Do you want to prepare homemade compost? We tell you that there are several types of organic fertilizers that can be prepared from home without investing a lot of money. One of the most important types of fertilizer that you can make at home is homemade compost, a type of fertilizer with many advantages that we will tell you much more about below.
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What is compost?
Compost is a completely natural fertilizer whose main base is different organic ingredients that must go through a specific process to become compost.
Compost is quite easy to produce and its main characteristic is that after being produced, any type of unpleasant odor that may have been produced in the process due to the fermentation of organic waste used as ingredients disappears.
To make homemade compost you can use a wide variety of ingredients that range from the waste you produce in your own kitchen, through cut weeds and even being able to add leftovers from old crops. It all depends on what you have available and knowing that you have to be careful when adding too many acidic components to the mix.
There are also other types of composting such as the one that uses worms as the main ingredient, specifically their excrement, we tell you a little more about that here.
If you want to know a little more about this type of organic fertilizer, we invite you to read homemade compost pdf, a lot of information in one place about a highly recommended natural fertilizer.
Step by step to prepare homemade compost
Step by step to prepare homemade compost
- Step 1. Collect the ingredients
The first step to prepare home composting is to gather or collect all those ingredients or materials that you are going to use for the production of your compost. As we told you before, we recommend adding leftovers (organic material) from the kitchen, weed cuttings, leftovers from a previous planting, small pieces of wood, coffee leftovers, straw and you can even use some materials such as pieces of paper and cardboard ( without any type of ink), among other things.
- Step 2. Decide what type of compost to make
The second step will be to make a decision regarding the type of compost you want to make, that is, solid compost or homemade liquid compost. To make this decision, we recommend comparing the way to prepare liquid fertilizer and how to prepare solid fertilizer. In this case we recommend making solid compost. - Step 3. Choose a good place to make your compost
You must make a good decision regarding the place where you will prepare your organic fertilizer, you can even make homemade compost for free, yes, keep in mind that during the process it can have a strong odor, therefore, we recommend that it be a little far from home.
- Step 4. Start the process
To start telling you about homemade compost how to do it at home, we have to recommend that you previously prepare the container or bucket where you will prepare your compost. It is positive to open holes in both the lid and the bottom of the bucket.
Now if you can start the process, the first thing you should do is deposit some of the ingredients that were previously recommended, such as paper or cardboard without ink, dry leaves or even small pieces of wood. It is also recommended to start adding some organic material at this point.
After that you must add a little soil to cover the first layer and add organic material again.
You repeat what was mentioned above (add a layer of soil and then organic materials) until the bucket is completely filled. At this point it is important to add water to moisten the mixture. - Step 5. Home compost care
This is one of the most important steps in home composting, you must gradually move and turn the mixture to give it oxygen (a key element for good composting). It is recommended to move the ingredients every 5 to 7 days. You can also add more scraps (as long as you keep the mixture very moist).
- Step 6. Home compost is ready!
Para saber si tu compost casero está listo simplemente deberás esperar entre unos dos a 3 meses y medio (depende de las condiciones ambientales y de que tan bien lo has cuidado). De igual forma, te darás cuenta de que esta listo porque no emite olores fuertes y tiene un aspecto más compacto.
To find out if your homemade compost is ready, you simply have to wait between two and 3 and a half months (depending on the environmental conditions and how well you have taken care of it). In the same way, you will realize that it is ready because it does not emit strong odors and has a more compact appearance. - Step 7. Use the compost
The last step is simply to take your new compost and start applying it to the soil to improve your crops and restore life to the land you planted on.
Advantages and benefits of homemade compost
- It allows reusing organic waste produced at home and giving it a better use.
- It gives your plants different nutrients of great importance such as phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, potassium, among others.
- It is a totally natural fertilizer, it does not harm your plants or the earth
- It is completely free and quite easy to do.
- Composting helps earthworms naturally come closer to your planting.
- Using organic fertilizers such as compost (and many others that we want to recommend) it is not necessary to use inorganic fertilizers that damage the soil.
After learning how to compost at home, we want to ask you if you think it’s worth spending so much money on inorganic fertilizers that are not only very expensive, but also do a lot of damage to your crops, the earth and even yourself (or your customers). ) when consuming the food (fruits, vegetables) that you planted and cured with so much love and affection for a long time.
The truth is that we think that permaculture offers many advantages and that many more people in our country and around the world should start planting and caring for their crops with more organic products to care for the environment and our health.
Are you willing to bet on permanent agriculture? If your answer was yes, we recommend you look at all the posts we have for you on this website about permaculture in Colombia (for example, how to make organic compost, how to make compost from home and much more).