Different types of compost are suitable for different purposes. Fresh compost and mature compost differ in their composition, so they can be used either as fertilizer or as a soil conditioner.
Compost is great for improving soil
Compost is suitable for:
- New planting of beds and soil improvement
- Kitchen and ornamental gardens
- shrubs and potted plants
New planting of beds and soil improvement
Fresh compost that is not yet fully mature is suitable for creating new beds and for soil improvement. It is spread on the bed in autumn and covered with a layer of leaves. The foliage protects the substrate from the cold and has an insulating effect, allowing soil organisms to work in winter.
If your soil is particularly heavy or sandy, you should apply up to 50 liters of fresh compost per square meter. About every two years you can maintain soil fertility with 20 liters per square meter. Since the fresh compost is full of micro and macro organisms, you must not bury it in the soil. Living beings need oxygen for their metabolism.
Kitchen and ornamental gardens
Mature compost is an ideal fertilizer for useful and ornamental plants. In the spring, add the compost to the bed and lightly hook it into the soil.
Heavy-duty vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkins, rhubarb or tomatoes require up to five liters of compost per square meter. Four liters are sufficient for moderate nutrient consumers per square meter. This group includes cucumbers, Chinese and kale, Swiss chard, Moravia, radishes, spinach and salsify. The weak consumers are grateful for more than two liters per square meter. Crops with low nutrient requirements are beans, endives, onions, radishes or peas.
Ornamental plants in the flower bed have lower nutrient requirements. Three liters are enough for one square meter. With ericaceous plants, you should be more economical with the compost. In lawn care, a quantity of two liters is sufficient for the same area.
shrubs and potted plants
Ornamental trees, berry bushes and fruit trees need fertilization of three liters per square meter. Apply the mature compost in the fall or spring and incorporate it lightly. Blueberries and conifers require fewer nutrients.
Plants in window boxes (€109.00) and flower tubs are grateful for a mixture of potting soil and ripening compost. A ratio of 30 percent compost and 70 percent potting soil provides the plants with ideal growing conditions.