Straw has been used as a fertilizer for plants for more than a decade. And this is fully justified by the fact that it contains many useful elements and substances.
The use of straw as a fertilizer for the garden
When 5-6 tons of soil fall into the soil, the straw can enrich it with 30 kg of nitrogen, 6 kg of phosphorus, 80 kg of potassium, 15 kg of calcium and 5 kg of magnesium. Agree, these figures are pretty impressive. Of course, certain conditions must be met for filling the land with these elements.
First of all, straw should lie in the ground after plowing for at least 8 months. Only after this period you can plant new plants here. The fact is that straw as a fertilizer is useful in a decomposed state. Having reached it, it forms humus, which forms valuable properties of the soil. To accelerate the decomposition of the introduced straw, mineral nitrogen is also introduced into the soil.
In addition, the overgrazing straw as a fertilizer is an excellent source of carbon dioxide, which affects the improvement of the conditions for air nutrition of plants. Straw improves soil structure and protects the earth from erosion, and also stimulates energy processes in the soil.
The use of straw as mulch and fertilizer is common among gardeners also in order to reduce the growth of weeds. In this case, straw mulch in the autumn is very useful to smell into the ground, so that by spring, increase the productivity of the soil and improve the absorption capacity of the fertile layer of the earth.
Which straw is suitable for soil fertilization?
To fertilize the soil, straw of legumes and cereals is best suited. In this case, the dried stems of plants should have a fragile tubular structure and a yellowish or brownish color without any greenish impregnations and fungal growths.
The straw of legumes decays very quickly and contains a minimum of pathogens and pests, which is important for obtaining a good result in terms of enriching the soil without harm to it.