Potato peels are not of particular value in cooking, but they are one of the best organic fertilizers for summer cottages. Potato peelings are used to protect currants from pests, provide the bush with nutrients, increase productivity and improve the taste of the berries. The main condition is the correct preparation of fertilizing.
Properties of potato peelings
Potato peels contain a lot of useful substances that are required for the full development of the crop.This is an organic growth stimulant that promotes intensive growth of green mass. Fruits from bushes that were fertilized with potato peels are juicier and sweeter, since the fertilizing contains a large amount of glucose and starch.
Properties of potato peels:
- saturates the soil with nutrients and increases fertility (the components are easily digested by bacteria);
- increases soil looseness, providing an increased flow of oxygen and nutrients;
- accelerates the growth of currant bushes;
- protects plants from the negative effects of pests.
The fertilizer is affordable and effective, its main advantage is safety for people, animals and the environment. Unlike chemicals, it is impossible to oversaturate or “burn” the plants with such fertilizing.
How to prepare potato skins
The benefits of fertilizer depend on the preparation of raw materials for storage. Peels are prepared in two ways - dried and frozen. Everyone chooses the most convenient option for themselves.
Drying
In order to fertilize currants with high-quality fertilizer in the spring, you need to properly dry the raw materials. The procedure is as follows:
- Potato peelings are thoroughly washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- The raw materials are squeezed out and left in the air for a while to allow the moisture to evaporate.
- Next, prepare the fabric or paper and proceed to the main stage.
- You can dry potato peels both outside and in a ventilated area, spreading them out in a thin layer. You can use a microwave or oven. Drying on a radiator is allowed, but it must be in a room with a regular supply of fresh air.
- Usually 10 days is enough. It may take longer depending on the thickness of the potato peelings and environmental conditions.
If potato peels are dried indoors, it is important to ventilate them regularly; when drying outdoors, avoid exposure to direct sunlight.
The peel is dried in the oven for 3-4 hours at temperatures up to 100 °C. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and distribute the raw materials evenly in one layer. The door is left ajar.
In the microwave, drying proceeds even faster, especially at high power. To speed up the process, the peel is crushed with a knife. Peels are dry when they are translucent and brittle.
The finished fertilizer is packaged in fabric bags and stored in the pantry. If the raw materials were dried naturally, choose a cold place for storage. For example, a balcony, an unheated garage or barn.
Freezing
This method is used less frequently, since the capacity of freezers is limited, and it is necessary to leave enough space for storing food. However, you can prepare fertilizer in winter and store it on the balcony at a temperature not exceeding -1 °C. Before freezing, the peelings are washed and dried. You can grind them in a meat grinder. Re-freezing is prohibited.
It is more convenient to use dried fertilizer, but there are more useful substances in the frozen peel.
Frozen fertilizer from an open container must be used in full. Dried cleanings last longer and are used as needed.
How to apply fertilizer？
It is important to understand not only how to carry out the preparation work, but also how to feed the currants with potato peelings. You can use one of three options - infusion, gruel, flour.
Infusion
Frozen fertilizer is thawed at room temperature. Raw materials (2 kg) are combined with hot water (10 l), mixed thoroughly and left to infuse for 24 hours.Each black or red currant bush is poured with a liter of strained product.
Dried fertilizer can be prepared in a similar way. Less raw materials are used - 1 kg. Watering begins at the end of March. It is recommended to water currants with infusion for 10 days in a row. You can re-feed the bushes during the formation of the ovary, during ripening and 7 days before harvesting the fruits. In this case, the duration of watering is reduced to 3 days.
Gruel
The product is prepared on the basis of dried raw materials. The peel is placed in a previously prepared container and filled with hot water, stirring periodically. This approach allows you to get rid of germs, pests and fungi.
After 7 days, when the peelings have absorbed moisture, they can easily be turned into mush. The product is ready for use. The fertilizer is filtered and used for watering every 14 days. You can bury the pulp next to the bush.
Flour
The dry peel is ground using a coffee grinder, blender or meat grinder. The fertilizer is universal; it is stored in bags made of fabric, but not for long. During long-term storage, pathogenic microorganisms and pests may appear in flour, and the process of rotting may also begin.
The result of fertilizing
Potato peels as a fertilizer for currants are the most effective composition for feeding and protecting the crop from possible harm. This is a universal remedy that can almost completely replace chemical fertilizers, since it contains a lot of useful substances for the full development and growth of bushes.
Potato peelings can be used in autumn, spring, and summer. As a result, fertility increases and the structure of the soil changes; the fruits are large, juicy and sweet.Before planting the crop, it is also recommended to fertilize the soil.
Organic fertilizers decompose faster because they are processed by bacteria present in the soil. Macro-, microelements and other components of potato peel penetrate into the root system in the shortest possible time. If, when using other organic fertilizers, both the plant itself and the weeds grow intensively, then when applying potato peelings as a fertilizer, such a “side effect” is not observed.
Restrictions on use
The peel is not used fresh, as it rots and attracts the attention of rodents. It is all the more impossible to bury raw cleaning; the decomposition process is long and is accompanied by an increased risk of developing diseases.
Tips from experienced gardeners
If you don’t have time to implement the long process of preparing potato peelings, in the fall you can take the advice of experienced gardeners and perform the following steps one by one:
- remove fallen leaves and other parts of the crop;
- dig up the ground around the currant bushes;
- prepare a shallow groove around the trunk circle and fill it with dried potato peelings (recommended layer thickness - 5 cm);
- Sprinkle soil on top of the fertilizer, then lay out dry grass in a thick layer.
Many gardeners use starch as an effective fertilizer for currants. This product is used for powerful growth of branches followed by the ripening of large and tasty fruits. For 3 liters of cold water, 200-300 g of potato starch is required. Keep the resulting mass over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Kissel is combined with 10 liters of water.
The bushes are irrigated with this liquid after watering with ordinary water.One plant requires approximately 2-3 liters of fertilizer. The first time feeding is used before the beginning of the flowering period, and again when the berries begin to gain weight.
Often this feeding option is alternated with the use of ash. The main component is combined with water in a 1:1 ratio. Fertilizing is insisted on for 2 days. To reduce the dosage of ash, the resulting product is diluted in a ratio of 1:10. For each bush, use 1-2 buckets of fertilizer, this is the optimal volume.
Currant bushes react positively to the supply of starch and glucose, which potato peels are rich in. This fertilizer can be used at any time. Just a little effort, and the crop is provided with a lot of useful substances and is reliably protected from many pests. The manipulations done are rewarded with a good harvest.
