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Amarjeet Batth
Continuous cultivation, leaching and erosion create nutrient deficiencies in soil. Therefore a regular dose of manure and fertiliser is mandatory to keep the fertility of soil intact. This also depends on the season and growth phase of the plants. Manure is less washable and has a slow impact while fertilisers have an immediate effect but short-lived effect. Therefore a balanced application of both is necessary.
Manures are derived from residues of plant and animals waste and add organic matter to the soil. These serve as a reservoir for nutrients, provide humus-forming material thus improving moisture holding capacity of the soil and also increase micro-organism activity that breaks organic matter into simpler forms that can be readily absorbed by plants. Manures also improve aeration of the root system, which helps in the absorption of nutrients. Following are a few practices that can be done in a garden for producing manure for your plants.
Compost
Composting is a process in which waste organic matter is decomposed to form a natural soil conditioner which is full of nutrients. In simpler words it converts organic waste into productive usage. The waste could be kitchen waste, vegetable discards and leaves, which when subjected to anaerobic decomposition form compost that is rich in macro and micro nutrients.
How to prepare: To begin with, dig a three feet long and two feet wide pit in yuor back yard. It should have a depth of 2-3 ft deep. The location should be dry and in a shaded corner as sun heat during extreme hot summer kills the bacteria needed for this process. Fill the pit with alternate layers of organic waste and thin layers of garden soil. Make a concave top to retain water and mix light dose of urea to accelerate decomposition. It takes three to four months to turn the organic waste into compost. More compost pits can be prepared as per availability of organic matter. Never put inorganic waste and materials like polythene bags in these pits as these will never disintegrate into organic manure.
Leaf mold
Leaf mold is prepared using garden waste and sweepings, dry foliage and dry woody material which are decomposed with alternate thin layers of soil mixed with light dose of urea. Consider location and size of the pit as per mentioned for the compost. On an average it takes about six months for leaves to be reduced to leaf mould.
Liquid fertiliser
Liquid manure is prepared by using cow dung and water and is the most effective way to add nutrients to plants and results are visible in a short time span.
Make it yourself: Take a drum of 100-liter capacity and fill it half with water. Add 15-20 kg of fresh cow dung to it. Cow dung can also be mixed with powdered oil cakes of karai or mustard or mahow cakes. Allow it to ferment. Depending on the weather conditions, it may take a month or so to mature.
Completion of fermentation of the slurry is indicated when the reisdue settles in the bottom of the drum. Dark liquid on the upper layer is siphoned off in another container and diluted with water till the liquid is of light tea colour. Take a mug and spill it over the moist soil bed of a well-established actively growing plantation. As a caution do not spill over the foliage of the plant. Liquid manure is an alternative to normal irrigation and is especially beneficial for potted plants.
Farmyard manure
It is a complete manure consisting of dung and refuse of cattle shed which is collected on a daily basis. FYM is matured in pits of 3x3x3’ at a well-drained location under partial shade. The pit is filled 1-2 ft above the ground and plastered with the slurry of cow dung and soil which is left undisturbed for four to six months. The harmful pathogenic organisms are killed due to high temperature during decomposition. Never use fresh cattle dung as farmyard manure as it does not mobilise nutrients. As a thumb rule add four kg of farm yard manure in one square ft area per year. iI is done once in July- Aug. and then in Dec - Jan.