Use fallen fruit: cheap fertilizer for the garden
Created: 09/14/2022, 16:00
By: Ines Alms
Much too good to throw away: Did you know that fallen fruit in the garden can be used very well as fertilizer?
Just don't overdo it.
Whether wormy or not - the further the season progresses, the more fallen fruit collects under the trees.
For this reason alone it should not be left there, otherwise pests and plant diseases can spread.
But you can give it back to the garden in the form of fertilizer.
Use fallen fruit: cheap fertilizer for the garden
Only a small part of the fallen fruit should be left for beneficial insects, the rest can be used as fertilizer.
© Michael Kneffel/Imago
For example, the plum moth crawls up the tree from fallen plums from the ground to start the next generation.
But you should also pick up the fallen fruit from apple or pear trees quickly.
Fruit that is still in perfect condition can be processed into juice, such as apple juice, for example.
With the remaining fruit pulp, the pomace, you have gained a good fertilizer that you can put back into the garden.
As reported by
NDR television
, the press residues contain numerous trace elements.
This marc is worked back into the soil in moderation.
Whole leftover fallen fruit still provides a lot of nutrients if you bury it at least 50 centimeters deep in the ground and there is earth over it.
In both cases you should not overdo it, otherwise the fruit can rot under the ground.
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Beneficial insects can also benefit from fallen fruit
Another way to use the fallen fruit is to make compost.
According to the
North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture
, you should make sure that the pile is well ventilated.
This is achieved by only spreading the fruit in thin layers on the compost and separating each one like a lasagna with a layer of coarse brushwood, lawn clippings, leaves or wood shavings.
A compost accelerator, such as Effective Microorganisms, also prevents acidification of the compost.
However, fallen fruit infested with fungi or pests does not belong in the compost, but in the organic waste bin.
With a little distance to the trees, you can also put one or the other fallen fruit in the garden for beneficial creatures such as hedgehogs, birds and insects.