How To Make Compost Manure With Steps

 Written by Peter Otieno                                                                                                                     

In today's world where there is a multitude of information concerning agricultural best practices and farming methods, not many farmers and individuals understand how to make compost manure.

The use of inorganic fertilizer is the trend as it saves time and results come faster on your farm.

On the other hand, compost manure allows plants to absorb nutrients gradually but it is vital in the long run if used continuously and regularly.

What is Compost Manure?

Compost manure is an organic fertilizer made from farm waste, animal manure and plant materials no longer in use.

Composting is the process whereby you pile farm waste, animal manure and plant materials in a pit to allow for decomposition which is done by worms and maggots.

Compost manure provides essential nutrients to crops, increases soil fertility, enhances moisture retention and increases soil aeration due to micro-organisms present in it.

The two methods for making compost manure are pit or tank method and rectangular pit method. In pit method, you collect materials, pile them randomly in a tank or pit and let them decay slowly.

In this case we will use the rectangular pit method which involves use of layers.

Farm Equipment and Plant Materials to Use

Farm tools include wheelbarrow, shovel, a hoe, water can, gloves, gumboots, panga, tape measure, overall coat and 10 litre jerrican with water.

Plant materials in categories of green materials, coarse materials and dry vegetation.

Animal manure, wood ash and loam soil must be included too.

Steps in Making Compost Manure

Location - First identify an area to pile your materials. It should be under a shade preferably under a tree for the pile to stay moistened.

The location should be on a raised ground, no run off water and not directly hit by sunlight.

Digging Rectangular Pit - Measure a rectangle 90cm long and 45cm wide. This will take sometime so you can either dig it a day earlier or the day you are piling and remember to keep the top soil aside because you will use it later.

After reaching a flat level based on the measurement, sprinkle water, half a 10 litre jerrican.

Coarse Materials - Add a layer of coarse materials such as maize stalks, soya bean pods and sugarcane leaves, then sprinkle water half a 10 litre jerrican. This layer should be 30cm thick.

The use of coarse materials increases circulation of air in the pile.

Dry Vegetation - Add dry plant matter such as dry grass, dry plant leaves and dry leaves of a mango tree to about 15cm thick.

These dry vegetation contain carbon which will help improve soil structure.

Water should be sprinkled on each layer during composting because it provides moisture throughout the pile.

 

Green Matter - In this layer, preferably 10 cm thick, add green materials which can include leaves of kales, cabbage,banana,spinach and potato.

Kitchen wastes,green grass and green weeds are a good source too.

If you can get a plant legume like caliandra or lucerne the better because they contain protein that enhances flow of oxygen in the compost pile.

Using a water can sprinkle water half a ten litre jerrican.

 Animal Manure - With a thickness of 8cm add animal manure on the pile be it a cow, dgoat, chicken, sheep or rabbit manure.

Animal manure contain microorganisms which are vital  during decomposition. After piling this layer, sprinkle water half a 10 litre jerrican.

Wood Ash - Sprinkle wood ash on the pile until animal manure is all covered then add water, same amount as you've done in previous layers.

The key role of wood ash is to neutralize acidity coming from the pile during decomposition since it is alkaline. This will create a conducive environment for worms thereby speeding decomposition process.

Loam Soil - In this layer, add topsoil which you had set aside after digging the pit then sprinkle water 10 litre jerrican full.

Topsoil contains insects and worms that will aid in decomposition. 

If you had previously made compost manure and did not use it, you can add some in this layer.

You can decide to build a wooden stand around the pile to support it or leave it because eventually the pile will simmer down after decomposition. See picture illustration.

Second Piling Process

 If you are composting for a second time, follow through on the material layout as shown above under dry vegetation section.

Build your pile to about 1m high, add layers in turn, beginning with coarse dry materials and sprinkle water on each layer you pile.

Using Thermometer

Take a long, sharp pointed stick, drive it in, so that it passes through the pile towards the bottom and let a part of it stick out. See illustration below.

                                                                 

This stick will act as your thermometer. It will help you determine whether decomposition is taking place or not.

Decomposition

After 7 days, decomposition will have began in the pile. How will you know? You pull the stick thermometer out and feel its sharp tip. When its warm it shows decomposition is ongoing.

At times you will see a bit of " smoke" on the tip immediately you pull it out.

Next, you drive back the stick gently in the and sprinkle water over it.

Turning Your Compost

This done at 4 weeks when decomposition is at peak. How do you turn? 

Using a shovel you interchange the layers such that materials at the bottom be at the top of pile, materials at the center simmer down at the bottom and materials which were at the top settle at the center.

This will enable faster and complete decomposition.

After 3 weeks, turn the mixture randomly and remember to sprinkle water when you are done.

Ready Compost Manure

After 8 weeks, your compost manure will be ready for use on your garden or farm.

Plant materials will have been broken down to fine particles and when you touch it, it will have a soft loamy texture and a fresh earthy smell. We can now call it humus.

I cannot complete this piece without telling you the pros and cons of using compost manure.

Pros

It allows uptake of nutrients by plants which is beneficial in the long run.

You are guaranteed fresh produce in terms of quality and quantity.

It saves on costs of buying fertilizer if you can prepare it yourself.

It involves reusing materials which is good for the environment.

Cons

Its labor intensive if you want to use it on a large scale as you will require labor when preparing and applying manure on the farm.

There may be scarcity of materials to make it particularly in dry areas.

My Conclusion

Compost manure is an alternative to farmers who cannot budget for inorganic fertilizer.

For those involved in organic farming, this is the right fertilizer to use for your fresh vegetable garden.

The nutrients in most of our local farms have been sapped as a result of growing one type of crop every season. I suggest using compost manure to bring back the old fresh bounty harvest to your farm.

Now you know how to make compost manure, so are you going to try it out to see changes in your garden or farm?

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