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Organic fertilizers are considered the best option for feeding potatoes. The most accessible and effective will be manure, which is formed in any farm. It contains almost all the useful trace elements necessary for the normal development of the culture. If you systematically apply manure under potatoes, it will not only allow you to get a better crop of tubers, but also make the soil looser, contributing to the accumulation of the upper fertile layer.
It is better to apply fertilizer manually
Is it possible to fertilize potatoes with manure
Many gardeners doubt whether it is better to use organic top dressing or purchase ready-made fertilizers. Manure has a number of advantages over chemical compounds. The main one is the naturalness and safety of the resulting crop for the body. Excrement is recommended as a top dressing for potatoes, since after it is introduced into the soil, carbon dioxide is released, which is necessary for plant photosynthesis.
Depending on the season, one of the organic options is used:
- fresh can only be used in the fall, if you bring it in when planting, it will burn the planting material;
- rotted material, suitable for top dressing in the spring when planting tubers.
What kind of manure is best for potatoes
There are many types of manure that are suitable for use as fertilizer. They differ in composition and are therefore recommended for certain crops. Potatoes are no exception. To get large tubers, you need to take care of the intake of all nutrients from the soil.
Organic top dressings are recommended to be combined with straw or plant residues.
Horse manure for potatoes
In rural areas, horse manure is often used as a fertilizer for potatoes. It is considered the most valuable among similar mixtures, since 1 kg contains:
- 6-7 g of nitrogen;
- 2-3 g of phosphorus;
- 7 g potassium.
In structure, it is loose and porous. Horse manure for potatoes is used together with peat, straw or last year’s foliage.
Horse fertilizer decomposes quickly and generates a lot of heat
Pig manure
This variant of organics is considered to be more meager in composition. It is usually used on sandy and sandy soils. Despite the widespread use of pig farms, this fertilizer is used infrequently.
Pig manure is worse in composition than other types, it decomposes slowly, and it is usually used to fertilize sandy and sandy loamy soils.
Cow dung
The mullein is suitable for all types of soil. However, it should be borne in mind that it decomposes more slowly than horse. Fresh manure is high in nutrients needed for crop development. It significantly increases the fertility of the topsoil. However, the liquid substance contains pathogenic microflora. You can get rid of harmful parasites only by composting or insisting.
Cow dung is inferior to horse dung, as it decomposes more slowly and emits less heat.
Finding a mullein is much easier, since in any rural area there are many farms where bulls or cows are raised
Chicken manure for potatoes
Chicken manure is often used when planting potatoes, as it is quite simple to find and prepare. Chicken manure compost is applied for plowing in spring and autumn. The quality of such fertilizer depends on the correctness of its preparation. When laying in a pit, each layer of chicken manure as a fertilizer for potatoes must be poured with plant debris and earth. If the resulting mass is too dry, it is diluted with water. The process of making fertilizer takes several months.
To speed up the ripening process of top dressing, the pile can be covered with a film
Rabbit dung for potatoes
Rabbit manure is used in liquid form for top dressing, and dry manure can be applied directly to the holes before planting potatoes. To prepare liquid fertilizer, dilute manure with water in a ratio of 1:10. If you need to feed the plants during irrigation, it is enough to dilute such a liquid with water 1 to 5. Rabbit manure can replace potash fertilizers and superphosphate.
Rabbit fertilizer softens the soil and warms it up
Benefits of manure as a fertilizer
Through many years of observation, gardeners have learned about the benefits of manure for soil and plants.
The benefits of fertilizer include:
- increasing soil fertility;
- improvement of soil structure;
- enrichment of the earth with air and moisture;
- increased growth of beneficial microflora inside the fertile layer;
- possibility of use as a mulching material.
Due to the introduction of organic matter, the process of decomposition of harmful chemical compounds is accelerated, and the excess salt content in the soil is neutralized. At the same time, the saturation of the soil occurs evenly and dosed, and this is important for the full recovery of the upper layer – humus.
Applying manure to the hole at planting saves fertilizer and feeds the tubers directly
Manure is the most natural fertilizer, so it will not harm the land. And the harvest is environmentally friendly and safe.
When they put manure under potatoes
The technology of applying organic fertilizer largely depends on its consistency and soil type. Completely rotted fertilizer is applied in the spring after the snow melts and a mild temperature regime is established. The use of fresh and semi-rotted manure is possible only in the autumn.
The mode of manure application depends not only on the quality of organic matter, but also on the type of soil in the cultivated area. Loamy soils are recommended to be fertilized in autumn, and light sandy soils – with the advent of spring.
Rules for applying manure for potatoes
To get the maximum benefit, you need to properly apply manure when planting potatoes. Manure is laid over the entire area of the plot allotted for planting potatoes. On the same day, you need to dig up all the soil with a shovel or a hand plow. This is necessary to preserve the nutritional value of the fertilizer. Otherwise, it quickly dries up and becomes less useful.
It is recommended to start top dressing after the bushes have reached a height of 8-10 cm. An excellent result is the combination of organic matter with minimal doses of superphosphate. It is necessary to make the resulting mixture at the first hilling.
Application rate of manure for potatoes
Everything is good in moderation. Improper application of even organic fertilizers will lead to a decrease in yield and worsen the quality of tubers. This is due to the likelihood of developing fungal diseases. To prevent negative consequences, proportions should be strictly observed.
To feed potatoes, it is enough to apply 300-500 kg of fertilizer for each hundred square meters of land. However, if the crop is grown in soddy-podzolic loamy soils, then 1 to 30 tons of fertilizer will be needed per 40 ha of soil, and up to 50 tons in sandy loamy soils.
If it is decided to add manure when planting potatoes in each hole, then only 150-200 g will need to be spent on the bush. Adding a tablespoon of wood ash will help improve the mixture. The main difficulty of the method is the laboriousness and risk of developing scab.
How to replace manure in a potato garden
Various substances are used to make compost:
- food waste;
- weeds;
- cut grass;
- tops of fruit plants.
The main thing is not to use poorly decomposing substances and plants from a site infected with late blight, nematode or scab.
Potato harvest depends not only on planting technology and weather conditions, but also on soil quality.
If there is no animal fertilizer, but you need to fertilize potatoes, you can use other organic substances:
- Ash is an organic potash fertilizer containing more than 30 trace elements. Its introduction into the soil can increase the yield of potatoes by 15%.
- Peat is decomposed plant and animal remains without oxygen. This organic top dressing is rich in nutrients needed to improve the yield.
- Green manure plants that are sown before the spring planting of potatoes. The best options for this crop are oats and winter rye. Substances released from their plant roots disinfect the soil and inhibit pathogenic microorganisms. You can also use white mustard and radish. These plants are effective, but at the same time safe for nutrient soil.
Green manure planted in autumn is cut off before the onset of frost. At the same time, the green mass is left to rot under the snow. This will be additional top dressing for the soil.
Conclusion
Applying manure for potatoes is an effective method of enriching the soil and increasing potato yields. The technology of its introduction into the soil depends on the type of fertilizer. Depending on its consistency, not only the norms change, but also the feeding season. By fertilizing the soil in the fall, and then taking care of fertilizing before planting in the spring, you can get a rich potato harvest. At the same time, the quality of tubers will be much higher than when growing a crop without the use of organic fertilizers.
