Balcony green space ♣ Balcony compost full record

Good compost keeps good soil in an endless stream. After a period of accumulation, there is no need to find additional soil to buy fertilizer, and it is completely self-produced and sold. If you want to plant something, you can play with compost and environmental enzymes in advance, and the follow-up is really easy.

There are two types of implementation records:
The serious article is when you study and practice very seriously at the beginning, and the steps are recorded in great detail.
The casual article is the current practice method, which is more in line with my free balcony route.

▶Common materials

• Plant pomace (partial nitrogen source)
  All materials from all parts of the plant without touching the oil, including fruit peels, fruit residues, all leafy vegetables, traditional Chinese medicine residues, coffee grounds, grass ash after burning vanilla powder, hair, etc.
• Cover (partial carbon source)
  Sawdust, dust, infertile soil, litter, trimmed leaves, etc.

▶Composting principles

• Aerobic fermentation <br class="smart">Anaerobic fermentation is prone to odor.
• Proper air <br class="smart">Insufficient air will turn into anaerobic fermentation, and composting can be achieved with the help of unpruned materials and insects.
• Appropriate water <br class="smart">Too little water, bacteria grow slowly, too much water can easily become anaerobic fermentation.
• Carbon nitrogen is better than grasping <br class="smart">Nitrogen sources are easier to ferment and decompose, and some of them are more likely to arouse the love of flying insects. Too much nitrogen sources can also easily produce odors, so there must be a covering.
• The finished product is an earthy fragrance <br class="smart">As long as you can smell the smell of the raw materials, the fermentation has not been completed.

♫ Seriously

♪Props:

• 30L plastic bucket with faucet and large entrance
• Random cloth can be obtained from eliminated clothing.
• filter gauze
• sturdy low stool

♪How to:

1. The inner side of the faucet is fixed with gauze. Put the bucket on the stool.
2. As shown in the picture above, mulch → plant pomace → mulch, the plant pomace does not need to be trimmed, and can be pressed down at a certain height and repeated until full.
3. The entrance is covered with cloth, and you can tie it with a rope if you are careful. Put it on the balcony where the sun is slightly oblique but shaded by the wall for at least four months, and preferably more than half a year. When finished, dig out directly from the entrance to use.
4. The barrel body can be observed during the placement period. If there is a little too much water, you can open the faucet and connect it to water after the liquid fertilizer is diluted. The dilution ratio is about 500-1000 times. When there is too much water, the smell of liquid fertilizer will be a little subtle. If you want the liquid fertilizer to smell better, you can try to choose fruit as the material.
   Especially after a rainy day, see the degree of rainwater entering and release the water appropriately. Usually put in enough fresh leafy peels and pomace, enough water, if you put too much mulch, you need to occasionally take care to keep it moist.
5. The plastic buckets that are placed on the balcony and exposed to the sun and rain may need to be replaced in a few years.

♫ Casual articles

♪Props:

• Large-capacity open-air tubs or buckets

♪How to:

1. Mulch → plant pomace → mulch, plant pomace does not need to be pruned, daily balcony plant pruning (the branches and trunks are cut short, which can work faster), and sweeping dust can be thrown directly into it. Put it in the least sunny corner of the balcony.
2. In the follow-up, according to the material judgment, the partial nitrogen source is easy to spoil, decompose, moldy and insect-infesting materials, which need to be buried in holes, such as the Chinese medicine residue of fruit pomace, vegetable leaves, etc. Anything else is thrown away.
3. After a few months, you will see the material gradually disappear on its own, and you usually choose a corner to start:
   Knock the corner a few times first → wait for the worms in the corner to run away (if you don’t mind, it’s okay not to knock)
   →Pull off the mulch above this corner →Dig down the soil-like compost for use →If there is just material you want to compost, put it directly into the hole you just dug, if not, just put the mulch in and cover it up →Remember to dig another corner next time

▶Compost use

• It can be added directly to the potted plant, which can be used as fertilizer and potted soil supplement. If you are not sure at the beginning, you can put it away from the plant.
• It can be mixed and stirred with old soil, placed in the sun for a week, and then used directly for planting.
• After confirming that the compost is fully fermented, it is directly planted with homemade compost.
• Seasonally, it is usually observed in spring and autumn whether the plant and soil conditions need to be fertilized. No more than twice a year at most. At least it is not needed at all. It can be added every other year.

▶ Miscellaneous things that may happen

★Compost failure:

There is absolutely no failure of composting, there is no such thing as composting failure, only composting that needs to be adjusted. It's basically something to leave alone and happily reduce organic waste in your home.

Usually need to adjust about air, water, carbon source, nitrogen source four.

• Air: Aerobic fermentation requires air.
  ➤Solution : No pruning material will naturally form gaps, and insect assistance can also easily help loosen the soil.
• Water: too little water, bacteria grow slowly, too much water will easily become anaerobic fermentation.
  ➤Solution : maintain a certain degree of humidity, fill less, more rows or sunbathing or increase the material to absorb excess water. The drained water can be picked up as liquid fertilizer.
• Carbon source: too much nitrogen, compost has peculiar smell.
  ➤Solution : Just add a covering with more carbon, and you need to pay attention to the moisture together.
• Nitrogen supplement source: There is too much carbon, and there has been no movement to decompose.
  ➤Solution : It is enough to increase the material with more nitrogen, but also need to pay attention to the moisture.

★Plant burning roots:

• The fermentation process will also generate heat and organic acids, which will affect the root system.
  ➤Solution: Dig up the compost and wait until it is completely fermented before using it. When you are not sure, you can put a small amount away from the root system.
• Another reason is that home-made compost rarely occurs, that is, the fertilization concentration is too high, which most often occurs in ready-made concentrated fertilizers that are directly purchased. The concentrated fertilizers should be carefully read. The concentration of fertilizers is too high. The luxurious feast of the taste will be very thirsty, and the root system of the plant will be the same. The fertilizer with too high concentration will cause the root system to reverse osmosis and cause water shortage and burn the roots.
  ➤Solution: Dig out the plant and replace it with a pot of soil that has not been fertilized. Take a look at the rescue, and observe the situation after watering for a few days without fertilizer. The soil that has been fertilized can be used as a high-concentration fertile soil for the whole pot. Add a small amount at a time away from the root system and use it up slowly, or mix and dilute it with other unfertilized soil before use.

★ Bug problems:

• For me personally, the bugs are a compost booster, they can help loosen the soil and loosen the compost, and it is easy to maintain sufficient air in the compost, so it is not a problem. Of course, the bigger problem for everyone is that they are afraid of flying around! Don't worry, the bugs won't run around! The bugs that will leave the stable environment instead remind that the pot of compost may be abnormal and need to be concerned!
• If you want to raise earthworms by the way, avoid composting citrus peels, coffee grounds, and stimulants such as shallots, garlic, onions, and leeks.
• ➤ Serious bug solution: It is better to wait at least four months, or even more than half a year. Don’t leave it patiently at all. Basically, the short-lived bugs may have gone through several reincarnations, and almost all of them will turn into compost in the dust. I am a part of it. There is a bucket on the balcony before I use it for several years. The whole bucket is super clean. Except for some corpses, there is nothing alive.
• ➤Casual articles bug solution: a completely open pot, in principle, will be a small ecological circle inside, usually when you want to dig a corner, you can knock a few times to remind the aborigines, which can effectively reduce the chance of encounter.

★Smell problem:

• As long as the compost avoids anaerobic fermentation and the carbon-nitrogen ratio is too low, there will be no peculiar smell on the balcony, and the finished product will smell a soil fragrance near it.
• Anaerobic fermentation <br class="smart">Fermentation under the condition of hypoxia and insufficient air, and too much water can also cause anaerobic environment.
  ➤Solution : There is no need to trim the material, which will naturally form gaps, and insects can also help loosen the soil easily. When there is too much water, drain, bask in the sun or increase the material to absorb excess water.
• The carbon-nitrogen ratio is too low <br class="smart">too much nitrogen, the bacteria will grow rapidly, and the excess nitrogen will be converted into amonia and released, and the smell is compelling.
  ➤Solution : Increase the carbon source and cover with dead branches and leaves for a while.

★Carbon and nitrogen issues:

• Composting = cultivating bacteria , carbon is mainly used as energy and the body composition of bacteria; nitrogen is mainly used to synthesize various essential proteins. Of course, there are also the influence of various trace elements to make a good compost soil. Carbon and nitrogen account for the most and the easiest to notice.
• Don't worry too much about the exact values, because there are differences in the values in different regions, it is more important to know what the situation will cause. You can observe the state of the plants to adjust the compost material.
• The ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio falls between 25-30:1.
• Carbon to nitrogen ratio ↑ root growth ↑ stem and leaf growth ↓
  ①The fermentation speed of microorganisms is slow, and the composting time is prolonged.
  ② After fertilization, microorganisms lack nitrogen, so they will compete with plants for nitrogen in the soil, showing the appearance of lack of fertilizer: slow growth, yellow leaf color, short internodes, etc.
• Carbon to nitrogen ratio ↓ root growth ↓ stem and leaf growth ↑
  ①The fermentation speed of microorganisms is fast, too much nitrogen and bacteria are overactive and easy to consume fertility and produce peculiar smell.
  ②The excessive activity of bacteria and microorganisms after fertilization will quickly consume the fertility and organic matter in the soil, which will easily cause the soil to agglomerate, which is not conducive to the root system, and may easily cause fat injury.
  ③ Excessive nitrogen and excessive fertilizer: the leaves are too large and green but lack luster, weak and weak, lack of support and easy to lodging, easy to grow leggy, difficult to bloom, easy to fall flowers and fruits, and low disease resistance.
• Carbon source (carbon to nitrogen ratio 100-400:1):
  Most of them are things that have not changed much after a long time, such as sawdust, chaff, straw, peanut husk, hay, and paper.
• Nitrogen source (carbon to nitrogen ratio 5-20:1):
  Most of them are things that are easily rotten and moldy, such as chicken manure, pig manure, rice bran, bean dregs, leguminous crops, coffee grounds, plant ash, and hair.
• The carbon to nitrogen ratio is about 30:1:
  Peel, fresh vegetable leaves, excrement of herbivores, aquatic plants, Chinese medicine residue, etc.

Although it is written so seriously, in fact, I don't care so seriously about carbon and nitrogen ratios. Haha~

The most common daily practice is to prune the plants and throw them into the compost pot, and dig holes for the residues of traditional Chinese medicine and fruit peels and bury them. When the potted plants need to be filled with soil from time to time, choose a corner to dig, and occasionally pour some water into the compost when watering, which is probably as simple as that.

Composting carefully studied a lot of information that can be played. In general, the materials that will appear in the home are about the same as the carbon-nitrogen ratio, and there is really no special care in the future.

The original purpose was not to buy soil or fertilizer in particular, but also to reuse the vegetable and fruit waste at home. Composting is really a very comfortable and lazy choice.

The best examples of composting are shown by nature. Every year, the humus is slowly piled up with dead branches and leaves, and how many amazing forests are cultivated. I don't have so much land and only have balconies. I can also use artificial collection methods to complete the self-sufficiency and recycling land model. It feels really cool!