Horse, cow dung and bird droppings as fertilizer: how to apply

Manure fertilizer is often used during the cultivation of various crops in the garden. It allows you to improve the he althy development of the plant, improves immunity and enriches the soil with essential trace elements. Among the effective and useful types of manure is horse manure.

What good is this plant food?

Many gardeners prefer horse manure. It is better than cow, rabbit, goat dung.

This is explained by the following positive qualities:

It contains many nutrients, especially nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium. This whole complex of nutrients favorably affects the development and yield of crops.
This type of organic top dressing is lighter, looser, dryer, decomposes quickly.
Increases resistance to various infections, as well as other adverse factors.
Horse feces heat up faster and cool down slowly (capable of retaining heat in the soil for up to 2 months).
Does not contribute to the development of pathogenic microflora.

After the introduction of the organic component, the soil is saturated with carbon dioxide, the soil is loosened, and the missing trace elements are replenished. At the same time, it does not change the acidity of the soil, does not interfere with the passage of air and maintains the water balance at the proper level.

Must is a substrate that decomposes within 3-4 years. Represents the most useful and effective form of fertilizer. It contains the highest concentration of nutrients that are easily absorbed by the soil. Horse humus contains fewer parasites and pests, the composition lingers longer in the soil. It looks like a homogeneous, crumbly brown mass. Another advantage is the lack of smell.

How to use?

At home, horse manure can be used to make compost, as well as top dressing in the form of a liquid solution.

Horse manure recipes to help you properly prepare your liquid form of fertilizer:

The composition will require fresh nettles, which are finely chopped and poured with water for three days. Horse feces are added to the resulting fermented mixture in a ratio of 1:10. All components are mixed and left to infuse for another two days.The resulting solution is used for root and foliar treatment of plants.
To prepare the next fertilizer, you will need slurry, which is diluted with water 1:6.

Often make an infusion of chicken manure. For 5 liters of water, you will need to take one bucket of horse manure. Infuse for two weeks. To increase efficiency, wood ash, tree leaves or hay can be added to the solution. Before watering, it is recommended to dilute the finished concentrate again with water 1:10.

The following recipe is especially suitable for berries. You will need to take half a bucket of manure and chicken manure. The components are poured with a bucket of water and left to infuse for two weeks. Before planting the plant, the soil is dug up, thoroughly watered and fertilized. The finished concentrate is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20.

It is recommended to pour 1 liter of solution under each berry bush. From above, the soil is covered with straw so that the nitrogen does not evaporate and is absorbed as much as possible.

Fresh

To feed the land, horse manure should be used fresh, since in this state it gives off more heat and nutrients. But fresh manure is dangerous for the underground parts of plants due to the risk of burns. Therefore, it is necessary to apply fertilizer in this form during the autumn preparation of the land for the next year. If you apply manure in the fall, then during the winter it will have time to decompose and, apart from benefits, will not bring anything else.

Distinguishing fresh manure from mature manure is easy in appearance. In the young composition, light-colored food products, such as straw, sawdust, are clearly distinguishable. Mature manure is dark in color and has a uniform composition.

Fresh manure when top dressing can be combined with other components. This benefit only increases. It can be combined with peat, straw, grass cuttings, fallen leaves.

Semi-rotted

Semi-decomposed manure is considered to be manure that has been stored in the right conditions for about 6 months. In manure of this type, the remains of organic matter are almost invisible, the color of the fertilizer is dark brown. They are fed vegetables, berries and flowers. It is recommended to introduce semi-rotted feces into the soil in a semi-liquid form during digging. They can mulch the top layer of the earth.

Well rotted

This type of manure is a homogeneous mass, dark in color. It is much lighter than fresh. It is useful to use for fertilizing the soil and as a basis for planting seedlings. Ideal for many vegetables, fruit trees and garden flowers.

Must

Well-rotted manure (which has been stored for at least 3 years) passes into the final stage of decomposition - humus. This state of organics is the most useful for all types of plants. The composition looks like a crumbly consistency, a brown tint with small solid particles.If the humus is stored for more than 5 years, it will lose all its valuable qualities.

It is better to apply rotted manure to the soil during autumn processing, but can be used as the basis for a substrate for seedlings. A well-rotted substrate is diluted with ordinary earth 1: 2.

Composition of fertilizer in granules

Easy and simple to treat the beds with horse manure, which is produced in granules. In this form, you can buy fertilizer in a specialized store.

Manure is turned into pellets using a special technology. The crushed, homogeneous mass of feces is heated to 70-75 degrees. After that, they are mixed with chopped straw and begin to dry. Then it is passed through the apparatus, which forms the granules, and proceed to the final drying. For 100 sq. m. usually take 15 kg of fertilizer.

As a result, processed granules contain only natural ingredients such as water, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and organic matter.

What do gardeners write in reviews of finished granular fertilizer?

You can find a lot of reviews about horse manure, how to fertilize and how to apply it. All of them are mostly positive. Many note that it does not have a sharp, unpleasant odor and is convenient to store. The disadvantage is the price, which is higher than ordinary manure.

From the reviews: “Since the fertilizer is in dry form, it is enough for a large number of times. Dry granules need to be filled with water for a day. After that, mix and can be applied to the beds. I noticed that the growth of plants improves significantly, they become large and powerful. The fruits are formed large, juicy and tasty.”

“I only take horse manure for my vegetables in the garden and flowers in the garden. Very convenient to use. In the evening I fill in the granules and in the morning the solution is ready. I noticed that I especially like the fertilizer for strawberries, cucumbers and roses.On the beds where roses grow, the granules are laid out directly under the mulch layer. The flower heads are huge and fragrant.”

“Fresh horse manure is better not to use. He must refuel for at least two years. And even after that, it is better to dilute with water and let it wander for a while. Recently, I have adapted to use fertilizer in granular form. It is very easy to prepare, apply and do not need to be afraid that the roots will be damaged. The pack contains detailed instructions on how to breed granules for a particular plant.”

How to use it correctly?

For all crops and any soil composition, the application rate is almost the same - per 1 sq. m. take no more than 6 kg of manure. There are certain rules on how and when to fertilize a planted plant. Tips to help you get the most out of your formulas without causing harm.

If horse feces are supposed to be introduced in the fall, then after harvesting the entire crop, it is laid out fresh on the site.The thickness of the layer should be approximately 48 cm. From above, you need to cover with a layer of straw and cover it with earth, with a layer of about 33 cm. The fertilizer application rate is 700 g per 100 square meters. m.

To feed the soil in spring, fresh manure can only be used for crops that have a long growing period, such as potatoes or cabbage. In other cases, a liquid formulation is used.

You can dissolve 2 kg of manure, 1 kg of sawdust in a bucket of water and leave to infuse for 2 weeks. Before applying to the beds, the resulting solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:6.

For potatoes

Vegetables and herbs, including potatoes, respond well to horse manure. A fresh composition is applied in the fall to the area where it is supposed to plant potatoes in the spring. You can use a semi-overripe composition. Since the tubers develop slowly, it can be introduced in the spring. The consumption rate is 5 kg per 1 sq.meter. You can pour fertilizer directly into the hole where the tuber will be planted.

For berries

Horse manure is ideal for feeding berries. To do this, manure is poured with water and left to infuse for a day. Then you need to dilute the finished solution with water in a ratio of 1:10.

The first feeding of berries should be carried out in the spring during the formation of ovaries on the bushes. The second time it is recommended to make the composition after harvesting, so that the bushes are filled with nutrients. Shortly before frost, horse manure is laid out in the aisles and left in this state until spring. During this time, fresh manure will have time to rot, and it can be reused.

Dry horse manure can also be used when planting berries. They just fill up the prepared area. With the help of compost, you can mulch not only berries, but also other garden plants between rows. The thickness of the mulch should be 8 cm.

For roses

Roses are a favorite garden flowers that complement the landscape design on the site. They need a lot of nitrogen during growth in the spring, which is rich in horse manure. The introduction of fresh manure is carried out in the fall simultaneously with hilling. And in the spring, the bush will receive all the necessary nutrients in full. Re-fertilization is allowed during the active flowering period.

How to save?

To keep all valuable components and properties in manure, you need to know how to store it properly. There are two main ways to save horse manure.

It is better to use a cold storage method. In this case, the substrate will lose less useful substances and will not overheat. It is necessary to prepare a deep pit, on the bottom of which straw, peat, hay, sawdust about 25 cm thick are laid out. Then there is a layer of manure, peat is laid on top and covered with earth.Such layers can be alternated until the pit is filled. From above, all components are covered with a film.

There is another way - hot storage. Manure is stored in a loosened state in a heap. Due to the ingress of air, microflora actively develops. In addition, after 5-6 months of such storage, most of the useful substances disappear.

Often, fertilizer is applied to the soil in the fall, when the entire crop is harvested. Autumn feeding is much more useful than spring feeding, since at this time all the nutrients have time to mix with the soil components.

When not to use?

Judging by the reviews of experienced gardeners, there are cases when horse manure is not recommended:

If a fungal coating appears on the fertilizer, then the risk of reproduction of pathogens increases. In addition, it loses its warming properties.
Not recommended for use even when the soil is dense on the site. Manure will slowly decompose and may release harmful substances that harm root development.
Do not apply later than two weeks before harvest. If you do not follow this rule, then a large number of nitrates will accumulate in the fruits.
Only high-quality, tested manure or granular manure should be introduced into the hole for planting potato tubers, otherwise the risk of scab transmission increases.
You can not bring fresh manure under the roots of plants.

When using horse feces, it is necessary to observe the consumption rates and the frequency of applying the organic component to the soil. An overdose will not only not be beneficial, but may also harm the plant.