And that is not difficult in itself if you have first informed yourself about the procedure. Now you proudly stand in front of your voluntary compost heap and may be wondering: How do you recognize mature compost? If it is still fresh, it can harm the plants, but as a beginner you often don't know what mature compost looks like. Here you can find out how you can not only test the maturity, but also promote.
Mature compost in no time with the correct care of the organic waste
So that the waste in the garden can turn into humus as quickly and well as possible, it is not enough to simply throw everything indiscriminately into the fencing. If you have not considered the following things, you should change that:
- Layer: The processes run better when you apply the material in layers. More precisely, you always change green waste, which includes fruit and vegetables, but also other kitchen waste, with tree waste such as twigs and leaves.
- Implement: Or in other words, you have toRegister and loosen regularly. This has the meaning of supplying the inside of the waste heap with oxygen that the microorganisms need to decompose. In addition, thawed moisture can escape in such a way that reduces putrefaction.
- Moisturize: In addition to oxygen, there is also sufficient moisture so that the material can decompose. The same rule applies here as when it comes to watering many plants - it should be moist, but not wet.
How to maintain the compost heap in winter,Find out here.
Under ideal circumstances, theRipening6 months. But not only the environmental conditions influence the period, but also the type of materials that have to decompose. So it can take 12 months for your compost ready for use.There are also accelerators.
By the way:Composter should not be left behind too long, because the nutrient content decreases over time (after ripening). So don't believe that you can keep the finished humus forever.
There are various ways to recognize whether humus is mature or has to work for some time. First of all, you can use your senses (yes, we really mean your senses). If you don't really convince you, you can carry out a test that will be completed in a few days.
See, feel, smell
Actually, it can be seen from the consistency whether you have finished humus soil in front of you:
- The color: Humus soil that is ready for the garden is dark brown to black.
- The consistency: The earth is loose and airy, but also lumpy or crumbly. You know how Walderde feels, right? So roughly mature compost should feel or look.
- Plant remains: There can still be one or the other remains, but minimal. Do you still recognize leaves, branches or the egg shells used? Then let the compost rest!
- The smell: Based on the smell, it is relatively easy to see whether they have ripe earth in front of them or even organic waste. Mature humus soil smells, as the name suggests, namely pleasantly after earth. The fragrance can be compared to the forest floor again by the moisture it contains.It still smells rottyOr somehow sharp, the decomposition is not yet sufficiently completed.
The test with the cress
The “closed cress test” is ideal to find out whether your humus soil is already in a suitable state of use, and it is also favorable. How exactly do you do for this?
The word “closed” in the name suggests that you need a lockable container. But this should be transparent. A jam glass or plastic cup with lid, for example, is well suited.
A notice:You can also use open plant containers. However, the advantage offers the advantage that even unwanted gases from the tester can act on the seedlings and give information about the degree of ripeness.
- Fill half of the container with the compost you want to test.
- Add a few cress seeds.
- Moist the substrate. Make sure not to add too much water, because then the seeds will mold.
- Close the glass/cup and place it in a light, warm place (room temperature).
After about 5 days, the seeds germinate and the first plants grow up. You can then see from them whether the earth used is ready for use:
- If the seedlings are yellowish, rather stunted and also very little in number, the compost is not yet ripe.
- Plants in rich green are a sign of mature humus soil.
Tipp:You can also prepare two of these glasses for testing, filling the one with soil from which you are sure that it is high quality. So you have a visual comparison as soon as the cress germs.
