Description
Manure is a waste product of farm animals. It carries active microflora and is a source of energy and nutrients for the soil. It contains many useful elements: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and so on.
Effect of manure on soil
- reducing exposure to herbicides;
- decrease in acidity;
- neutralization of excess salts;
- improving overall quality;
- saturation with essential microelements.
All this has a positive effect on the harvest. Many people note that after using manure, plants become stronger and healthier, and vegetables and fruits taste better.
Types of manure and droppings
The droppings of many yard animals and birds can be used as fertilizer. Let's look at the most popular types of humus.
Horse dung
This fertilizer has excellent properties:
- quickly and efficiently warms the soil;
- quickly decomposes;
- can be used in different forms (compost, liquid fertilizer, mixed and unmixed);
- it does not have the negative properties of other types - humidity, density, strong unpleasant odor.
Horse manure contains water, organic matter, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium. At the same time, the nitrogen content in it is higher than in other types of litter, which is beneficial for plants.
Cow dung
Humus of cow manure is a popular, affordable and high-quality fertilizer. It is added to plantings in an amount of 3 kg/1 m kW. This fertilizer does not burn the roots and slowly releases micronutrients to the plants, which greatly extends its useful life. It is not recommended to use fresh cow manure; it can harm the plantings. In addition, fresh droppings contain a large number of worm eggs and pathogenic microflora, so when working with them you need to be careful: use rubber gloves and a gauze bandage
Rabbit manure
The main advantages of this fertilizer are its consistency, which allows for transportation, and the absence of parasites and weed seeds. Another distinctive feature of rabbit droppings is the presence of magnesium. This manure, unlike others, can be powdered and used as a substrate for indoor plants. Fertilizer is not used in its pure form or fresh. Also, it should not be exposed to freezing temperatures or boiling water.
Goat manure
The great advantage of goat manure is that it needs to be used in small quantities. It is also convenient because when it dries, it shrinks and loses its unpleasant odor, turning into a kind of granules. Goat manure can last 2-3 years after being applied to the ground once.
The quality of this fertilizer is influenced by what its “producers” ate. It is best if coarse grasses served as food for goats: hay, legume straw, bran. The lowest quality manure is obtained if the animal grazed near large highways or factories: then the manure will contain heavy metals.
Moose manure
The composition of elk manure is practically no different from other types. Its advantages are the almost complete absence of unpleasant odor and convenient consistency. The most common use of moose droppings is for indoor plants: it makes flowers larger and brighter, and is also most convenient for indoor use.
Sheep manure
It is advisable to compost this species before use, otherwise it can damage the structure of plant roots. Sheep manure is dense and dry, so it is diluted with liquid manure before use. The fertilizer is well suited for heavy clay and loamy soils and has a beneficial effect on potatoes and beets.
Quail manure
The beneficial substances contained in quail droppings are easily absorbed by plants, which makes it especially effective. Many gardeners specifically raise quails for their droppings. This is beneficial considering that 1 kg of feed produces 1 kg of litter. Fresh manure from these birds contains urea, which negatively affects plants. Quail droppings last for 3 years after a single application.
Pigeon manure
Pigeon droppings are considered even more effective than horse droppings: they contain 4 times more nitrogen and 8 times more phosphorus. When breeding pigeons for litter, you need to take into account that one bird produces about 3 kg of waste per year, so there should be a lot of individuals. This fertilizer is used either in dry form or in the form of a solution. It is not recommended to add it to indoor plants, since the abundance of nitrogen, even in humus, will damage the delicate root system of house flowers.
Goose manure
This fertilizer contains very little nitrogen (10 times less than chicken manure). It should not be mixed with soil: goose manure will be more effective if you feed it to plants. Fresh litter is diluted in a ratio of 1:10.
Chicken manure
This fertilizer is similar to mineral fertilizers in terms of the content of chemical elements in it. Considered more effective than cattle manure. Chicken manure is less susceptible to leaching from the soil, and the beneficial substances from the composition are transferred to plants gradually and evenly, which guarantees high-quality fertilizing over a long period (3-4 years). Contains no weed seeds or pest eggs. Chicken droppings are sold in granular form, which attracts gardeners who do not want to raise birds.
Duck manure
Duck droppings, especially those of the Indian Runner breed, are one of the mildest organic fertilizers. When using, it is advisable to compost it with plant debris or sawdust. Fertilizer is excellent for greenhouses, especially for planting cucumbers in them. It is useful to mix duck droppings with high-moor peat.
Vegetable humus
Compost from plants is the easiest organic fertilizer to prepare. Any farmer or summer resident can prepare it. The following raw materials are used for preparation: leaves, tops, plant stems. For nitrogen enrichment, it is recommended to use legume stems and grass clippings. To ensure a sufficient amount of phosphorus, it is worth planting mustard, rapeseed and similar industrial crops. There will be enough calcium when laying the melon.
The main thing is to correctly create the conditions for preparing compost, otherwise, instead of the expected benefits, the summer resident will receive a breeding ground for weeds, pests and diseases. There are a number of rules for the correct formation of humus:
- All plants affected by diseases or pests are not suitable for cooking. If there are growths, manifestations of late blight and other characteristic symptoms, it is worth burning the raw materials. The ash will no longer have any shortcomings and will fertilize the garden.
- Grass seeds should be excluded from the bookmark. It is important to prevent the entry of aggressive varieties of grass - wheatgrass, thistle and others. Otherwise, the land will be infested with weeds for a long time.
- Be sure to lay down grass with manure. It is recommended to put lawn grass in a pile, which is supplemented with chicken or other droppings.
- The use of harmful substances of synthetic origin has negative consequences. The use of paper or cardboard is allowed (provided there are no impurities or dyes). You can also add wood shavings, but the compost will require a longer maturation period.
Compost from plants is the easiest organic fertilizer to prepare.
Types of horse manure
Manure exists in liquid and dry form. Depending on the degree of decomposition, it is divided into 4 groups, each of which has its own qualities.
Fresh humus
Manure obtained initially cannot be used as fertilizer. Firstly, it has a high nitrogen content, which can simply burn plant roots. It’s not for nothing that horse manure is called “hot fertilizer.” Secondly, it contains weed seeds, fungal spores, worm eggs and other undesirable elements.
Half-rotted dung
As a fertilizer, this type of horse manure is usually used to prepare a semi-liquid feed or as a soil additive during digging. In this form, manure contains less nitrogen and harmful components, so it almost does not harm the plantings. However, using it as a complete fertilizer is still not recommended.
Well-rotted humus
At this stage of formation, manure can already be used as fertilizer. Humus is already losing its original appearance and becomes half its weight. It is applied to the soil in a ratio of 1 part manure to 2 parts soil.
Horse humus
Well-rotted horse manure is considered the best organic fertilizer. It is suitable for all types of plants, and the composition accumulates a lot of useful substances. Humus has a beneficial effect on plants and provides them with all the necessary nutrients.
Contraindications for use
Fresh manure contains a lot of weed seeds. It contains a large number of microbes and pests. If it is used incorrectly, all this is transferred to the planted plants and trees. Often, due to the addition of fresh manure, mole crickets appear in the garden. If a fungal coating forms on the manure, it should not be used in greenhouses, since it will no longer be able to warm up. If the soil in the greenhouse is dense, this fertilizer will have difficulty warming up, and the resulting methane and hydrogen sulfide will negatively affect the roots of the plants. When putting horse manure into holes with potatoes, you need to be careful, because there is a possibility of scab infection.
How to make fertilizer from bird droppings
In addition to the general methods for preparing manure fertilizer listed below, there are others designed specifically for poultry manure. The main one is the usual dilution of dry manure in water in a ratio of 1:20. The resulting liquid must be fed to the plants. This method is effective because bird droppings contain a lot of nitrogen, which, in high concentrations, harms plants.
Preparing fertilizer from manure
To convert manure into a complete fertilizer, one of the following methods is used.
- Composting. In order to turn an ordinary pile into a compost pit, you need to lay last year's substrate in the base. Then there are layers of organic waste sprinkled with manure. Such a structure should be 1-1.5 meters in height. It is watered and left to rot for about a year.
- Vermicomposting. The manure is acidified with slaked lime or ash, and then worms are introduced into it. It is advisable to use red Californian ones. During their life, worms process manure, making it an even more useful fertilizer.
- Accelerated fermentation using humates. In early spring (2-3 months before use), the manure is watered with a solution of humates in the proportion of 10 g of humates per 10 kg of manure, and then mixed thoroughly. The resulting fertilizer becomes more saturated (it is required 3 times less than pure manure), and also cheaper.
- Infusion. The simplest method of processing, which allows you to clean manure from worm eggs, insects and weeds. You need to fill the droppings with water in a 1:1 ratio and leave for a week. The resulting mixture is again diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 and used as water for irrigation.
Hazardous waste license
In 2011, a licensing law was adopted, which stated that in order to handle hazardous waste (classes I-IV), it is necessary to obtain a special license.
Large agricultural enterprises did not immediately, after a few years, begin to receive fines for lack of a license. Outrage followed, since the licensing process is associated with time (from three months to a year) and monetary costs.
Now, for example, companies that help obtain a waste license quote amounts starting from 300 thousand rubles for their turnkey services.
In addition, applicants for licensing are required to carry out an environmental assessment of the design documentation for a manure storage facility, enter it into the state register of waste disposal facilities and pay for the negative impact as a hazardous enterprise.
Farmers were outraged that many of them do not use cattle manure as waste. This is fertilizer. The manure is rotted in special storage facilities and transported to the fields. A completely logical question was asked: is the farm really its own enemy and will use unrotted organic matter for fertilizing in quantities dangerous to the harvest?
What and when to feed
Recycled manure is suitable for all crops - from vegetables and grains to fruit trees and indoor flowers. The fertilizer is especially effective for potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, pears, raspberries, daffodils and geraniums.
The best method is to apply manure to the ground in the fall, after harvesting. Before the next planting, the manure will have time to begin to combine with the soil and give it its elements, so that in the spring the earth will be completely ready for new plants.
How to add manure when planting so as not to harm the plants?
In the spring, when planting potatoes , any manure (cow, horse, pork) that has been rotted for 8-9 months is used. It is placed at the bottom of the holes in an amount of 200-250 g and sprinkled with a layer of earth 2-3 cm thick. For more harmonious development of tubers and increased productivity, mineral fertilizer is also used, for example, Kemira potato - 15-20 g (incomplete 1 tbsp. .) to the hole.
Cabbage seedlings are planted in deep holes, where 500 g of animal humus, 1 tsp. nitrophoska or superphosphate and 2 tsp. wood ash.
When planting zucchini , 5 kg of humus, 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium chloride and 5 g of urea are added to the planting hole.
For pumpkin, 1-2 kg of humus per plant, 10 g of potassium sulfate and 20 g of superphosphate will be enough.
When planting tomato , add 1-2 handfuls of humus or compost to the planting hole, add mineral fertilizers (10-12 g of double superphosphate and 5-6 g of potassium sulfate or 1 glass of wood ash).
When planting cucumbers, organic fertilizers are applied in May. For 1 sq.m of land add 10-15 kg of humus, 30 g of superphosphate, 20 g of urea and potassium sulfate. If the bed is prepared in the fall, 6-8 kg of organic matter is placed per 1 sq.m for digging.
Carrots and beets will best “receive” natural fertilizing in spring or autumn at the rate of 4 kg/sq.m of soil.
Onions and garlic do not like fresh fertilizer. For them, top dressing must rot, so it is prepared in the fall - at the rate of 4-5 kg/sq.m of soil.
Fruit trees are fed with rotted manure every 2-3 years, in the autumn. Up to 30 kg of fertilizer is applied to each tree trunk circle.
Berry bushes need feeding annually - a layer of humus 5 cm thick is laid out under gooseberries , raspberries , and currants . For liquid feeding, mullein, diluted bird droppings, and slurry are used. The solution is watered into the furrows around the bushes.
Read more about feeding other crops in the article What can be fed with manure.
Manure storage
Manure is usually stored using one of 3 methods - anaerobic, aerobic or combined. In the first case, the substance hardly heats up, in the second, it quickly loses nitrogen and other useful elements. The combined method is considered the best.
- In the warm season, you need to put the manure in a pile in a loose state and leave it there for 3-5 days to achieve heating of the fertilizer to about 70 degrees.
- When the mass heats up and begins to cool, it must be compacted well and covered with film. For compaction, watering the mass with water or slop is often used.
- Now manure can be stored for a long time. It will retain all its properties.
