Hello my dear gardeners!
How often do we think about where to store fertilizers at the end of the season?
In the summer, so that they do not get wet, it is enough to put them in any covered utility room.
In winter, it would not even occur to us to take them with us and store them in a city apartment. Usually we pack them and put them away in the same place. But in winter frosts, barns are not heated and fertilizers are likely to be frozen more than once. Will they retain their properties by spring? Let's talk about it.
Fertilizer classification
Fertilizers are of four types:
- Bulk (powdered and granulated).
- Liquid.
- Biofertilizers.
- Organics.
Let's take a closer look:
Bulk fertilizers
Low temperatures for bulk fertilizers are not terrible.
- For this type of fertilizer, the greatest danger is high humidity, since they contain hygroscopic substances that draw moisture into themselves.
- After waterlogging, fertilizers harden like cement. They do not lose their properties, but in order to use them, you need to spend a lot of time breaking them with a hammer to their original state.
- Store such fertilizers only in a dry place or in their original packaging without damage.
Liquid fertilizers
These fertilizers, on the contrary, are not afraid of humidity, but low temperatures pose a threat.
- Upon freezing, the solution crystallizes. After thawing, stratification occurs in it and an insoluble precipitate falls out in a form inaccessible and unsuitable for plants.
- There is also a danger of a plastic canister bursting during frost. Liquids, as you know, expand when frozen and canisters do not withstand pressure. In the spring, melted fertilizer will meet you at the entrance and add unnecessary work.
- Such fertilizers must be stored with mandatory insulation and on shelves where the temperature is higher.
Biofertilizers
- Biofertilizers are distinguished by the fact that they contain useful living microorganisms that actively nourish the soil and increase its fertility. Such fertilizers include Baikal EM1, BTU Biocomplex, Phosphatovit, Economic Dachny and others.
- At sub-zero temperatures in such fertilizers, microorganisms die, and they completely lose their beneficial properties. They cannot be stored in unheated dachas.
- Such fertilizers also include growth stimulants: Epin, Novosil, Ecosil, Rostok and others. Storage temperatures not lower than +5°C are acceptable for them.
- At the same time, drugs such as Fitosporin M are able to tolerate temperatures down to -20 ° C without harm.
Conclusion! Read the storage conditions of this bio-fertilizer before the winter season.
organic fertilizers
wood ash
Ash is the most valuable fertilizer. which is harvested in autumn, after burning cut tree branches, and in winter, during the heating of stoves and fireplaces. Ash can be stored for a long time if the storage conditions are met correctly:
- The ash storage container must be hermetically sealed, as it easily absorbs moisture. To do this, use boxes with fitted lids, plastic barrels, vacuum plastic bags.
- The storage room must also be dry to avoid condensation.
- In this case, the ash can be stored at any temperature for a very long time.
Manure
Winter storage of manure also has its own characteristics, in violation of which you can lose more than 40% of nitrogen and other useful substances.
Manure has three storage methods:
- Cold (anaerobic) is the most nitrogen-preserving method, but overheating takes a long time.
- Hot (aerobic) - overheats quickly, but many useful substances are lost.
- Combined - the most commonly used: rather short in time with the preservation of useful substances.
Let's take a closer look at the combined method:
- Manure is piled into a loose heap up to 1.8 m high without layer compaction, due to which a reaction occurs in the voids and the temperature rises above 70 ° C.
- In 3–5 days, overheating occurs and all harmful bacteria, fungal spores and weed seeds die inside.
- After 5 days, the rotted manure is compacted (watered with cold water).
- A half-meter layer of earth or peat is poured on top.
- Superphosphate or phosphate rock (2% by weight of manure) is added to the cooled manure for better nitrogen retention.
- A dense pile is covered with a film or roofing material, and in winter they make a snow cover.
Compliance with these simple storage rules will help you save fertilizer without wastage and use it in the new sowing season.
Tell us what methods you use to store your fertilizers and what difficulties you encounter. I look forward to your comments.
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