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Organic fertilizers have been known since the earliest periods of agricultural history.

Three thousand years ago, Chinese and Japanese farmers used organic fertilizers. In the countries of Western and Eastern Europe in the 14th-15th centuries AD, manure began to be used.

In the modern world, 3 billion tons of various organic fertilizers are used annually.

Types of organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are fertilizing organic substances of animal, plant, plant-animal and industrial-household origin of varying degrees of decomposition. Organic fertilizers contain large amounts of moisture and a wide range of different nutrients, some in small quantities, which is why they are classified as complete fertilizers. Organic fertilizers, as a rule, are poorly transportable; they are used locally or close to production and are called local fertilizers.

Organic fertilizers include manure (litter, non-litter, slurry), peat, bird droppings, sapropel, composts, household waste, industrial waste (lignin), wastewater residues, green fertilizers, etc.

Manure has a complex multilateral effect on the soil and is a source of ash and. Manure in any form replenishes the supply of mobile nutrients in the soil, improves the circulation of various nutrients in the soil-plant system.

Bird droppings are fast-acting organic. There are:

• litter, formed when poultry are kept on deep, permanent litter;
• litterless droppings, formed during cage keeping of poultry;
• dry droppings- a bulk fertilizer substance formed during the thermal drying of bedding-free liquid manure.

The chemical composition of droppings depends on the type of bird, type of feeding and keeping of the bird.

Bird droppings are used as pre-sowing fertilizer (see). Effective in various crops. It is recommended to use bird droppings when growing plants indoors.

In the year of application, on average, up to 50%, 20% and 70% are absorbed from the litter. The degree of use of nutrients depends on the dose, the granulometric composition of the soil and the biological characteristics of the plants.

In plant growing, peat is used in the preparation of peat humus pots and cubes, as a substrate for greenhouses and as a mulching material.

Sapropel is an organic fertilizer, bottom sediments of freshwater reservoirs. Natural color ranges from pink to dark brown. When exposed to air, the natural color disappears. The chemical composition of the substance varies even within the same body of water. Sapropel is used on various types of soil as a base and fertilizer.

Hydrolysis (technical) lignin

Hydrolysis lignin is the main waste of the hydrolysis industry. It contains few nutrients, has an acidic reaction and is very poor in microflora, has high moisture capacity and absorption capacity. When it is composted with other organic fertilizers (liquid manure, liquid bird droppings, slurry), fertilizers enriched with basic nutrients with good physical and mechanical properties and high biological activity are obtained. Nitrogen losses are minimal.

Tree bark and sawdust

Wood bark and sawdust can be used as organic fertilizer after composting with manure, slurry and other nitrogen-containing substances (photo). Such composts must meet the following requirements: organic matter content per dry weight of at least 80% with a humidity of no more than 60%, the proportion of humic substances is 10-15% of the total amount of organic matter, pH is at least 5.5, C: N ratio - no more than 30, percentage of content per dry weight - 3.0, - 0.1, - 0.1.

The ratio of composted materials and manure is 1: 1, 2: 1 or 3: 2. Phosphate rock and potassium chloride can be added to the compost.

Household waste (city waste)

Household waste is human waste. On average, one resident of Russia accounts for 0.15-0.25 tons of solid household waste per year.

The main share of municipal solid waste in cities is paper and organic components. The composition of garbage varies with the seasons. Biological waste is characterized by a high degree of biological contamination, can be dangerous from an epidemiological point of view and requires disinfection.

Solid household waste (city garbage) is comparable in nutrient content and fertilizing qualities to litter manure. The rate of mineralization of household waste depends on the presence of food waste in it. If there is a large amount of it, the garbage decomposes quickly and can be used as fertilizer, bypassing composting. If non-food waste predominates (paper, rags, etc.), it decomposes slowly and is used after composting.

Urban waste contains on average, based on dry weight, 0.6-0.7%, - 0.5-0.6%, - 0.6-0.8%.

Urban waste is used as pre-sowing fertilizer, for basic tillage, and in protected greenhouses.

Sewage sludge (SWS)

Sewage sludge accumulates in large cities at treatment plants in the amount of 1.5 to 1% of the volume of all treated water (photo) . The WWS humidity is high - 92-95%. Before use as a fertilizer, WWS is subjected to a variety of processing methods, namely:

Average composition of WWS,% on dry weight
From primary settling tanks
Activated sludge
Digested sludge
After thermal drying

Along with nutrients, WWS may contain heavy metals, petroleum products, and detergents. Constant monitoring of the composition of WWS is necessary, since their use sharply increases the risk of contamination of agricultural products and the environment with hazardous substances. All other things being equal, it is safer to use WWS on heavy, more humus-rich soils than on light, low-humus soils.

WWS is recommended for fertilizing parks, tree nurseries, lawns, and bast crops. For other crops, WWS is used only with the permission of sanitary and epidemiological stations under the control of the agricultural chemical service. WWS is not used for vegetable crops.

Composts

Compost (from the Latin compositus - “composite”) is an organic fertilizer. It is a decomposed mixture of manure with peat, soil, plant residues, phosphate rock, formed under the influence of microorganisms.

High-quality compost is a homogeneous, dark, crumbly mass with a moisture content of no more than 75%, with a reaction close to neutral, and nutrients in a form easily accessible to plants. (photo)

To prepare composts, various combinations of organic substances are used (manure, bird droppings, sewage sludge, industrial and household waste containing organic matter). Mineral components can be added to the compost mixture: phosphate rock, potash fertilizers, etc.

Composts have good physical and mechanical properties. They are free-flowing, easily transportable, and do not stick to the working parts of agricultural machines and implements.

Composting requires a positive ambient temperature. Optimal humidity conditions and high degree of aeration at the beginning of the process. To accelerate the decomposition of organic matter and reduce the loss of ammonia nitrogen and increase the concentration of nutrients, phosphate rock is added to the compost, and in case of high acidity, lime.

Properly prepared composts have the same fertilizing properties as manure.

Depending on the components, composts are divided into:

• peat manure;
• peat litter;
• peat-liquid;
• peat fecal;
• manure-olignin;
• composts from household waste and prefabricated ones.

Vermicompost (vermicompost)

Vermicompost (vermicompost) is a product of processing manure and various organic wastes by the red Californian worm Eusenia foetieda (photo) .

Vermicompost contains macro- and microelements, is biologically active, contains hormones that regulate plant growth (auxin, gibberellin), important enzymes: catalases, phosphatases, etc. During processing, the number of viruses and salmonella decreases. The red Californian worm can withstand temperatures from 4 to 28 ºC. The preferred acidity of the habitat is 6.5-7.5. The lifespan of a worm is 800-900 days. They reproduce by cocoons; on average, 3.5 individuals hatch from each cocoon.

A normal individual produces up to 200 offspring per year. Worms feed on all organic matter, consisting of 20% cellulose. Some organic substances require preliminary preparation. Thus, cattle manure must first undergo a fermentation process for 6-7 months to achieve the desired pH level; pork manure needs 10-12 months for this. At least 25% sawdust (by weight) is added to bedding-free manure. Every year, the number of worms can increase 4-10 times.

The product produced by worms is a balanced granular organic fertilizer containing (on an absolutely dry basis) 30% humus, 0.8-3.0% nitrogen, 0.8-5% phosphorus, 1.2% potassium, 2-5% calcium.

Verlicompost is used as a base and fertilizer. Recommended as highly effective for closed ground.

Green fertilizers (green manures)

Green fertilizers are fresh plant matter plowed into the soil to enrich it with organic matter and improve the nutrition of subsequent crops. Plants grown with green fertilizers are green manures; the method of enriching soils with them is green manure.

As green manure, legumes are usually used (lupine, seradella, sweet clover, vetch, china, asiragao, etc.), a little less often, mixtures of legumes with cereals (vegetable-oat mixture) or intermediate non-legume crops (mustard, rapeseed, rapeseed, etc.).

The ability of legumes to symbiotically fix atmospheric nitrogen, which contributes to additional enrichment of soils with nitrogen, makes them valuable green manures.

Green fertilizers have the same multifaceted positive effect on soil fertility as well-prepared bedding manure.

1 ton of wet weight contains different amounts of nutrients. Data on the nutrient content in different types of green manure fertilizers and mixed manure are presented in the table “Average data on the nutrient content in 1 ton of wet weight of legume green manure and 1 ton of densely stored mixed manure.”

Average Nutrient Data in 1 ton of wet weight of legume green manure and 1 ton of densely stored mixed manure, according to:
Type of fertilizer	Dry matter, kg	Grain straw Straw of cereal crops, used as a fertilizer, helps improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil, enhances the activity of microorganisms, their nitrogen-fixing ability, reduces nitrogen losses, increases the availability of phosphates, and increases the humus content in the soil at the level of manure application. Straw at a moisture content of 16% contains on average 0.5% nitrogen, 0.25% phosphorus, 1.0% potassium and 35-40% carbon, as well as small amounts of calcium, magnesium, sulfur and trace elements. The C:N ratio is from 60 to 100, so microorganisms that decompose straw organic matter require additional nitrogen nutrition. To do this, when plowing straw, an additional 0.5-1.5% of nitrogen by its mass is added, i.e. 5-15 kg of nitrogen per 1 ton in the form of mineral or organic fertilizers. Plowing straw with the addition of nitrogen brings the greatest effect in the fall, since the harmful phenolic compounds formed during its decomposition have time to decompose or be washed out of the root layer of the soil during the autumn-winter-spring period. The application of straw with the addition of nitrogen to row crops with a long growing season is especially effective. The systematic use of straw as a fertilizer in crop rotations significantly increases its effectiveness. (photo) Bacterial (microbiological) fertilizers Bacterial fertilizers are preparations of highly active microorganisms that improve the nutritional conditions of crops. The most common preparations are those containing nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Humic preparations (fertilizers based on humic acids) Humic preparations are a group of physiologically active substances that activate the vital activity of soil microorganisms and plants. Their introduction into the soil helps accelerate the processes of humification, improves the water-physical properties and thermal regime of the soil, and stimulates the growth and development of plants. Humic preparations are obtained by alkaline, acid or electroimulsion processing of natural raw materials (peat, coal, caustobiolites, etc.). The preparative forms of humic preparations are diverse - from liquid ballast-free to granular organomineral complex fertilizers. Humic preparations are widely used in the cultivation of flowers, seedlings, potted crops, in the creation and operation of sports lawns, in greenhouse vegetable farms and in the cultivation of field crops. They do not contain toxic components (with the exception of humates from brown coals and sapropels). During certification and registration, humates are tested for safety. The importance of organic fertilizers in intensive farming In conditions of intensive farming, the most important task is to reproduce soil fertility and create a positive, deficient balance of nutrients and humus in the soil. The successful solution of this problem depends on the systematic, scientifically based use of organic and mineral fertilizers in crop rotation. That is why the importance of organic fertilizers in agriculture will not decrease even if agriculture is completely satisfied with mineral fertilizers. The experience of world agriculture shows that the higher the farming culture, the more attention is paid to the use of various organic fertilizers.

Organic fertilizers play an important role in the stability and fertility of the soil, which are divided into two groups:

1. Vegetable - peat, composts, deciduous and turf soil, wood ash and humus.
2. Fertilizers of animal origin - cow and horse manure, bird droppings.

When organic fertilizers are added to the soil, its structure improves significantly. This promotes the proliferation of living microorganisms, which are of great benefit to both the soil and the plants themselves.

Each of the organic fertilizers is enriched with a completely different composition. Often, improper use of organic fertilizers results in plants developing nutrient deficiencies. In order to avoid such consequences, it is recommended to add organic matter in the form of compost material.
Compost is a mixture of various organic substances with the addition of mineral fertilizers, in the form of superphosphates or phosphate rock. Under the influence of decomposition, composts produce accessible nutrients necessary for active plant growth, branching of the root system and achieving a rich harvest. Compost materials can be prepared at home.

To prepare compost you will need:

• A piece of land;
• Straw or plant debris (leaves, potato tops, strawberry tendrils, grass clippings);
• Manure, bird or rabbit droppings;
• Peat;
• Lime and phosphate rock.

First, plant residues in the form of straw, leaves or tops 10-15 centimeters thick are laid out on the ground. Then a layer of manure or droppings of 15-20 centimeters and a layer of peat of 15-20 centimeters. Lime mixed with phosphate rock in a 1:1 ratio is scattered on top of the laid peat. For every square meter of compost heap, 50-60 grams of the mixture are scattered.

If it is not possible to obtain phosphate rock and lime, the compost heap can be prepared without these components. But their content will improve the properties of the compost and subsequently the nutritional structure of the soil. Another layer of manure 10-20 centimeters thick is laid on top of the compost heap. It is covered with a small layer of earth.

It is necessary to keep the compost for 7-8 months, after which it can be used as fertilizer.

Compost heaps should be organized in shaded areas where there is no exposure to direct sunlight, under the influence of which the vital activity of beneficial bacteria and microorganisms will cease. During the summer compost heap preparation period, to provide shade, you can plant pumpkins or zucchini around it.

Directing the plant branches onto the pile, periodically check for the presence of roots and the formation of new pumpkin shoots. When horses appear, it is necessary to cut them off the branches so that the root system does not develop and remove useful substances from the compost heap. An excellent source of shade for compost can be corn or sunflowers sown nearby.

Helpful Tips for Creating a Compost Heap

You can also organize a pile in the shady side of your house or shed.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to place the remains of diseased or infected plants in the compost heap, since pathogens do not die even with complete decomposition of plant debris. Once they get into the soil with compost, they will again infect healthy crops with the disease.

In addition to compost material, the most accessible material is used as an organic soil additive - cow and horse manure or bird droppings.

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Chicken droppings

Chicken manure is a valuable highly concentrated organic fertilizer. It is distinguished by its speed of action, since its substances are easily dissolved and are easily accessible to plants.

Chicken manure fertilizer can be used on any soil and applied to a variety of plants. The most successful use of this component is for plants that have stopped growing, as well as for raising the yield level of various berry crops, such as currants and strawberries.

In order to fertilize the garden with bird droppings when digging, it must first be dried and then ground or crushed to a powder consistency. Bird droppings are also used as liquid plant food. To do this, you need to pour litter into one third of the container and fill the rest of the space with water. Let the mixture sit for two to three days, stirring occasionally, to speed up the fermentation process. The prepared solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3 and applied to the soil during digging.

Important! Chicken manure is highly concentrated, so it must be used with caution. It is recommended to apply this fertilizer in small doses with a lower concentration, but more often.

Bird droppings can be stored either in separate piles or in bags. In order to reduce the level of nitrogen loss in poultry droppings, it is necessary to periodically add peat or superphosphates to it during the accumulation of droppings.

One method of using manure is to prepare liquid fertilizer for plants, shrubs or trees.

To prepare liquid fertilizer, you need to fill the container halfway with cow manure and fill it to the top with water. Leave to ferment for one to two weeks, stirring occasionally. Before applying the resulting liquid organic fertilizer to the soil, it must be diluted 2-4 times with water. The drier the soil, the more you need to dilute the resulting solution with water. One bucket of diluted solution should be added per square meter of land.

Mullein contains significantly less phosphorus than other elements, which can negatively affect plants. For example, if you feed cucumbers with manure, then the lack of phosphorus blocks the flow of nitrogen into the plant. This can lead to the accumulation of nitrates in the fruits, and the harvest will be harmful to human health. Prolonged phosphorus starvation leads to a slowdown in the growth of plants and fruits, which affects the overall quantity and quality of the crop.

In order to obtain a complete liquid organic fertilizer from cow manure, and also to avoid unpleasant consequences from a lack of phosphorus, it is necessary to add 50-60 grams of superphosphate to a bucket of the resulting slurry of manure with water to replenish the lack of phosphorus.

In addition, manure is applied to the soil in a fresh and rotted state. Fresh manure must be applied in the autumn season, after harvesting, and rotted manure must be applied in the spring during digging. During the decomposition of manure in the soil, carbon dioxide is formed, which helps improve the air supply of plants. It also reduces the acidity level of the soil, which is very harmful to plant growth.

It is better to store manure in compacted piles, this way the least amount of ammonia loss is achieved. In the process of accumulating a manure heap, you can periodically add phosphate rock to it, which, under the influence of decomposing manure, will dissolve, increasing the level of phosphorus and transforming into an easily accessible form for plants.

Due to the dense structure of cow dung, it can be used on any soil and on a wide variety of vegetation. It has average heat transfer, so it is used to create greenhouse beds for cucumbers, melons or watermelons.

Horse manure is a loose, porous structure, which includes, in addition to feces, hay, bedding elements (sawdust, peat, pine residues). Horse manure is in a state of constant decomposition and has high heat transfer, due to which it is used as a greenhouse heater and organic fertilizers are made from it.

In order to use horse manure as a fertilizer for indoor plants, you need to fill one third of a plastic bottle with horse feces and add a liter of water. The resulting mixture must be infused for one week, then mix everything thoroughly and dilute the solution one bottle cap per 10 liters of water.

It is recommended to store horse manure in one pile or in bags. Adding horse manure to the ground in the spring when digging will ensure that the soil is enriched with essential nutrients. This will make the soil structure looser and more moisture-absorbing.

Organic fertilizers of plant origin

Peat is decomposed plant residues in the form of a powdery structure. There are three types of peat: high-moor, low-lying and transitional. High-moor peat is characterized by a fairly low degree of decomposition of plant residues and a low level of ash and plant nutrients. This type of peat compound is widely used as bedding for animals, and later for creating composts and for adding organic matter to the soil.

Lowland peat is characterized by a high level of decomposition and content of ash and nitrogen. Transitional peat has average characteristics.

Peat: basic properties of natural nutrition

Composts are made from peat, and it is also added to the soil in its pure form. The most useful type for application to the soil is lowland peat, which is enriched with ash substances and has a high concentration of lime and ferrous oxide.

In addition to organic fertilizers of animal origin, to improve the structure of the soil and enrich it with useful nutrients, green plants - green manures (green manures) are used. These are plants (mustard, peas, vetch, rye) that are planted in order to obtain a sufficiently large amount of green mass for further incorporation into the soil, thereby increasing fertility. Grown green manure is cut off before flowering or immediately after flowering, when the plants contain a large amount of nutrients.

Green manure can not only be incorporated into the soil, but also left on the surface, thereby protecting it from aridity, weathering and large loss of moisture.

It is recommended to cut or mow this green vegetation so that the root system remains in the soil. It is this that contributes to loosening the soil, as well as the formation of humus, microorganisms and soil worms. In addition, the root system of green manure ensures the extraction of nutrients from the deepest layers of the soil. This allows the greatest utilization of nutrients by cultivated plant species.
Mown plants that will remain on the surface of the ground must be watered with a special Baikal extract - EM1 in the morning or evening hours. This will promote rapid decomposition and fermentation of the green mass.

To save budget and increase quantity, you can use a special EM extract prepared on the basis of Baikal EM1. To do this, you need to place 7 kilograms of chopped plant residues in a 10-liter non-metal bucket. Then dilute 250 grams of sugar and 250 grams of Baikal-EM1 in 7 liters of water. Pour the resulting mixture over the green remains of the chopped vegetation and cover the bucket with plastic wrap, placing pressure on top, thereby limiting the access of air.

Leave to infuse for 10-15 days in a dark place, shaking the bucket periodically to release the extract from formed gases.

Medicinal herbs can be used as herbal residues: St. John's wort, chamomile, yarrow, and garlic. Pour the resulting extract onto the beveled green manure in a ratio of 100 mg per 10 liters of water.

Under natural conditions, the soil will be under mulch, that is, humus should constantly form under the mowed vegetation. Mulch acts as a “coat” for the soil. During the daytime sunshine, it protects the soil from excessive drying, and at night from cooling. Beneficial microorganisms settle at the interface between mulch and soil, forming nutritious organic matter and improving soil structure.

In addition to mulching, liquid fertilizer is made from the green mass of green manure. To do this, you need to put fresh grass in a container. Then add water in a ratio of 1 kilogram of grass per 10 liters of water. Leave to brew for five days, stirring occasionally to speed up the fermentation process. Cultivated plants are watered with the prepared solution, thereby increasing the quantity and quality of yield.

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Vegetable plants remove a large amount of nutrients from the soil, and without replenishment with organic and mineral fertilizers, the soil is depleted. Organic fertilizers consist of substances of animal and plant origin, which, when decomposed, form minerals, while carbon dioxide, necessary for plant photosynthesis, is released into the ground layer. In addition, organic fertilizers have a beneficial effect on the water and air nutrition of plants, promote the development of soil bacteria and microorganisms that live in symbiosis with the roots of vegetable crops and help them obtain available nutrients. Organic fertilizers include manure, peat, compost, bird droppings, humus and other materials.

Manure

This is the most valuable organic fertilizer. The manure of different animals contains on average (%): water 75, organic matter 21, total nitrogen 0.5, digestible phosphorus 0.25, potassium oxide 0.6. The quality of manure depends on the type of animal, its food, bedding and storage method. Thus, when feeding pigs, a lot of concentrates are used, so manure has a high nitrogen content, and the diet of ruminants contains roughage - and manure contains more potassium.

The best bedding material for manure is slightly decomposed high-moor peat, but straw or sawdust is more often used. Horse manure on a straw bedding is indispensable on cold clay soils. It is best used as a biofuel for greenhouses. Cattle manure is less warm than horse manure because it contains more water. But this manure is indispensable on light soils. Pig manure is acidic; when using it, lime must be added. Rabbit manure contains all the substances necessary for plants. Its value increases when mixed with the manure of other animals and bird droppings. Nutria manure in its chemical composition and physical properties differs sharply from the manure of other animals, so it can only be used in fermented form, or even better, added to composts. The compost heap can be periodically watered with a saturated solution of nutria manure, but to prevent nitrogen loss, it is necessary to add superphosphate (1.5-2 kg per 100 kg of compost). In the spring of next year, such compost can be added to the soil.

There are four stages of manure decomposition. In slightly decomposed (fresh) straw, the color and strength of the straw change slightly. When washed, the water acquires a reddish or green tint. In half-rotted manure, the straw becomes dark brown, loses strength and breaks easily. Dark aqueous solution. Manure at this stage loses 30% of its original mass. Rotted manure is a black, smearing mass. Straw decomposes completely, manure loses 50% of its mass. Humus is a loose earthy mass. At this stage of decomposition, the loss of the initial mass reaches 75%.

Manure at a lesser decomposition stage is applied in the fall, and more in the spring. It is not advisable to use fresh manure. If there is not enough manure, then it is advisable to apply it in smaller doses, but over a larger area, for example, in holes. On cold soils, manure is buried to a depth of 10-15 cm so that the top is covered with earth; on warm, quickly drying soils - to the full depth of the treated layer. Slurry (liquid part of cattle manure) is a nitrogen-potassium fertilizer. Due to the low phosphorus content, it is useful to add superphosphate (15 g per 1 liter) to slurry. This fertilizer is used for liquid fertilizing, for which it is diluted with water, as well as for preparing peat manure compost. Mullein (a water infusion of cow feces) is quite often used for liquid feeding, diluted with water (1:6 or 1:10). The solution is usually prepared in a wooden container. If the solution is left to ferment, then nitrogen quickly evaporates from it, so ammonium sulfate (10-20 g per 10 l) is added before use.

Bird droppings

In terms of its chemical composition, bird droppings are among the best types of organic fertilizers. Chicken and pigeon droppings are considered the most valuable, duck and goose droppings are less valuable. With frequent application of manure, nitrogen accumulates in the soil in nitrate form, so it is better to apply this fertilizer in the fall, evenly distributing it over the entire area. But bird droppings are most effective when used in liquid fertilizers. To prepare the solution, containers are half filled with droppings, then filled with water, covered with a lid and left for 3-5 days. Next, the solution is diluted a second time with water (1:10).

Peat, silt, feces

Peat contains few plant-available nutrients, but it increases the humus content and improves soil structure. The dark color of peat helps absorb heat and quickly warm up the soil.

There are several types of peat based on the degree of decomposition. Horse is distinguished by a low degree of decomposition of plant residues and high acidity. Lowland is characterized by a high degree of decomposition and lower acidity. Transitional peat occupies an intermediate position between them.

Peat is collected in swamps, then spread out for ventilation or placed in a compost heap. Peat is applied at any time of the year, even in winter on snow. But we must not forget that lime must be added to it. In the garden, peat is best added to composts, as well as soil mixtures for growing seedlings and protected soil. Silt accumulates at the bottom of ponds, lakes, and rivers. It contains a lot of humus, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. After a short ventilation, sludge can be successfully used on sandy soils (3-4 kg per 1 m2). Feces are latrine sewage. They are rich in minerals that are easily absorbed by plants. However, feces located in cesspools quickly decompose, and nitrogen quickly evaporates from them. To better preserve nitrogen, peat is poured into a 20-25 cm layer at the bottom of the cesspool. Then the feces are layered weekly with a small amount of peat. As a result, not only nitrogen is preserved, but also the foul odor disappears. Before use as fertilizer, feces are composted to disinfect them from worms, the eggs of which die at a temperature of 55...60 °C.

Deciduous and turf soil

If there is a lack of manure, humus from the leaves is prepared - leaf soil. To do this, in the fall the leaves are raked into heaps, compacted, covered with earth and left for the winter. In the spring, the heaps are rearranged with a pitchfork: undecomposed leaves are placed down, and more decomposed leaves are placed on top and the heaps are covered with black film. Over time, the leaves turn into a loose, dark-colored humus mass. Turf soil is necessary as an integral part of the soil mixture when growing seedlings, preparing soil for greenhouses and greenhouses. This land can be harvested in meadows with good grass stand. It should be taken into account that on clay soils the turf soil is heavier, and on sandy loam soils it is lighter. Layers of turf (turf) are cut up to 10 cm thick and placed in a stack (turf to turf, soil to soil) in a clean, shady place, layered with mullein. In September, the pile is shoveled, and in October, part of the land can be used for growing vegetables in protected ground or in a living room, having previously sifted it. The rest of the turf soil should lie until spring.

Sawdust and tree bark

Sawdust is a cheap organic fertilizer that can significantly increase soil fertility, improve its air permeability and moisture capacity. Only they should not be added fresh, but rotted or mixed with other materials. To speed up the decomposition process, sawdust is piled up and moistened with water or slurry. You can mix them with fallen leaves and plant debris. It is useful to layer the sawdust with soil. During the summer, the pile is shoveled twice, adding accumulated plant residues and nitrophoska. Due to the fact that sawdust has an acidic reaction, lime or chalk is added to it (120-150 g per bucket).

Tree bark (waste from the wood processing industry) is composted before use. Bark with a moisture content of 75% is crushed into pieces 10-40 cm long, piled up and mineral fertilizers are applied (kg per 100 kg): ammonium nitrate 0.9, urea 0.7, sodium nitrate 2, superphosphate 0.2, ammonium sulfate 1 ,5. The pile is periodically stirred and moistened. After six months, the compost is ready for use.

Green manure

This is an excellent organic fertilizer, which is a high-stemmed plant mass of one- or perennial leguminous plants (spring peas, spring vetch, broad beans, lupine, seradella), as well as phacelia, buckwheat, sunflower and others, plowed into the soil. In terms of their effect, green manure is almost equivalent to fresh manure. Nutrient elements contained in the green manure plant mass, entering the soil and gradually decomposing, become available for subsequent crops, and organic green manure helps restore the soil structure. Some green manure crops (lupine, buckwheat, mustard) increase the solubility and availability of sedentary soil phosphates for plants, and lupine can use hard-to-reach forms of potassium.

Depending on the degree of soil depletion, green manure is placed on the site all summer or as an intercrop. For example, they are sown after harvesting early vegetables. Sometimes winter peas or winter vetch are sown, in the spring after flowering the mass is rolled or mowed and plowed, and the area is leveled and sowed. In the garden, green manure is sown in continuous rows (row width 60-90 cm, row spacing 15 cm). The planting depth for annual legumes is 5-6 cm, for perennial legumes - 3-4 cm. Post-sowing rolling is required, especially for perennial grasses. Green manure does not require care, but with watering they grow better.

Composts

Composts are prepared from various organic materials. Plant residues not affected by pests and diseases, feces, bird droppings, manure and other materials are placed in a loose heap (stack) on a flat surface, interlayered with turf soil or peat. The basis of the heap is a bedding of leaves, sawdust or peat with a layer of 10-12 cm. Periodically, the heap is moistened with water or a fertilizer solution, after 40-50 days the compost is mixed, and when its temperature reaches 60 ° C, it is compacted.

In summer, the compost heap is protected from the sun; in winter, it is covered with earth or sawdust with a layer of 30-40 cm. After 8-11 months, the compost can be used. Weeds that have produced seeds are composted separately, as they remain viable for about five years.

Based on materials from Internet sources

Organic fertilizers- these are substances of animal, plant, plant-animal and industrial-household origin. They are environmentally friendly, help saturate the soil with microorganisms, which improve the soil itself and help reduce the amount of nitrates in vegetables.

Liquid organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers include: manure, slurry, humus, compost, bird droppings, ash, peat, green manure, as well as sapropel (silt), straw, etc.
Organic fertilizers contain plant nutrients in the form of organic compounds of plant or animal origin. Organic fertilizers have a multifaceted agronomic effect on soil properties. They improve the physical properties of the soil, increase its ability to absorb moisture, reduce soil acidity, and improve its aeration. When organic fertilizers decompose as a result of the vital activity of soil microorganisms, mineral compounds of N, P, K, Ca, S and other elements and humus or humus are formed that are accessible to plants. The carbon dioxide released in this case saturates the soil air and the ground layer of the atmosphere, improving the carbon nutrition of plants.

Manure

Manure is a mixture of solid and liquid excrement from various animals. Depending on the technology of keeping animals, bedding and non-bedding manure are obtained. When manure is stored, slurry is formed. Litter and non-litter manure differ not only in composition, but also in methods of storage and use.
Any manure is considered to be largely a nitrogen fertilizer, although it contains potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and a lot of microelements. Therefore, fertilizing with manure is preferable in the first half of the season, when plants are actively gaining green mass.

Compost

It is a decomposed mass of all kinds of, mainly plant, residues and waste. At a summer cottage, a separate corner is usually set aside for a compost heap, where all weeded weeds, kitchen waste, fallen leaves, tops, paper, sawdust, and branches are sent.

In order for compost to mature properly, it needs warmth and moisture. Therefore, the compost heap is often covered with black film: the heat is retained and the moisture does not evaporate. The ripening of compost is significantly accelerated by shoveling the heap or watering with a solution of EM preparations. To use compost as a fertilizer, it is mixed with soil. If the waste has been composted for more than a year, then you can safely use it in its pure form. And crops such as pumpkins, cucumbers and zucchini feel great and bear fruit abundantly if they are planted directly in the compost heap.

Humus

Humus is manure or compost that has been decomposing for more than two years. In humus, individual plant remains are no longer noticeable; it is a loose dark substance with the smell of fresh earth. Humus has no drawbacks; it is an ideal fertilizer for any crop. Humus is often used to prepare soil for seedlings, as a mulching material, as a “filler” for holes with the most “capricious” and nutritionally demanding crops.

Bird and rabbit droppings

Vermicompost

Vermicompost is compost, manure or humus that has been “treated” with earthworms, ordinary earthworms or specially grown red Californian ones. Vermicompost can rightfully be considered the most valuable organic fertilizer. In addition to micro- and macroelements, it is rich in humic acids, thanks to which soil fertility quickly and significantly increases. Vermicompost is sold both in dry form and in the form of a liquid concentrate. It can be used everywhere and in any quantity.

Sawdust

It can be called the most controversial organic fertilizer. Some gardeners say that sawdust extracts a lot of nitrogen from the soil, while others are happy to fill their beds with fresh sawdust and praise this wood fertilizer.

To get rid of the supposed shortcomings of sawdust, they are used not in fresh form, but in rotted form.
The sawdust itself will rot for a very long time. To speed up this process, gardeners mix sawdust with nitrogen fertilizers. Those who are not against chemistry use urea for this purpose. Proponents of organic farming add fresh grass to the sawdust. After which the mixture is well moistened, placed in black bags, closed and forgotten about for three weeks. After the expiration of the prescribed period, sawdust can be used for mulching, placed in beds for digging

Ash

Ash is an indispensable potassium fertilizer in organic farming. It reduces the acidity of the soil and enriches it with valuable microelements: potassium, phosphorus, manganese, boron. The ash from burning straw is considered the most valuable, but most often gardeners use wood ash, which is more accessible to everyone. It is worth remembering that the ash of deciduous trees contains more useful substances than the ash of coniferous trees. The ash from burning young small branches is richer in nutrients than the ash from old rotten trunks. Ash is very often used in mixed fertilizers with manure or droppings, it is added to herbal infusion, and it is sprinkled over layers of plant residues in compost heaps.

Sapropel

Sapropel is a fertilizer consisting of rotted remains of aquatic flora and fauna, which over many centuries were deposited at the bottom of fresh water reservoirs in the form of sediment. Sapropel is applied to all vegetable and cereal crops. Some gardeners also apply substrate for fruit trees and shrubs. It is used both in pure form and in composts, combining with various organic and mineral fertilizers.

Bone flour

Bone meal is one of the most universal fertilizers, which has a beneficial effect on almost all field, garden and vegetable crops. It is of completely natural origin and does not saturate the finished product with harmful elements. Another benefit of adding bone meal is that it decomposes within 5-8 months, making it a long-lasting fertilizer that gradually releases beneficial elements into the soil, nourishing the roots and helping plants produce greater yields.

Fish flour

Compared to bone meal, fish meal contains more nitrogen - about 10% (versus 1-4%). This allows you to apply this fertilizer not only as a pre-sowing fertilizer, but also throughout the entire growing season of garden, vegetable and field crops. In our country, this natural fertilizer is still used quite rarely, but its popularity is increasing every year, also because it leaches the soil much less than cattle bone meal.

Liquid organic fertilizers

To improve the quality of agricultural products, many experienced gardeners and agronomists use liquid organic fertilizers in their practice - these are special growth stimulants, which are highly effective concentrated fertilizers.

Liquid Vermicompost

Liquid organic fertilizer "Vermicompost" is a concentrated extract from natural vermicompost obtained by an industrial population of Russian-selected earthworms. Liquid fertilizer contains all the components of vermicompost in a dissolved state, biologically active substances, humic acids - stimulants of plant growth and development, beneficial microflora, other earthworm metabolites - amino acids, vitamins, natural phytohormones, micro- and macroelements. The effect of liquid organic fertilizer is achieved due to the presence of microflora in it, secreted by tissues and microorganisms located in the intestines of earthworms.

Increases seed germination (1.5-2 times), stimulates root formation, growth and accelerates development. Reduces the content of nitrates, heavy metals and radionuclides in agricultural products, increases the content of sugars, proteins and vitamins in fruits and vegetables, reduces their ripening time (by 12-15 days), increases productivity, promotes rapid rooting of cuttings, increases plant resistance to diseases .

Horse dung

Concentrated horse manure began to be sold several years ago. It is packaged in five-liter plastic containers, which makes it convenient to transport and use. According to this recipe, this composition can be made on your own. To do this, take fresh nettle, add water and infuse for three days. After this, add horse manure (1 to 10) and leave for another couple of days. Its application is organized after active mixing, by irrigation or spraying.

Factory (concentrated) mullein

This is an organic fertilizer that is produced in a modern way - in production. The drug is produced in different concentrations. Most manufacturers offer concentrated preparations to gardeners: 1 liter of the preparation is equivalent to 5 liters of fresh mullein.

"BioMaster - universal organic fertilizer" with a complex of microelements

Universal fertilizer for all types of plants. Contains salts of humic acids and a number of essential macro- and microelements.
Salts of humic acids contribute to a more complete and rapid absorption of the elements and nutrients contained in the soil included in the preparation. They also stimulate the vital activity of soil microflora, which produces nutrients necessary for plants.
"BioMaster Universal" differs from other fertilizers in its higher concentration, low cost and excellent quality. The humic substances included in the preparation are low molecular weight, which promotes faster absorption of nutrients.

NV-101

HB-101 is a concentrated non-synthesized nutritional composition produced from extracts of plants known for their longevity and great vitality: Himalayan cedar, cypress, pine and plantain. This is a completely natural product that supports and stimulates plant growth, as well as their immune system. It helps the plant to make maximum use of all its internal potential and environmental resources. HB-101 is a product that is safe for all living organisms and is not an insecticide.

As long as agriculture has been developing on Earth, people have been using organic fertilizers to obtain good harvests. The types and their characteristics must be taken into account when using, since each of them has its own characteristics. Some need to be added to the soil in the fall, others at the time of planting, and others throughout the growing season. The value of organics lies in its beneficial effect on the condition of plants, in improving the soil, in increasing yields and in its low cost, because every farmer can prepare it in his personal subsidiary plot.

Organic fertilizer: what is it?

Many will immediately say manure and compost. The answer is correct, but incomplete, because organic fertilizers are human and animal waste, as well as household and even industrial waste, which contains substances necessary for the development of plants in the form of organic compounds. This may include:

Bird droppings;

Feces;

Waste from wood processing factories (sawdust, tree bark, etc.);

Green manure plants;

Compost;

Bone meal;

Humus;

Complex organics.

Chemical composition

As you can see from the list above, there are a wide variety of organic fertilizers. The types and their characteristics mainly depend on the source of production, and in addition, on the technological process of fertilizer production. Any of them contains:

Calcium;

Special (a very valuable element that improves the structure of the soil).

In small quantities, organic fertilizers include:

Sulfurous acid;

Silicic acid;

Oxides of some metals and other chemical elements.

Let's take a closer look at what and how much is contained in each type of organic fertilizer.

Manure

This very valuable fertilizer is nothing more than the feces of domestic animals, with the exception of cats and dogs. Depending on the type of animal, organic fertilizers of different composition are obtained. The types and their characteristics also depend on the stage of the preparation process, which are as follows:

Fresh manure (applied only in the fall, the soil is immediately plowed after that);

Semi-rotted (the straw in it becomes dark and easily separates into pieces);

Rotten (homogeneous dark mass);

Humus.

The higher the stage of manure preparation, the more it loses its mass, and the better the organic matter decomposes in it and the quality improves.

It is equally important on what kind of litter this fertilizer is prepared.

As you can see from the table, there is very little calcium in pig manure, so lime is added to it.

Rabbit manure is also a good fertilizer. But for nutria, you can only use rotted manure or add it to compost.

Storage methods

Manure from different animals is, among other things, a variety of organic fertilizers. The types and their characteristics directly depend on how they are stored. The methods may be the following:

1. Loose styling. Stacks up to 3 m wide and up to 2 m high are made from fresh manure and are not covered with anything. With this method in stacks (t = +70 °C), the preparation process takes approximately 4-5 months, during which up to a third of the original mass is lost.

2. Tight styling. The same piles are made from fresh manure as with loose laying, but the manure is compacted tightly and covered with an airtight film. In such stacks the temperature does not rise above +35 °C even in summer. Decomposition with this method lasts about 7 months, and up to 1/10 of the original mass is lost. Dense packing is the most acceptable storage method.

3. Loose laying with compaction. A low, loose pile up to 3 m wide is made from fresh manure. On the fifth day, it is compacted, and a new loose layer is laid on top. This is repeated until the stack reaches a height of two meters, after which it is covered with film. Completely rotted manure is formed within 5 months.

How to use

The use of organic fertilizers, in particular manure, has its own little tricks. So, horse manure is ideal for warm beds because it contains little water. It is buried in special trenches dug along the perimeter of the bed, and after it is no longer needed, it is scattered across the field. On light soils it is better to use manure from cows, and on heavy soils - from sheep, goats and horses. For spring crops, fresh or half-rotted soil is plowed into the soil in the fall, and humus is added in the spring. If there is little fertilizer, it is advisable to apply it not to the entire area, but only to the holes. When planting trees, it is very useful to add up to 10 kg of humus into each hole.

Important! Fresh manure should not be applied to any crops. It releases ammonia, which is harmful to plants. There are no general standards for applying fertilizers, since they are different for each crop and directly depend on the quality of the soil.

You can find manure extract in stores. It is also an excellent fertilizer, but only for plants. It is useless for improving the condition of the soil.

Liquid organic fertilizers, their types and characteristics

There are a variety of fertilizers that you can make yourself without spending money. Those who have the opportunity use manure. It can be used in solid form, or you can make liquid organic fertilizers from it - slurry and mullein. The latter is prepared by pouring water over cow excrement. It is used to fertilize absolutely any plants, even flowers. At the same time, take 1 liter of mullein per bucket of water. There is no need to prepare slurry. It is the liquid part of manure. Liquid fertilizers include herbal infusions and even human urine, but more on that below.

As can be seen from the table, there is almost no phosphorus in this fertilizer, so superphosphate (about 15 g per liter) is added to the slurry.

Litter

It is believed that the best organic fertilizers are obtained from the droppings of pigeons and chickens. The waste of geese and ducks is somewhat worse in quality.

Bird droppings should be stored in a closed container or by composting with peat, straw, sawdust, as it very quickly loses its nitrogen component. Bird grass is used to feed vegetables, fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers. It is not added in its pure form, but filled with water (1 part of organic matter per bucket of water) and left to infuse for up to 3 days. After this, dilute it again with water, taking 1 measuring part of the infusion and 10 measuring parts of water.

Human feces

Some gardeners don't even know what exotic types of organic fertilizers there are. One of them is our feces. Previously, absolutely everything was fertilized with these waste products, they were even sold. Now this type of fertilizer is not popular, although it is almost the best. It should be noted that feces refers not only to feces, but also to urine, which is also suitable as a fertilizer. The only caveat is that nitrogen evaporates from it almost instantly, so the biomaterial must be covered with soil immediately after application.

As you can see from the table, feces are ideal for improving soil quality.

Of course, many farmers are disdainful to even think about using human excrement as fertilizer. For those who are more loyal to this, it is important to know what methods exist for preparing such organic matter. To remove the unpleasant odor, the “raw materials” need to be covered with peat or, in extreme cases, leaf soil. You can also make compost heaps from leaves and plant debris, placing feces in them in layers. They must mature for at least 3 years.

Urine is used immediately as a fertilizer. For trees, it does not need to be diluted. For other crops, it is advisable to dilute with water in a ratio of at least 1:4. It is also useful to water compost heaps with urine.

Peat

To the question: “Which fertilizers are organic?” many will answer: “Peat.” It is widely advertised, all flower shops actively sell it, and many gardeners and gardeners strive to use it. However, there are not so many substances useful for plants in peat to fertilize everything indiscriminately. In addition, you need to take into account that there are different types of peat, which differ significantly in quality.

As can be seen from the table, peat, especially lowland peat, is advisable to use on acidic soils. All types of peat should be used only to improve the quality of soils, regulate their humidity, as well as to create high-quality compost and for mulching any crops, but not for fertilization.

Sapropel

Some types of organic fertilizers are familiar to us from balneological procedures in sanatoriums. This is the silt of lakes, ponds, and any bodies of water with standing water, called sapropel. It is used especially a lot in the Rostov region due to the huge reserves in Lake Nero. Sapropel, which is plant and animal remains, accumulates in water bodies for decades. During this period, it gradually decomposes, turning into a valuable organic fertilizer, which contains a lot of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and 4 times more nitrogen than manure. Sapropel can be used unchanged or added to compost. Before adding it to the soil, it must be ventilated, shoveled and frozen so that all substances unnecessary for plants are removed from it.

Sawdust, tree bark, bone meal

There are cheap and very useful organic fertilizers for improving soil quality. Their types and characteristics are as follows:

1. Sawdust. They perfectly loosen the soil, improve its moisture capacity and air permeability, but absorb nitrogen from it. The acidity of sawdust is quite high (pH about 3-4), so before applying it should be mixed with slaked lime and complex mineral or only nitrogen fertilizers. You can also moisten them with animal urine or liquid mineral fertilizers. It is better to use rotted sawdust or add it to compost heaps.

2. Tree bark. These wastes are used to create compost. To do this, fresh bark is crushed, placed in a hole, and complex moisturizers are added. The fertilizer will be ready in about six months, during which the pit with bark must be periodically moistened and its contents shoveled.

3. Bone meal. It reduces soil acidity well and is ideal for wetlands. Bone meal contains all the elements necessary for the growth and fruiting of plants. The only caveat is that you only need to use it fat-free (evaporated and dry).

Green manure

The application of organic fertilizers may differ significantly from the methods indicated above. We are talking about green manure - plants sown on the field before planting the main crops or after harvesting. These include: sunflower, mustard, lupine, clover, legumes, oats, vetch, olive radish and other early ripening crops that produce a lot of green mass. The use of green manure is most effective on sandy and humus-poor soils, but can be practiced on any soil. In terms of the content of useful elements, green fertilizers are almost identical to manure. For example, lupine produces approximately 4 kg of green mass per 1 m2. They contain on average 18 g of nitrogen, 4.8 g of phosphorus, 6.8 g of potassium, 19 g of calcium, 4.8 g of magnesium. The technology for fertilizing a plot with green manure is as follows: after harvesting the main crop, the seeds of the selected plant are sown on the field (some can simply be scattered across the field, others need to be planted in furrows), watered if necessary, and after waiting for the buds to appear, mowed. The green mass can be plowed into the ground, placed in compost pits, and fed to livestock. Some green manures (mustard), in addition to fertilizing the soil, help destroy bacteria in it, such as root rot, nematodes, late blight and others.

Nettle

If you need to fertilize a small bed, you can make an excellent fertilizer from nettles. It is cut off, placed in a container and filled with water. Nettle fertilizer is prepared for 3-5 days, during which the contents of the container must be mixed. To eliminate the unpleasant odor, you can add valerian rhizome, and to speed up the process, add bread, yeast, and sourdough. The finished fertilizer must be filtered and used, adding 1 measuring part to 10 measuring parts of water.

Complex organic fertilizers

This is one of the best, most balanced types of fertilizers, suitable both for feeding plants and for improving soil quality. For their production, the industry uses the biofermentation method, which consists of the oxidation of organic elements with atomic oxygen. This releases a type of chemical energy that is extremely useful for the microorganisms needed by plants. They produce complex organic fertilizers from dung, sawdust, manure, peat and similar natural products. The preparations “ZhTSKKU”, “Piska”, “COUD”, “GUMI-OMI”, “Biohumus” are very popular. Basically, they are all concentrated and very easy to use.