Mother Nature generously distributes her inexhaustible gifts. The plant kingdom is diverse and large. Hundreds of thousands of different species grow on earth. Each is part of the organic world. Man in the process of his evolution conditionally subdivided them into useful ones, which he cultivates and widely uses in many areas of his life. There are other kinds of plants, called grass, which just grow anywhere, at best animals consume it. There are still weeds growing among cultivated plants, clogging fields and gardens, interfering with the growth of useful plants.
Here, too, man showed his ingenuity and adapted the grass as a fertilizer. First of all, it is natural organic matter, it is safe, quickly absorbed and its action is not long in coming. In such a fertilizer, there is a real "storehouse" of mineral resources, such as potassium, nitrogen. It is easy to manufacture. It can be applied in different options: as a liquid watering or spraying.
Summer residents and gardeners face a number of legitimate questions. How to prepare fertilizer from grass? What herbs are best suited for these purposes? What types and how much to insist?
Grass and weed composting
Grass and weed composting means that they can be mixed with other garden and garden residues as well as household waste, both organic and inorganic. Each material used is valuable in its own way. The ratio of masses of grass and weeds with various types waste, provides a unique raw material, resulting in a highly effective natural fertilizer, which is the main source for plant nutrition.
All kitchen waste can be composted. These are potato and vegetable peelings, cabbage stalks, suitable eggshell, dormant welding mixing with coarser waste, for its better ventilation. They are a very valuable organic material, which has a high rate of decomposition. If we add meat and other food waste to the pile, which spread the smell, then they must be covered with earth so that flies and other rodents do not fly in.
Composting can be done from different types herbs: ordinary mowed and dried and lawn, plus weeds from the garden. Stack in layers in combination with other waste. Then it is necessary to monitor this compost heap so that there is no grass knocking into small lumps, rotting and fermentation processes, and bad smell.
If weeds with seeds are taken, then it is necessary to pre-soak them for ten days, and only then do composting. The addition of straw, hay, reeds will be valuable moisture-binding materials in the pile. Reeds, due to their tubular structure, will provide additional access to oxygen. Before that, it must be thoroughly crushed, dried and mixed with green mass, household kitchen waste. poisonous plants such as: wolf, yew, lily of the valley should not be added to the compost. found in them toxic substances will kill microorganisms and stop the composting process.
All woody parts of plants, the bark must first be crushed with a shredder. Then we will get compost with a combined structure and provide good ventilation. If we mix grass and weeds with sawdust, which are characterized by a low nitrogen content, then additional bone meal and manure are added. IN compost heap for enrichment are also contributed bird droppings, lime, urea. Paper and cardboard decompose fairly quickly. They contain cellulose. They must first be crushed and soaked better in herbal solution for better impregnation. Spread out in thin layers, mixing with coarse material.
Mixing grass and weeds with manure, which has a high nitrogen content, will result in an excellent fertilizer with an optimal C:N ratio. Manure is laid in one of the layers, sprinkled with earth on top.
Infusion of weeds - Biohumus
From the weeds that have just been pulled out, you can prepare liquid fertilizer - biohumus. Top dressing of plants during growth is required constantly, and with mineral 
overdo. Therefore, liquid fertilizer will be the best option.
We take any barrel or a suitable deep container, fill it halfway with weeds and fill it with water not to the very top. In the process of fermentation, the entire mass rises. We cover with polyethylene and wrap it with wire so that it is not blown away by the wind. We make several small holes in the film for escaping gases. Another film prevents the nitrogen from evaporating during the process of decay. Therefore, small holes will suffice.
The volume of the mixture will increase during fermentation, so leave some space. We cover the unit with plastic wrap and wrap it with wire so as not to be blown away by the wind. We make several small holes in the film for escaping gases. The film is needed so that nitrogen does not evaporate during decay, those small holes will be enough for him.
After the final fermentation process, when this mixture stops foaming and acquires a rich dark color, the fertilizer is ready. We got a liquid biohumus, which is sold in stores for money. This whole process takes a week and a half, if under the influence of the sun, then faster.
It can be used by diluting in a ratio of 1:10 if we are doing root dressing. You can make a foliar application by spraying it between or over plants. Concentration 1:20. Top dressing is done every three weeks before flowering, and every 2 weeks during fruit ripening.
The remaining grass after using the liquid can be reused, filled with water and after two days it can be watered without dilution. Then we make a new batch. On the site, you can make several barrels constantly providing yourself with fertilizer.
Organic is always better
Undoubtedly, any mineral fertilizer loses before organic matter. Yes, and it will be many times better if we use vegetables, berries and fruits grown in environmentally friendly conditions. Moreover, it will not be possible to make it great work and the benefits are substantial.
Not every gardener can boast of fertile soil on the site, so fertilizers are needed. As fuel, you can use something that is always abundant in the country - weeds! It will take time to feed the land, to make it fertile, ready for planting.
But what if there is no time to wait? Then you can start a garden reactor for the express production of liquid fertilizer!
How to make green manure:
To prepare green fertilizer, you will need a barrel: you can use any, but preferably a plastic one - the iron bottom quickly rots. If there is no choice, put iron barrel on any stand, so it will last longer. Place the container in the sunniest place, closer to the garden, so that it is convenient to feed the plants. Fill the container about half or two-thirds with any fresh plants. Everything is used: weeds, cut grass, tops. The only thing is that it is not recommended to use horse sorrel and buttercup for liquid fertilizer - in addition to being useful, they also contain harmful substances that inhibit crop growth.
To speed up the fermentation process, add 5-6 tbsp. l. carbamide (urea) or several caps of any humate fertilizer. It remains to fill the barrel with water, but not to the top, because during the fermentation process the volume of the solution will increase and a cap of foam will appear. cover the barrel plastic wrap and tie the film with a rope, having previously made several holes for the exhaust gases.
After a few days, the green mass will begin to bubble - carbon dioxide is released. This is a sign that the process has begun. Very soon, the infusion will acquire a specific smell of a cowshed. There is nothing to be surprised here - we just copy the natural processes that go on in the stomach of herbivores! If it is difficult for you to come to terms with this specific aroma, add not: how many drops of valerian to the infusion. They will tell you about the readiness of vegetable fertilizer external signs: the infusion will stop foaming and acquire a rich brown-brown color.
The conveyor in the barrel must work continuously, supplying the summer resident with liquid fertilizer all season, so you need to properly dispose of it. Before use, the green mass must be stirred so that the decomposed particles sink to the bottom, and the tops remain at the top. Then pull out the tops with a pitchfork, but do not throw it away, but put it under garden crops (pumpkin, zucchini, cabbage, cucumbers), and use the liquid solution for top dressing. A couple of buckets can be left at the bottom of the barrel: there are a lot of microorganisms, and this is a ready-made sourdough for the next batch, which will speed up the process. It remains to fill the barrel with plants again and repeat the steps.
What are the advantages of green manure:
Top dressing in liquid form is quickly and well absorbed by plants.
The solution has an alkaline reaction, which will help reduce the acidity of the soil.
The soil will be saturated with living beneficial microorganisms that will improve its structure and protect plants from diseases.
It is not only a nutritional supplement, but also wellness procedure for soil. Even before planting, you can shed clean beds with herbal infusion.
Even the fallen fruits of currants and gooseberries can be thrown into the barrel, everything will be processed into valuable fertilizer.
Gardeners should beware who once put plant remains in a barrel and use the same infusion all season, occasionally topping up with water.
If the fertilizer is infused for more than a month, too much ammonia will accumulate in it, the vapors of which are detrimental to all living bacteria. The infusion will retain its nutritional power, but will be “dead”, without beneficial microorganisms. Try to use the fertilizer within 3 weeks of being ready.
If the volume is too large, pour the solution over plastic bottles and store it for a month in a dark place.
Green fertilizer is too concentrated: it can burn the roots and leaves. Therefore, in the case of root dressing, dilute it at the rate of 1:10, and for watering the leaves -1:20. The volume of a standard barrel is 200 liters, which means that from one batch alone you will get 400-500 liters of top dressing!
How to properly feed plants with green fertilizer:
Root top dressing for any crops is recommended to be carried out 1-2 times a week, preferably after rain or after the main watering. Foliar top dressing (spraying on the leaves) is carried out 1 time per month.
Feeding rates depend on the individual needs of each culture. Under cabbage and cucumbers, you can add 1 bucket of diluted top dressing under a bush, for strawberries - 1-2 liters per bush. Suitable tincture for fruit trees and berry bushes: when watering for 1 bucket of water, add 1 liter. infusion.
Do not forget that nitrogen prevails in green fertilizer, and it is applied only in the first half of summer, during active growth green mass. In the second half, during fruiting, feeding with vegetable infusion should be stopped.
The combination of herbs in green fertilizer can be different, but it is desirable to add nettle to any assortment - it is the champion in nitrogen content and attracts worms.
Here are just a few recipes:
*Harvest nettles before they begin to form seeds. Grind, add comfrey, wormwood, dandelion, stepsons of tomatoes. Crumble the rest of the bread into the barrel, add a little yeast. A week later, the fertilizer is ready. Great for top dressing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, leafy greens.
* As a basis, take stinging nettle. The second ingredient is common dandelion, which is harvested before seeds are formed. Add 1 tsp to the mixture. humate solution per 10 liters. water.
*Mix legumes, nettles, 3 kg bone meal, 1-3 kg dolomite flour, any microbiological preparation with beneficial bacteria.
Foreword
If suburban area is located far from the settlement and it can be difficult to replenish stocks of top dressings for plants; grass fertilizer will always help you out.
What is herbal fertilizer and what is it for?
Many gardeners know how long compost takes to ferment. However, garden crops need to be fed constantly and there is no reason to wait so long. Of course, it is necessary to pour the mass for compost into a barrel, this fertilizer will definitely come in handy in the future, but also on this moment something must be used to supply the plants with nutrients. If you do not consider purchased fertilizers, it is best to stop at a liquid top dressing from the green mass of weeds. The finished product in liquid form is poured in small portions to the roots of plants, providing them with nitrogen, which is well retained in the soil.
In fact, this is the same as compost, but it is prepared several orders of magnitude faster - only from 2 weeks to 2 months. When the fermentation product is ready, it will contain all those substances that were pulled out by weeds from the soil, that is, microelements and minerals necessary for garden crops. Also, various organic substances can be added as additional components, including chicken manure, yeast, and others. Next, we propose to consider various options preparation of liquid herbal fertilizer.
What do you need to prepare grass feed?
Like future compost, green mass from chopped weeds is laid in a large barrel. IN last resort you can use a large box, covered instead of a lid with a board shield of the appropriate size and shape. The grass is laid in a container, and the amount can be any, even to the brim. In addition to weeds, the tops of garden plants, as well as hay and straw, including those used as bedding in a chicken coop, can be used. Preference should be given to those types of plants that absorb nitrogen especially intensively, since it is this substance that will become the main one in the composition of the future fertilizer.
In addition, an additional component in the prepared mixture must be some kind of ready-made, like urea, which is also known as urea (1 tablespoon is enough). It is also allowed to use liquid waste human life, it is enough to fill them with no more than 3 liters. Then it remains only to add water, just enough so that all the grass is drowned, and then we cover the container with a lid and patiently wait for the first signs of fermentation. It should be borne in mind that the process continues in the finished product, and without the addition of new raw materials, the bacteria will die in a couple of weeks, so it is advisable to renew the green mass and liquid in the container every 2 weeks.
If you use a barrel to make liquid herbal fertilizer, it should be plastic or wooden, but never metal.
The first bookmark usually wanders for at least 2 weeks, and with a low nitrogen content in weeds, the process can take up to a month. As the state of readiness approaches, a heavy smell of mullein and ammonia will begin to appear over the infusion, while the color of the liquid will approach brown with green, like dung. When the release of bubbles caused by the appearance of carbon dioxide in the liquid becomes most active, the liquid fertilizer is ready. The herb can be removed by stirring lightly into the infusion to wash away particles of decomposed organic matter, and used as a mulch. As for the liquid, it is she who will become a top dressing for garden and horticultural crops, you just need to leave a couple of buckets in the container for a new bookmark.
Preparation of top dressing from green nettle
As you know, among the weeds there are many nitrogen-loving ones. The nettle, which is widely known among the people, which absorbs nitrogen from the soil very intensively, is one of them, accumulating it in its stem and leaves. That is why this plant is used not only in cooking and for medicinal purposes, but also quite often becomes a raw material for obtaining liquid fertilizer. During fermentation, all the nitrogen accumulated by the nettle is released, which makes it an excellent top dressing for garden crops. The cooking process proceeds as described above, that is, the crushed green mass is placed in a large container and filled with water. However, some nuances must be taken into account.
Firstly, if your site has acidic soil, it does not hurt to add a few components that will increase the alkaline component in the finished product. In particular, it may be . Secondly, other components are allowed, such as mullein or chicken manure. In general, any organic matter can be thrown into a fermentation tank, including carrion with fruit trees, diseased leaves and stems of garden and woody plants. That is, everything that would otherwise have to be buried or burned. You should not only lay branches of shrubs and trees affected by disease or pests, even crushed ones. There will be no sense from them, so it’s better to just send them to the fire.
Compound Herbal Fertilizer Recipes
So, you already know how weeds can benefit by becoming a very effective, nitrogen-rich top dressing for garden crops. However, having grass at their disposal, many people forget about pond plants, which can add a lot of additional nutrients to the fertilizer. To make an infusion with them, you need for every 50 liters of water the same amount of crushed reeds and sedges mixed with weeds like nettles and lupins. Put a bucket in there. wood ash, up to 0.5 kilograms of chicken manure (or up to 5 kilos of manure). You can also add about 1 liter of EM fertilizers, that is, those that contain effective microorganisms.
Another option to increase the usefulness of liquid top dressing is as follows. Before fertilizing already soaked and infused herbs, dissolve 1 kilogram of ordinary yeast for every 10 liters of water, and then dilute the liquid clean water 1:20. After draining the fermented infusion from the barrel after extracting the green mass, mix the yeast solution with it in a 1: 1 ratio and get an extremely nutritious top dressing for your garden. After all, it is known that yeast contains both chalk and soda, as well as many elements from the periodic table: potassium, calcium, magnesium, boron, sulfur. Among the components, a place was also found for diammonium phosphate. That is, it is a compact set of substances useful for plants.
And there is one more point that should be emphasized. Some novice gardeners, using liquid fertilizers for top dressing, pour them under the roots of plants in their pure form. A couple of times a season, such a test with concentrated nutrients, combined with a huge amount of nitrogen and alkali, plants can withstand, provided that they are well heaped up and have a powerful root system. But it’s better not to take risks and dilute the infusion from the barrel in a ratio of 1:10, getting a watering version of the fertilizer. In general, this composition is best to soak the soil in early spring before planting garden crops, and in the fall as a preparation of the land for the next season by saturating it with nitrogen.
Green fertilizer from nettles and grass, infused right at the dacha, is becoming increasingly popular among gardeners. After all, all summer residents know that the quality of plant nutrition directly depends harvested crop and decorative lush flowering crops. Gardeners and gardeners who fundamentally do not use on their site mineral fertilizers and pesticides, they know that there is an excellent tool for root and foliar dressing of vegetable, fruit, ornamental and berry crops - the so-called green fertilizer or weed infusion, biococktail. It is prepared by fermenting weeds on which the seeds have not yet ripened, and any mowed grass (lawn, meadow).
Green fertilizer from nettle and grass (recipe)
To prepare the composition, lawn grass, nettle, sow thistle, burdock, chamomile, clover, comfrey, dandelion leaves and other weeds weeded from the beds are most often used. These plants, rotting in the aquatic environment, saturate the future fertilizer with nitrogen, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, a whole complex of trace elements, as well as humic compounds that create favorable conditions in the soil for the development of earthworms and beneficial bacteria.
How to prepare and properly use green manure?
To get a nutrient mother liquor, you need to fill a bucket with crushed secateurs or other garden tool plants (approximately 0.45 kg), fill the container with water, leaving about 10 cm to the brim, cover and put in a warm place, for example, in the sun, for 10-15 days.
Weeded weeds are laid directly with the roots. There is no need to shake off the earth from them. And if you have EM preparations on hand, you can add them with a little sugar. If not, you can sprinkle in garden compost.
During decomposition, a foam cap will form on the surface. Active fermentation processes occurring in the future fertilizer cause an extremely unpleasant odor, so it is advisable to place the container away from residential buildings. The readiness of the product is determined by the absence of foam on the surface and the decrease in the intensity of the repulsive aroma.
Next, the composition is filtered, diluted with water 1: 3 and used for watering under the root of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, garlic, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, apple trees, pears, roses, clematis and other plants that live in the garden and in the garden, except for leafy greens and herbs. Undecomposed plant residues are placed in compost or used as mulch for any crop. For foliar treatment, the uterine infusion is diluted 1:4.
The first time the fermented grass solution is applied 2 weeks after the emergence of mass shoots or planting seedlings on permanent place. For garden trees and berry bushes, top dressing is carried out after the soil warms up to a temperature of + 10 ° C. The interval between fertilizer applications is from 2 to 6 weeks throughout the growing season.
You can speed up the maturation of a vegetable cocktail by adding fresh manure or litter, as in this video of our colleague from the Green Planet:
The most responsive to root top dressing with green fertilizer are all flower, pumpkin, nightshade, onion and cruciferous crops. Dispose of cut lawn grass and weeds in the suggested manner. This will allow you to significantly improve the conditions for growth and development. country plants, as well as provide lush bloom decorative and stable yields of all fruit crops. We have been using nettle and herb green fertilizer for many years and are very pleased with the result.
At first holiday season every gardener thinks about how to protect his plot from pests, how to feed the soil so that it gives good harvest, as well as how to spend a minimum of material resources on this. There is only one answer - to prepare natural fertilizer from grass. With the onset of summer, this process becomes one of the main conditions for good soil productivity. So, how to prepare a natural fertilizer saturated with nitrogen?
Making grass compost
- To prepare fertilizer, everything can be used: weeds, tops, lawn grass and even food waste (vegetable scraps, cabbage stalks).
- Place the grass and plant waste in a large vat. It is best if the container is made of plastic. Iron vats will not work - the reaction in it will be slow. The container must be voluminous, at least 50 liters, and preferably 100.
- If there are plants with seeds among the weeds, it is better to pre-soak them in cold water a few days. This is done so that the seeds die. Or do they need to be cut. Of course, most seeds die during composting, but some crops (like lupins) can survive in compost slurry. After that, the weed grows safely in a garden bed that has been watered with prepared fertilizer. To prevent this from happening, it is best to collect weed for composting before it has produced seeds.
- After all the grass is prepared, you need to add some organic waste to it. A cowshed is best. Cow dung (possible with hay and clay) should be layered with weeds.
- When the mass is prepared, for better fermentation, you can add special nitrogen sources purchased at the store to it. If they are not there, do not worry - there is nitrogen in the cowshed, it will just take a little longer to prepare the fertilizer.
- After laying all the ingredients, fill the vat with water so that the entire mass is covered with liquid. You can also put oppression on top so that the grass does not float up and wanders better. To speed up the process, cover the container with a lid or plastic bag.
- From time to time you need to stir the "composition" so that it does not rot and does not break into pieces.
- Usually the compost is ready in a couple of weeks (the first batch). After using the compost mass, you need to leave a couple of buckets of the prepared liquid in the vat so that it helps to “ferment” the next portion of the fertilizer. The next batches are prepared faster, fermentation occurs after 10 days, and if the summer is hot, then a week is enough.
Everyone knows that plants absorb nitrogen from the soil, which is given to the solution during composting. During fermentation, a lot is released useful substances and minerals, which are so necessary for the soil. With the help of fertilizer from the grass, the acidity of the soil can be significantly reduced, because alkali is released during the reaction. How to fertilize garden crops with the help of a prepared product? Let's deal with everything in order.
- The prepared liquid must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2. Mix one bucket of fertilizer with two buckets of water and water any crops with the prepared composition - cucumbers, pumpkins, cabbage, strawberries. Depending on the size of the beds and shrubs, one bush should have about one bucket of diluted fertilizer. One liter is enough for a strawberry bush.
- It is best to fertilize crops with nitrogen in spring and in the first half of summer. Indeed, closer to autumn, trees and shrubs are preparing for peace, and excess nitrogen can cause them to have increased growth and the appearance of young leaves. This has a bad effect on the trees - they can not stand the frost and die.
- Plants need to be fertilized in moderation. Overfeeding has the opposite effect. That is, when nitrogen is in excess, plant growth can fall on tops (radishes, potatoes). And the fruits themselves will be small. Therefore, plants should be fertilized no more than once a month.
- Do not think that all the weeds that have not decomposed in the compost will go to the landfill. They contain a huge amount of useful minerals. The grass must be removed from the vat with a pitchfork and laid out on the beds. Waste is used for mulching. Decayed grass protects the soil from drying out, prevents weeds from growing, and also enriches the earth with a useful composition.
- Freshly prepared fertilizer can be used against pests. Spray grass fertilizer on currant leaves to protect them from aphids. For spraying, the prepared product does not need to be diluted - apply in a concentrated form. Various insects do not tolerate this smell and will quickly leave your property.
- The prepared fertilizer is suitable for use for about a week, after this time it loses its beneficial features, since all the nitrogen is weathered. For the next stage of fertilization, you need to prepare a new compost liquid.
- The convenience of having compost liquid lies in the following. If you have on the site fruit trees, for sure you have waste - unfit for food fruits that have fallen, rotted, flattened, eaten halfway by ants, etc. If earlier you had to carry it in the trash, bury it or burn it, now all this waste can be thrown into a heap with weeds. This will give the fertilizer even more usable mass.
- It is better to put containers with compost fertilizer in the immediate vicinity of the beds themselves. You do not have to drag a large container of liquid to the other end of the site or drag full buckets through the entire garden.
We have presented you the simplest and most classic way to make grass fertilizer. However, there are other recipes that are no less effective and useful for fruit crops. One of these recipes will come in handy if you live on the banks of a pond. There are weeds rich in useful trace elements in the pond, which simply cannot be used for one's own purposes.
You need to take about 50 liters of chopped pond plants - sedge, reeds. You can add simple weeds to them - nettle, wormwood. You also need to add a bucket of ash, a pound of chicken manure (or 5 kg of cow manure) and a liter of Baikal EM-1 fertilizer to the vat. Pour everything with water and insist until strong fermentation begins. It is very efficient and useful tool, after which the yield of your site will increase significantly.
To saturate the poor and depleted soil with minerals and trace elements, yeast must be added to the compost heap. According to GOST, yeast contains potassium, magnesium, sulfur, magnesium, calcium and many other components that affect the yield of the site. One bag of yeast (15 mg) should be diluted in 10 liters of water. Weeds are poured with yeast water and further in the same way. This is an all-purpose top dressing that is as effective as it is safe.
Growing a rich crop is laborious, long and patient work. However, with the right approach, it gives good dividends in the form of tasty and large fruits. Fertilize your garden to grow the sweetest vegetables, fruits and berries!
Video: how to make an infusion of herbs in a barrel
