Feeding cucumbers with chicken manure in the greenhouse and open field

The composition of chicken manure puts it in first place among organic fertilizers. The question of whether it can be used as a top dressing for cucumbers is associated with the presence of uric acid in fresh litter, which inhibits the root system of plants. In addition, the high content of easily digestible nitrogen causes too active growth of green mass, to the detriment of fruiting Therefore, feeding cucumbers with chicken manure can be carried out only after its special preparation and in very small doses.

Litter properties

Chicken manure is comparable in speed to mineral fertilizers.

Pros and cons of chicken manure

In terms of its effect on the composition of the soil, it surpasses cow dung, which is more popular with gardeners. Contains a unique set of chemical elements necessary for the development and growth of vegetable crops.

It is often compared with complex fertilizers, in contrast to which, the action of a single feeding lasts several years. In the first year it works as a mineral supplement, in the next two years the effect of its presence can be compared with the introduction of a good portion of manure.

It has a positive effect on the structure of the soil, perfectly dissolving in a moist soil environment, stimulates intensive growth and significantly affects the yield.

The disadvantages of using fresh chicken excrement include high acid content, the presence of weed seeds, pathogens of unwanted infections, including salmonellosis, helminth eggs.

Homemade chicken manure

Chicken manure is not used fresh, but is used as an infusion, compost or dry extract.

• Fresh chicken droppings are diluted in water in a ratio of 1:1 and left for fermentation for 5-7 days. Fermented fertilizer can be stored in this state for 2-3 months. For top dressing, 1 part of the concentrate is diluted in 20 parts of water. This solution can be used to feed cucumbers, spilling the ground around the perimeter of the root circle at the rate of 0.5-1 liter per bush.
• A good fertilizer using manure is compost, which is prepared from straw and peat, spilling them with bird waste. The bottom of the pit, about a meter deep, is sprinkled with sawdust, straw or fallen leaves. Bird excrement, peat, straw, dry leaves, weeds are laid out in layers on them. Compost is prepared for about 1.5-2 months. It is used in open ground, greenhouses and greenhouses in soil preparation.

• To keep fresh litter until spring, it is applied in a thin layer on sheets of plywood or iron and dried in sunny weather in the open air for about 3 hours. Next, the dry substance is ground through a fine mesh and a powdered fertilizer is obtained, which is very fond of greenhouse plants. It can be stored in this condition in bags or a barrel all winter. Powder can be used to fertilize the ridges by adding 200 g of powder per 1 square meter for digging the soil in the spring. m area.

When working with bird droppings, especially in powdered form, you should always remember about safety measures. The mucous membranes of the eyes and upper respiratory tract should be protected. Always use goggles, a mask or respirator and rubber gloves. In addition to self-prepared fertilizer, you can purchase ready-made fertilizer of industrial production.

Granulated bird droppings

It should be borne in mind that the chemical composition of the litter largely depends on the way the birds are kept and the composition of the feed. Therefore, industrial manure may differ in its effect from household fertilizers.

This type of bird manure fertilizer has undeniable advantages:

• it is made by rapid drying in a vacuum, which allows you to save all the useful properties of the raw materials;
• under the influence of high temperatures, harmful bacteria, fly larvae, helminths die, weed seeds lose their germination;

• pellets, unlike the feedstock, have virtually no unpleasant, specific odor;
• they are compact, have a long shelf life, which makes them easy to transport and store;
• methods of application and dosage are always indicated on the package;
• in addition, the exact ratio of chemical elements is known, which allows you to maintain the exact dosage when feeding cucumbers.

This is important, especially for fertilizing cucumbers, because during the growing season, top dressing is carried out about three times, trying to supply the plant with only the most necessary nutrition. For top dressing, 1 kg of fertilizer is poured with 3 liters of warm water. A day later, the resulting concentrated solution is diluted in 20 liters of water. This liquid fertilizer can be used to feed cucumbers, spending up to half a liter per plant. You can prepare the soil and the period of digging. In this case, 1 sq. m consumes about 100 g of chicken manure fertilizer granules.

Feeding and growing cucumbers

Chicken manure is used in pre-sowing preparation, as a top dressing when growing vegetables in the open field and in greenhouses.

Features of dressings

Chicken manure contains nitrogen in a fairly high concentration. When fertilizing cucumbers with chicken manure, one should take into account the plant's need for nitrogen, mainly at the initial stage of development. The first feeding is carried out after half a month after germination. The second feeding of cucumbers in the greenhouse coincides in time with the flowering period. This is quite enough for full development.

Depending on the condition of the plants, the last top dressing is carried out during the fruiting period, if there are signs of stopping the growth of cucumbers.

It is important to use a dosed fertilizer Its overabundance can simply destroy the plant. The most common way is to use a liquid infusion of chicken manure, which can be used to water the soil around the plant. Liquid fertilizer can be prepared in several ways.

1. This option is prepared quickly and used immediately. You need to take one part of dry litter and dissolve in 20 parts of water. Cucumbers in the greenhouse must be pre-watered. The finished solution should not fall on the green parts of plants and foliage. The consumption of liquid top dressing for one adult bush is 1 liter. Half of the norm is enough for young plants.
2. When using a concentrated infusion, it is pre-diluted in a ratio of 1:1, and left warm for fermentation for a week. A liter of such a concentrate is diluted in 10 liters of water and the aisles are watered. It is impossible to water cucumbers with bird manure under the root, even at a lower concentration.
3. This recipe is also suitable for fertilizing plants in the open field. All top dressing is carried out after watering or rain. Liquid top dressing should fall on well-moistened soil. If during the irrigation process the solution got on the plant, it is advisable to rinse the leaves with clean water to avoid burns.

Features of cultivation

Before using chicken manure, you need to consider the composition and structure of the soil. In clay soil with a dense, heavy structure, chicken manure with bedding or compost is closed up in the fall. Light soils are fertilized in the spring, applying fertilizer immediately before plowing, at the rate of 3-4 kg per 5 square meters. m area.

From autumn, you can add dried manure mixed with ash and evenly distribute it over the soil surface. With atmospheric precipitation, a highly soluble composition will penetrate into the upper layers of the soil during the autumn and winter period. Chicken droppings can also be used in a greenhouse as a substitute for mineral fertilizers. It is evenly distributed on straw shafts and regularly moistened with water or mash on manure. After 10-15 days, when ammonia ceases to be released, and the temperature levels off to 30 degrees, cucumber seedlings can be planted.

Another option for the pre-planting method of using chicken manure is the manufacture of a self-heating substrate from beech bark, pine, sawdust of coniferous trees. 10% of the volume of dry chicken manure is added to the mixture of bark and sawdust and placed in a pyramid, which is poured with water. After 4-5 days, the composition is laid out in ditches inside the greenhouse. Such a composition warms up more slowly, but requires less water and mineral fertilizers.

With this method, you do not have to decide how to feed the cucumbers. The whole complex of necessary fertilizers is already present in unusual soil.

In the greenhouse, chicken manure should be used carefully, observing the proportions and dosages of liquid top dressing. According to experienced gardeners, it is better to underfeed the plants than to overfeed them.

Recommended