- How much compost per square meter do you need?
- That's why compost is such a good fertilizer
- Use very acidic compost
- do a soil analysis
The larger the garden, the more compost you need to optimally supply your plants with this valuable natural fertilizer. The question of how much compost is needed per square meter of planted area is not easy to answer. It depends on the soil conditions as well as on the plants that grow in the garden.
Compost is a wonderful fertilizer when used properly
How much compost per square meter do you need?
As a rule of thumb, you should calculate three liters of compost per square meter of garden bed.
However, this value can deviate greatly if heavily consuming or weakly consuming plants are to be fertilized with the compost.
- 3 liters of compost per square meter
- with heavily consuming plants up to 4 liters
- a maximum of 2 liters for weakly consuming plants
That's why compost is such a good fertilizer
By fertilizing with compost, many useful microorganisms are added to the soil. This significantly improves soil health.
Before applying the compost, loosen the soil a little. Rake the material lightly into the soil.
Fresh compost must not be added to the roots or to cuttings and young plants.
Use very acidic compost
When composting walnut leaves, thuja and lawn clippings, the compost can be very acidic. It is therefore advisable to mix it well with other materials and only add a few of these substances to the compost at a time.
Very acidic compost is only suitable for ericaceous plants such as azaleas, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, etc.
If you want to feed other garden plants with it, you should lime the compost to improve the pH value.
do a soil analysis
Actually, it is hardly possible to over-fertilize a garden with compost. The nutrients are released very slowly. In contrast, mineral fertilizers are much more problematic.
If you are not sure what your garden soil is like, you should take soil samples from various places and have them analyzed in the laboratory. This is particularly useful if you have put together the compost on one side.
This allows you to determine exactly which nutrients are lacking in which areas and improve them with the appropriate amount of compost or other fertilizers.
tips
A good composition of the compost ensures very high quality humus. Mix wet and dry materials together and never add too much of one material to the compost heap at once.