Organic Fertilizers

What is organic fertilizer

Organic fertilizers are what nature gives us. They can be of plant or animal origin, but the main thing is that they are natural, environmentally friendly, and most importantly – absolutely free!

Importance of organic fertilizers

These fertilizers contain all the nutrients necessary for plants – nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, as well as trace elements. They contain vitamins and biologically active substances necessary for plants.

In many respects, organic fertilizers are better than mineral fertilizers, because they not only nourish plants, but also improve the soil – they make it fertile, loose and moisture-intensive.

But there is a problem – all the elements in organic matter, as a rule, are contained in small doses. Therefore, it is introduced in large quantities.

Types and names of organic fertilizers

There are quite a few organic fertilizers, and each of them is good in its own way.

Manure

Of course, it is in the first place, because in the old days there was no shortage of it – cattle were kept in every farmstead, therefore, fertilizer was always at hand.

The most popular types of manure are horse, cow, pig and sheep. Their composition is the same: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, the main trace elements are manganese, molybdenum, copper, boron, cobalt (1). But the number of batteries varies slightly.

Nitrogen is most in pig manure. Phosphorus and potassium – in horse. But the difference is small, so they are used equally.

Fresh manure can only be applied in autumn – it contains a high concentration of ammonia, which can burn the roots of plants. In addition, most of the elements in it are in an inaccessible form. But during the winter, ammonia evaporates, organic matter partially decomposes, after which the plants will be able to receive the necessary nutrition.

The best option for using fresh manure is to scatter it over the soil surface in October and dig it up. Norm – 10 – 15 buckets per hundred square meters.

By the way, the effect of applying manure remains in the soil for several years, so on light soils it should be applied every 3-4 years, and on heavy soils – every 5-6 years.

Humus

This is completely rotted manure, which is more like soil. It is loose and very nutritious, and all the elements in it are in an accessible form. Humus does not contain aggressive substances that can harm plants, so you can use it at any time.

This fertilizer is useful to add to the soil for seedlings (1: 1), in the holes when planting vegetables (1 guests per hole), in the pits when planting trees (1 bucket per hole) and shrubs (1/2 bucket per hole). Or fertilize the entire garden with it, but in this case the consumption will be higher – 50 – 70 buckets per hundred square meters. But the soil will become fertile.

Another option is to mulch the beds and flower beds with a layer of 5 cm with humus. Here you will kill 2 birds with one stone – the moisture from the soil will evaporate more slowly, which means you will have to water less often, and with each watering and rain, the humus will feed the plants with useful elements.

Bird droppings

Usually chicken is used, but any will do – from turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese and even pigeons, and pigeon is even more effective than other options (2). Bird droppings contain more essential plant nutrients than any manure.

In its pure form, fresh litter is not used, not even brought in before winter – it is very concentrated. But liquid top dressing from it turns out excellent.

It is prepared like this: a half-liter jar of litter is poured into 10 liters of water at room temperature and left to infuse for 5 to 6 days. Daily infusion should be stirred. As soon as it is ready – you can water the plants at the rate of 1 – 2 liters of infusion per plant.

Dry bird droppings can be applied after planting seedlings or when seedlings appear – in the aisles. Half-liter jar per 1 sq. m.

Compost

For summer residents, the problem of waste is always relevant: how to dispose of branches, tops, weeds, kitchen waste? All of this can be composted! And after a while, you will have excellent fertilizer, which is the decomposition products of organic solid waste (3).

It is most convenient to prepare compost in boxes. Ideal dimensions: width – 100 – 150 cm, height 120 cm, but the length can be any. Large waste is placed at the bottom, for example, branches, sunflower stalks, raspberries. And then all the rest – weeds, tops, small twigs, vegetable peels, bread crusts and other organic (this is important!) Kitchen waste. It is useful to add manure to the same pile – 20% by weight and earth – 10%.

Waste should be stacked in layers: first, dry ingredients (dry tops, twigs, onion peel) – about 30 cm, and then wet (grass, weeds, cleaning, manure) – 10 cm. And so in turn – almost to the edges of the box. Dry material should be 4 – 5 times more than wet. And on top of everything – 5 cm of earth.

Compost is used in the same doses as humus.

Mullein

So called infusion of fresh manure. And now it can be used as a top dressing for plants even in summer.

It is prepared like this: 1/2 bucket of manure is poured into 5 liters, covered with a lid and cleaned in a warm place for a week so that it all ferments. The so-called mother liquor will turn out. Before use, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.

You can water the mullein vegetables, flowers, houseplants. The consumption rate is a half-liter jar per plant.

Sapropel

Not every summer resident has heard of this fertilizer, but meanwhile it is quite affordable. This mysterious word is called lake and pond silt. It, like manure, contains a complete set of nutrients, but there is another useful substance – lime. So sapropel is an ideal fertilizer for acidic soils. It is also useful to apply it to light sandy soils – they will become fertile and moisture-intensive. But it cannot be used on neutral and alkaline soils – sapropel alkalizes them.

To get sapropel, it is not necessary to dive for it. It can be dug up with a shovel in the summer, when the water level in ponds and lakes drops to a minimum. All that is needed is to find a strip of the coast where silt has been exposed and prepare more of it.

It is impossible to immediately apply sapropel to the beds – it may contain compounds harmful to plants. Yes, and it is difficult to introduce clods of sticky mud into the soil. Before using this fertilizer, it is necessary to dry and ventilate it for several days, periodically shoveling. As soon as excess moisture leaves, you can bring it into the garden.

The consumption rate of sapropel for the garden is 3-4 kg per 1 sq. m. Fertilizer should be evenly distributed over the surface of the soil and harrowed with a rake.

By the way, sapropel is the only organic fertilizer that is used for radical reclamation, that is, large-scale soil improvement (4).

Application of organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers can be used on all soils for all crops. With a few exceptions. For example, sapropel is suitable only for acidic and sandy soils. And fresh manure, even in autumn, is not recommended to be applied to areas where root crops will grow – they crack and rot from the abundance of organic matter.

Pros and cons of organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers have a huge number of advantages. They provide plants with a complete set of essential nutrients. And besides, they enrich the soil with humus (that is, increase its fertility), make it loose, moisture-absorbing, breathable.

After the introduction of organic matter in the soil, useful microorganisms actively multiply, which turn chemical compounds inaccessible to plants into available ones. In soil rich in humus, earthworms appear – they improve the structure of the soil.

But they also have disadvantages.

The use of organic fertilizers in the garden and vegetable garden

The application of organic fertilizers depends on their type.

Popular questions and answers

Answered our questions about organic fertilizers agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova.

Sources of

1. Shuvaev Yu.N. Soil nutrition of vegetable plants // M.: Eksmo, 2008 – 224 p.
2. Saakov S. G. Greenhouse and indoor plants and care for them. Science, 1985
3. Vetoshkin A. Fundamentals of engineering protection of the environment. Textbook // Moscow-Vologda: Infra-engineering, 2016 – 456 p.
4. Dimitrov D.P., Georgiev G.Ts., Dimitrov P.S. Some results of the use of deep-sea organo-mineral sediments of the Black Sea bottom for agrotechnical purposes // Geology and Minerals of the World Ocean, No. 1, Kyiv – 2006