The best fertilizer for currants: potato peelings
It is rare to find a family that does not use a crop such as potatoes in their diet. It has long become our “second bread”; a lot of interesting dishes have been invented from potatoes. The vegetable is not only tasty, but also very healthy. But few people know that potato peelings also have some value - they serve as an excellent organic fertilizer. Experienced gardeners have long adopted this method of feeding plants on the site. We will tell you how to use potato peelings in the fall to feed currants.
Properties and composition of potato peelings
Potato skins contain no less useful substances than the vegetable itself. There are more than 20 of them, among which are:
- fluoride – 30 mcg;
- iodine – 5 mcg;
- zinc – 0.36;
- iron – 0.9 mg;
- magnesium – 23 mg;
- calcium – 10 mg;
- potassium – 568 mg, etc.
All these elements are essential for plant growth and fruit formation. Feeding currants with potatoes is a win-win budget option.
Special benefits for currants
Fertilizer from potato peelings Great for any fruit and berry bushes, including currants. When the peel decomposes, the soil becomes looser, saturated with vitamins and microelements, which, by absorption through the root system, stimulate the active growth of the plant. Potato peelings protect the roots of the plant from many pests living in the soil.
Glucose of natural origin - starch - is useful for currants in potato peels. It is this that contributes to the formation of larger, juicier berries and makes them sweeter.
How to prepare fertilizer
Prepare fertilizer from potato peelings at home you can do it in 2 ways: by drying and freezing.
Drying
The most labor-intensive, but at the same time the most successful method of preparing fertilizing. First, the cleaning is washed from dirt and excess moisture is removed by squeezing with hands or paper towels. Then dry naturally or in the oven.
When drying naturally, the peel is laid out on a sieve and placed on a radiator in a well-ventilated area. The procedure may take 2-3 weeks.
Important! The peelings are evenly distributed over the sieve, without heaping, so that the air circulates freely. If this is not taken into account, the peel will begin to rot.
When drying in the oven, distribute the peelings evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. The temperature should not exceed +120°C; during the drying process it is reduced to +90°C. It is best to keep the oven slightly open to allow excess moisture to escape.
Store dried potato peelings in a dry place in a cloth bag.
Freezing
The fastest way to prepare fertilizer. For this you will need a freezer. Owners of private houses in winter keep them cleaned at sub-zero temperatures in any unheated building.
Important! Cleanings cannot be re-frozen. If they were stored outside and began to thaw with the arrival of spring, they should be immediately used to prepare fertilizer.
Methods of application
There are many ways to prepare fertilizer from potato peelings. Below we will look at the most popular ones.
Infusion
Fertilizer infusion is made from both frozen and dried peels. Frozen is pre-defrosted. To prepare the infusion, 2 kg of peelings are poured into 10 liters of boiled water. The mixture is left for several days in a warm place.
When preparing an infusion from dry peelings, take 1 kg per 10 liters of water. The resulting infusion is used to fertilize the currants, pouring no more than 1 liter under each bush.
Important! Before fertilizing the plant, remove the peel from the infusion.
Gruel
Top dressing in the form of a gruel is made from dried peels, which are poured with boiling water and left in this form for up to 7 days. In water, the cleaning will begin to swell and after the expiration date will turn into mush. It is used as fertilizer: passed through a sieve and buried in the ground under a bush.
Flour
To make flour, dried peelings are ground in a blender and placed in tightly sealed containers. The resulting fertilizer is not stored for long. It should be used when feeding in the spring.
Flour can be used as a top dressing in its unchanged form, sprinkling it on the ground around the bush, or for preparing an infusion according to the same recipe as with dry peelings.
Important! Currants are fed during the growing season, fruit formation and a week before harvest.
What should be the result of fertilizers?
When fertilizing the soil with potato peelings, it is very difficult to oversaturate it. This is a natural, environmentally friendly product, harmless to the environment and plants directly.
If currants grow on heavy clay, peaty soils, potato peel fertilizer will make the soil looser and more fertile, saturating it with useful microelements. All this helps to increase productivity and produce tasty berries.
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In what cases is it better not to use potato peel fertilizer?
You should not fertilize currants with potato peelings in early spring, when there are still night frosts. Such fertilizing can warm up the soil and stimulate root formation and plant growth, and a drop in temperature at night will lead to the death of the crop.
This fertilizer is not suitable for all plants. For example, you should not fertilize tomatoes, peppers and eggplants with it, since they have common diseases with potatoes.
Advice from experienced gardeners
Experienced gardeners recommend several more techniques using potato peelings:
- Before planting the crop, add some potato peels to the hole. This will stimulate the growth and development of young currants.
- After the plant bears fruit and the fall begins to prepare for hibernation, remove dry leaves, branches and make a small depression around the bush. Place potato peels in it, sprinkle earth on top and cover with dry grass. The peelings will warm the currants, this will help them overwinter easier.
Conclusion
Potato peelings are the best fertilizer for currants. They are rich in vitamins and microelements necessary for feeding fruit and berry crops. This type of fertilizer is not only environmentally friendly, but also very cheap, accessible to any gardener who wants to get a rich harvest.