Compost is a decomposed organic material that is a rich and concentrated source of nutrients. The main components are carbon and a small amount of nitrogen, and other nutrients in the form of minerals and soil biota.
Compost not only provides nutrients for vegetables and fruits but also improves soil quality. There are many ways to make compost, from a simple mixture consisting only of rice husks and cow dung, to those consisting of various materials. Use available materials and often do the testing yourself.
Making Compost Quickly
• A compost heap will work best if everything is made once. This means that all material is collected first, then compost piles are then made in layers.
• The compost pile is approximately 1 m wide, 1 m long and 1 m high so that it can produce enough heat for better decomposition.
• You can use a variety of common materials, including: manure, grass, weeds, aquatic plants, leaves, seaweed, soil, rice husks, coffee husks, sawdust, dead animals (rats, fish, chickens and so on), urine / urine, small pieces of paper that can decompose and other natural materials that are easily available.
• Try to mix about 1/3 of cattle dung, 1/3 dried leaves, 1/3 dried coffee husk / rice husk / sawdust. There is no need to be exact in size, just about.
• Use a small amount of bird droppings (pigeons, chickens, or ducks) or manure.
• The materials are arranged in layers of 5-10 cm thick. The first layer as thick as 10 cm is organic material from plants (dried leaves, husks and other dry materials). The second layer is livestock manure that has been decomposed. The third layer is a little kitchen ash and a little healthy soil. Then flush with a little water. The stages are just repeated until as high as 1 m, 1 m wide, 1 m long.
• Add water twice during composting. First, add water about 2-3 buckets of bucket when the compost is in the initial manufacturing process, then 2-3 more buckets when the compost is finished. Water is very important for the composting process, but not too much. Compost must be moist, but not muddy
• Cover the compost so that it is not exposed to rain or direct sunlight and keep it away from animals and keep the heat in the compost. This cover can be woven palm leaves, used tarps, banana leaves or leaves, or any thick layer of leaves. If possible, make a roof during the rainy season to prevent water from entering.
• If all these steps are followed, the compost will become very hot (around 65-68 ° C), due to bacterial activity during decomposition. The temperature will decrease again around 45 ° C after 2-3 weeks.
• Compost now needs to be turned upside down because the top layer does not get hot and has not composted well compared to the layer below it. Once the compost is turned, add another 2 buckets of water, only if needed, then cover again. The compost pile will heat up again and will be ready in 2 weeks.
• After that compost is ready for use in the garden. Use 2 full hands for each seed, and 4 full hands for each mature plant. It would be even better if all the surface of the garden was covered with 3-5 cm thick compost.
Make Slow Compost
Slow compost can be made from only 2 or 3 ingredients, but you need to balance the amount of manure with plant material. A good mixture is about 1/3 of animal manure with 2/3 plant material. Slow composting takes 2-3 months to be ready for use. This compost is not very rich in nutrients but is still good enough to improve the soil.
How to use Compost
• Start making a new compost heap when half of the old compost heap is half used. This will guarantee the continuous availability of compost.
• Spread compost in beds 2 weeks before planting vegetable seeds or planting seeds directly such as corn, beans, eggplants and so on to allow nutrients and compost to soak into the ground. Wait 2 weeks after planting the seeds before adding more compost.
• The best place to put compost on a tree is directly under the outer canopy (at the bottom outside of the tree's crown, not at the base of the tree). The area around the bottom of the outer canopy is the place where the roots of the tree look for food. Do not let compost touch tree trunks because this will cause decay of the trunk. This applies to all uses of any fertilizer.