the roots of plants to constantly breathe.
The basis of humus can be organic residues of plant origin, or the vital activity of cattle. For example, the most popular "recipes" are based on herbs, manure and leaves.
How to make humus with your own hands
Consider how you can prepare humus yourself based on the most available components.
From the grass
Grass is quickly eaten by microbes and decomposes just as quickly. Therefore, it can be considered the basis of humus. So, if it is too small, then humus will form for too long.
If you "go too far" with grass, then the compost heap will be too slippery, an unpleasant smell of ammonia will come from it. Therefore, it is important to know the specific proportions for each type of grass.
In addition to grass, you can add to humus and other plant waste: coffee grounds, animal droppings, food leftovers. That is, the result should be a balanced humus.
To get the most nutritious humus from grass, you need to add substances such as:
- Grass, hay and straw;
- tree bark and sawdust;
- Roots of any plants;
- Leaves and branches of trees;
- bird droppings;
- Vegetables and fruits.
Grass is the basis for humus, but it cannot be used alone. It is also important to ensure that the composition of the humus does not include:
- chemicals;
- animal food;
- Feces of dogs or people;
- Substances that cannot decompose themselves;
- weeds;
- Sick plants.
How to cook such humus in a bag
Ordinary mesh bags from potatoes or flour are suitable for us. In each bag, it is necessary to fill in the remains of the above components in approximately equal amounts.
They fall asleep in layers, then carefully compacted. Then all substances must be poured with water and the bags tied. But, this can only be done if most of the raw materials are dry.
From manure
It is worth using only rotted manure. It has virtually no ammonia and will not harm plant roots. Moreover, it does not contain harmful bacteria and viruses.
There are a huge number of methods for processing manure and creating humus from it. The most common of them are composting, adding various humates, insisting.
How to cook as quickly as possible:
- Prepare organic matter: food waste, manure (any), peat, tops of plants, straw;
- Grind all coarse elements thoroughly;
- To speed up decay, you can add bird droppings or EM preparations (sold in agricultural stores);
- Lay all the ingredients in layers in the compost pit;
- After a week, mix the pile and pour the EM solution over it;
- Wait a month until the humus is completely ready.
leaf humus
It is made from wet leaves that need to be tamped. Further, special structures are built for their storage. They can be either metal or wood, or polyethylene.
The process takes several years, and the exact period of infusion of such humus will depend on its storage conditions, humidity, temperature, and the addition of additional elements.
Rules for the use of humus
If humus of animal origin is used, then you need to remember the following rules:
- It is necessary to lay manure in layers of no more than 35 cm, if it is planned to use it in the spring;
- Layers of 50 cm or more are laid when top dressing is planned to be applied in the fall;
- The beds should be covered not only with manure, but also with soil, a layer of 40 cm;
- If humus is used for mulching, it should be dark in color and loose.
Storage rules
The easiest way to store humus in boxes. How to make them? You can take any (but not rotten) boards or planks without paint. Any wood will do, but pine is best. With the help of nails, you need to form the base, bottom and side walls of the future box.
Next, you need to find the best place to store humus. A good option- Elevation or area with free access. Through each layer of manure, it is necessary to lay special additives that can be bought at an agricultural store.
There must be gaps between the planks so that in the middle all biochemical processes occur normally and as actively as possible. A layer of dry soil should be laid at the bottom of such a box.
Leaf humus is most often used to fertilize crops. But you can make this nutritious fertilizer not only from leaves. It is also important to store it properly so that it does not lose nutrients.
Humus - what is it? Inexperienced summer residents often ask such questions. Humus is a fertilizer of organic origin. With its help, you can saturate the poor soil with all the microelements necessary for the growth and development of plants. Humus is easy to do with your own hands. All the ingredients needed for this can be found at any farm.
What does it consist of?
Before preparing humus at home, you need to find out what is included in its composition. The composition of humus, as a rule, includes the following components:
- Leaves.
- Cattle manure.
- Bird droppings.
- Straw.
- Hay.
- Weeds from the field.
- Ash.
- Leftover fruits and vegetables.
- Bark.
- Wood sawdust.
- Special additives to accelerate plant growth.
- Branches of trees and shrubs.
It can be said that all parts of plants that grew on the site, as well as cattle manure, can be included in the composition of humus. This is especially convenient for those summer residents who are also engaged in agriculture.
How to do it yourself?
Grass and leaves are the basis for fertilizer. But this alone will not be enough. Also, you can not do without bird droppings and cattle manure. Otherwise, instead of nutrient fertilizer, you can get silage or rotten grass, which does not bring any benefit to plants.
What can not be used for processing into humus:
- Chemical agent.
- Infected parts of plants.
- Food of animal origin.
- Weed seeds.
If cattle manure is used, then the animals must be healthy. Not all waste that is intended for disposal can be used to make humus at home.
How to get humus?
In order to get high-quality humus prepared at home, you need to know exactly in what order to arrange the layers.
- Plants. The first layer is the remains of plants. It should be no more than 15 cm. If this layer is larger, then the decay process will be slower. All parts of the herb can be used except the seeds. Otherwise, they can germinate and then you have to deal with weeds. The first layer of grass should be sprinkled with earth mixed with lime.
- Straw and hay. Thanks to straw, deciduous and all other layers are saturated with oxygen. Straw creates a porous structure and binds moisture in the humus. Before spreading hay or straw, it must be thoroughly crushed. Mulching with humus with the addition of hay to ensure oxygen access to the roots of plants.
- Leaves. The leaves must be dried before preparing the humus with your own hands. If this is not done, then they will clump together. Leaves are mixed with other plant residues and spread in a thin layer.
- Sawdust. To prepare humus in the country, you can use sawdust. But they do not decompose well, so before laying them they are mixed with grass and bone meal.
- Wood bark. Tree bark contains a large amount of nitrogen. But in order to increase its concentration in the compost, it is necessary to mix the bark with chicken manure, cattle manure or urea.
How to make humus?
At home, you can get humus from the following components:
- Food waste. The preparation of humus is not complete without food waste. They contain many nutrients. But to prevent their decomposition, the waste is mixed with solid material to provide access to oxygen.
- Manure and litter. From manure, the most nutritious humus for plants is obtained. It contains a large amount of nitrogen, which helps to accelerate the growth of crops. From above it is desirable to sprinkle with soil.
- Paper. Before laying paper when preparing manure with your own hands, it must be coarsely cut and moistened in a decoction of herbs. Herbal decoction can be prepared from nettles. There are a lot of nutrients in nettle, and the paper absorbs them during the soaking process. Mix wet paper with another solid material. Otherwise, she crumples.
How to prepare humus from manure?
Many summer residents are interested in the question of humus and where to get it. You can cook it at home with your own hands. The most common type of humus is based on cattle manure. Suitable manure sheep, cows or horses.
We prepare humus as follows:
- Manure for humus must be taken fresh. It contains more nutrients.
- Put together a box and put coarsely chopped grass on the bottom. Then you can lay out the straw. So the humus will be saturated with oxygen.
- Then lay out the manure (you can use chicken manure).
- In order to accelerate decomposition, biodestructors can be added to humus. It could be Baikal-M or Radiance. They contain bacteria that speed up the process of decay.
- Regularly humus should be watered (but not flooded). It is important not to let it dry out.
You can use humus when it will not be possible to consider individual parts. The mixture should be of a homogeneous consistency. The smell of the finished humus should be like that of damp earth. And the color is brown or closer to black.
How to quickly make humus from leaves?
Humus from the leaves is also prepared with the addition of manure. You can use straw, paper and other plant residues.
Leaf humus is prepared as follows:
- You can use any leaves of deciduous trees. If shrubs or fruit trees grow on the site, then fallen leaves are used.
- Since the leaves are poor in micronutrients, they must be mixed with food waste or sawdust.
- Put bird droppings on a layer of foliage.
- Periodically, the humus needs to be watered. If a large number of midges appeared above the box with humus, then this is a clear sign of high humidity. In order to get rid of them on a sunny day, the humus must be left open. When it dries a little, cover it back.
- If the humus does not change color and does not acquire the smell of wet earth, then it means that it is too dry. You can fix the situation by adding water, potato peels or fresh grass.
Plants are mulched with them for the winter so that the roots do not freeze and the bushes do not die. Fertilizers made in this way can be stored in bags.
Where to store it?
How to properly store humus prepared with your own hands so that it does not lose beneficial features? The best way to store is a box. How to make a litter box?
Humus storage box:
- You can put together such a box from any unnecessary boards. You can pour sawdust on the bottom or leave the box without a bottom, and immediately put humus into it.
- On top of the container, you can lay slate or greenhouse film. The moisture that falls on the humus along with the rain should not accumulate in one place, but should drain into the ground.
- Also, do not forget that one of the walls of the box should slide out. So it will be easier to take humus for incorporation into the soil.
- Humus can also be stored in bags, but you just need to make sure that the sun's rays do not fall on it.
How to store?
What are the features of humus storage? First of all, the container with humus should not be located under open sunlight. So the fertilizer will begin to decompose and pathogenic microbes will begin to multiply in it.
It is important to maintain a constant temperature and humidity in the box. The earth and the humus itself should not be too wet, but should not dry out either.
It is not advisable to place fertilizer containers near trees. Very soon, trees can direct their growth towards composting. And then all the nutrients will go to their growth.
