how to prepare fertilizer at home?
By aimeedia2x
@aimeedia2x (374)
India
3 responses
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
18 Feb 11
Good morning, aimeedia...! I do not use fresh cow manure..but compost it, as it needs to be heated to destroy the viability of the weed seeds in it! Cows being browsers eat weeds and seeds, which if not heated in compost, just grow and inundate your garden! There is not enough heat in the intestines, to kill the seed, so composting it makes wonderful soil! Do you compost? Take care and Cheers.
@aimeedia2x (374)
• India
18 Feb 11
no, i never compost it. Please explain how to compost it.
1 person likes this
@jazzsue58 (2666)
•
18 Feb 11
Yes - never EVER be tempted to dig poo straight into the garden. Think about it - in the wild it sits on the surface, becoming incorporated as it "composts" down. Compost shouldn't smell, or if it does, it shouldn't smell of poo. I believe compost is ready in about 3 months minimum. See below.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
18 Feb 11
Once again...goodmorning! jazzsue, has given you a pretty concise answer on the composting of your manure...but I do it differently, as I do NOT want any chemicals leeched, from the tarpulin, into my soil...as it can get very hot! I use a thick mulch of grass clippings to cover the manure! It will break down too..and I just dig it in to the manure and cover again, with clippings! Moisture helps speed the process..and the clippings allow just enough in! I also have 3 large compost bins, made out of recycled pallets, which process enough compost, from clippings, leaves, organic veggy residue to revive and regenerate my gardens every year! I test the compost with a ph kit...and balance, on an on-going proccedure with garden lime...or wood ashes from my woodstove...where I burn absolutely NO plastics/wrappings...etc. I do not burn any paper...as it is chemically bleached!
I admire that you are growing you interest in gardening..and using materials available to you...keep up the good work, aimeedia...and have a great weekend!
@peavey (16936)
• United States
18 Feb 11
We used to go and get dried cow dung from the corrals where they were kept. Mom spread it on the top of her garden in the fall and left it there. By spring, it had decomposed (composted) to good, rich garden dirt. I don't have access to it like that any more, but here you can buy steer manure by the bag. It's dry and ready to use. I mix it with soil in an area that I've set aside for compost, and add vegetable scraps, dried grass and so on, and leave it, turning it now and then. It soon breaks down and makes really good compost. I dig it up and spread it on the garden.
@aimeedia2x (374)
• India
18 Feb 11
thanx. Actually i want to do everything with my hand, if posible . If not, then i will buy readymade from market.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
28 Feb 11
Hi aimeedia, I make my own compost at home for my garden. If you have some space in your garden it is not at all difficult to do it. Dig a pit and add a layer of soil and all vegetable and fruit waste like peel ,seeds etc into this pit.Cover it with some soil and dry leaves twigs or dry bark that you normally get in a garden where there are plants and trees. Keep adding more soil and covering. Keep sprinkling some water every now and then.If you have waste paper and large pieces of wood that you normally burn, you can also add the ash that is obtained to the same pit. Once the pit is filled you can leave it for a month or so and then get someone to dig it out once and turn it over, adding some more soil and mulch( dry leaves and wood )and leave it for another month by which time it should have completely degraded and ready fpr use. I never ever use fertiliser brought from outside and am quite happy with the home made one...
