What is the best manure for the garden: features of proper fertilizer

Which manure is the most nutritious

In terms of nutritional properties, horse and cow manure are leading, but at the same time, horse manure decomposes faster, affecting the land in the year of application; cow dung will take at least 3 years to prove itself. Other types of fertilizers do not quickly manifest themselves – excrement of sheep, goats, rabbits. The root of the problem is dependence on the level of moisture used for decomposition.

Remember that chickens are counted in the fall, and the nutritional value of manure is fresh. The freshest manure contains a minimum of nutrients, and is also dangerous for your plantings. In order for the fertilizer to show itself in all its glory, it must be allowed to settle. The type of soil also affects the final nutritional value, if your site has black soil, then cow dung can also be used, since the soil itself is quite fertile.

1. Horse. Due to the low prevalence of horses, horse manure is the most difficult to extract, but it’s worth it. 1 kg of fresh material contains: about 7 g of nitrogen, 2,5 g of phosphorus, more than 7 g of potassium. Due to its loose structure, it decomposes faster, while releasing heat, up to 70 ° C. Horse manure is suitable for all types of soils, black soil especially wins, suitable for laying greenhouses in the soil. It also contains potassium and phosphorus, which are quickly absorbed by plants.
2. Bovine. With cow dung, everything is much easier, since cowsheds are common everywhere. Care must be taken in applying, as an excess of nitrates will negatively affect your plantings. The substrate of 1 kg of cow dung contains: 3,5 g of nitrogen, 3 g of calcium, 3 g of phosphorus, 1,4 g of potassium. The amount of nutrients varies slightly depending on the age, sex and feed of the cow. The heat transfer of the material is small (in comparison with horse) – 28-46 ° C, if the soil is black earth. The obvious benefit of using cow feces is the impossibility of oversaturating the soil and plants with NPK elements, which means that the black soil will not be poisoned by nitrates.
3. Pork. Infrequently used pig manure, which consists of solid or liquid faeces with remnants of feed, bristles and straw, and also contains the highest amount of nitrogen. For 1 kg of material there are: 8,13 g of nitrogen, 7,7 g of calcium, 7,9 g of phosphorus, 4,5 g of potassium. Pig faeces – thin suspension with a small amount of solids; they are less prone to splitting. Even after treatment, it contains a large amount of weed seeds. Usually pig manure is used together with horse manure to improve humus.

Rabbit. Rabbit feces are much drier than other animal waste and do not contain weed seeds. Compared with other fertilizers, it contains fewer harmful microorganisms, which allows it to be used without prior preparation and processing. Rabbit droppings are often made into a powder that can be used to fertilize flowers at home. For 1 kg of material there are: 2,2 g of nitrogen, 1,9 g of phosphorus, 1,5 g of potassium, 0,6 g of calcium.

1. Lamb (sheep). Sheep and sheep droppings are the least in demand as fertilizers, despite the high nitrogen content, it is most often used as biofuel. For 1 kg of feces there are: 1,8-4,2 g of nitrogen, 2,5 g of potassium, 0,6 g of phosphorus. The unpopularity of this type of feces is due to the complexity of processing and use. They do not mix well with straw bedding, decompose quickly, and give an odor that is too unpleasant, which can be removed with peat. Peat is one of the elements of cleaning rooms after sheep compost. In addition, the decomposition period is too long, which makes it not the most profitable investment.

Let’s go backwards in search of the most nutritious manure. Small livestock (rams, sheep, pigs) produce fertilizer with a minimum amount of organic elements. Often such material is used as biofuel, less often for application to clayey, loamy soils. Cow – the most common, but also not very nutritious, besides light. It remains only to fertilize the soil with horse manure, because it is the most stable in terms of useful elements.

Video “All about organic fertilizer”

Informative video about the benefits of organic fertilizer and the rules for its use.

Types of manure (by degree of maturity)

The quality and types of compost are determined not only by origin, but also by the degree of maturity. It is important to know when it is better to use humus, what to mix the black soil with, what soil to fertilize and at what stage. This will help improve the overall health of the garden.

1. Fresh manure – is used extremely rarely, due to the high content of harmful organisms, nitrogen, weed seeds. Requires careful processing before use in order to show its positive qualities.
2. Semi-rotted fertilizer – applied to the ground in the fall, at the rate of 5 kg per 1 sq. m. At this stage of processing, they feed cabbage, pumpkin, spinach, cucumbers, zucchini. It also requires caution in use – be sure to dilute the manure, water around the plant, but not at the very root.
3. Mature manure, much lighter in weight than fresh raw material, is usually applied to the soil as a mixture. If you decide to dig up the site, then you will need 10 kg of rotted mass per 1 sq. m garden, peat for the base.
4. Humus is the last stage in the transformation of manure. In terms of its qualities and composition, it is the most useful for your plantings. It is used for mixtures (peat and black soil are often used) to improve the soil. Humus is a welcome guest in the holes of onions, radishes, potatoes, tomatoes, greens. For application, you should dig up the garden in the fall, mix the humus with the ground in a ratio of 1: 4.

How to fertilize

Properly fertilizing the land before planting is an indispensable skill that will increase the yield, plant health, and land quality. Since different types of manure have their own characteristics and characteristics, it is important to know when and what material is best applied to the soil.

For cow manure, the norm will be 7-10 kg per 1 sq. m, but it must be applied once every 3 years, if the soil is black earth; 2 years if the soil is sandy. Keep in mind that light soil accelerates decomposition, so you will need less soil for a greenhouse than for open areas. Horse manure will require only 5 kg per 1 sq. m of territory. Usually it is laid on peat, and black soil is poured on top. The height of the layer should be at least 20 cm. Humus will warm up your plants, and peat, as bedding, will retain moisture.

Pig manure is used only as humus due to the high content of parasites in the raw and semi-decomposed material. To improve the quality, peat with dolomite flour is mixed with it. When the soil is acidic, it is mixed with lime to increase the content of salts and calcium, which are poor in pig manure.

Rabbit excrement is used to feed trees and bushes, at the rate of 1,5-2 kg per 12 liters of water. To feed domestic plants, use a powder with a proportion: 3 tablespoons of soil per 1 tablespoon of manure. Peat is always used as a compost bed to provide a natural moisture trap. Sheep and rabbit feces are suitable for cold soil, because of its density and dryness, it decomposes more slowly. When choosing what kind of manure to use on your site, consider the above nuances and then your crop will be rich, tasty, healthy.

Video “About the use of cow feces”

Demonstrative video with useful recommendations on the use of cow feces as a top dressing for the soil.