Manure fertilizer is often used when growing various crops in the garden. It improves the healthy development of the plant, improves immunity and enriches the soil with essential microelements. Among the effective and useful types of manure is horse manure.
How good is this plant food?
Many gardeners prefer horse manure.It is of higher quality than cow, rabbit, and goat manure.
This is explained by the following positive qualities:
- It contains many nutritional components, especially nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. This entire complex of nutrients has a beneficial effect on the development and productivity of crops.
- This type of organic fertilizer is lighter, loose, dry, and quickly decomposes.
- Increases resistance to various infections, as well as other adverse factors.
- Horse feces heat up faster and cool down slowly (can retain heat in the soil for up to 2 months).
- Does not contribute to the development of pathogenic microflora.
After adding the organic component, the soil is saturated with carbon dioxide, the soil is loosened, and missing microelements 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.
Humus is a substrate that decomposes within 3–4 years. It is 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, and the composition stays in the soil longer. It looks like a homogeneous, crumbly brown mass. Another advantage is the absence of odor.
In what form should I use it?
At home, you can prepare compost based on horse manure, as well as fertilizing in the form of a liquid solution.
Horse manure recipes that will help you prepare it correctly liquid form of fertilizer:
- The composition will require fresh nettle, which is finely chopped and filled 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.
An infusion is often made from chicken manure. For 5 liters of water you will need to take one bucket of horse manure. Infuse for two weeks. To increase efficiency, you can add wood ash, tree leaves or hay 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 droppings. The components are poured with a bucket of water and left to infuse for two weeks. Before planting, the soil is dug up, watered thoroughly and fertilizer is applied. 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. The top of the soil is covered with straw so that nitrogen does not evaporate and is absorbed as much as possible.
Fresh
To fertilize a plot of land, horse manure should be used fresh, since in this state it gives off more heat and nutritional components. But fresh manure is dangerous for the underground part 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 next year. If you add manure in the fall, it will have time to decompose over the winter and will not bring anything other than benefit.
It is easy to distinguish fresh manure from mature manure by appearance. In the young composition, light-colored food products, such as straw and sawdust, are clearly visible. Mature manure is dark in color and has a uniform composition.
When feeding, fresh manure can be combined with other components.This only adds to the benefits. It can be combined with peat, straw, mown grass, and fallen leaves.
Half-rotted
Semi-rotted manure is considered to be manure that has been stored under the right conditions for about 6 months. In manure of this type, organic residues are almost invisible; the color of the fertilizer is dark brown. They are fed with vegetables, berries and flowers. It is recommended to introduce semi-rotted feces into the soil in semi-liquid form during digging. They can be used to mulch the top layer of soil.
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.
Humus
Well-rotted manure (which has been stored for at least 3 years) enters the final stage of decomposition - humus. This state of organic matter is the most beneficial for all types of plants. The composition looks like a crumbly consistency, brown in color with small solid particles. If 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 cultivation, but it can be used as a base for a substrate for seedlings. The well-rotted substrate is diluted with ordinary soil 1:2.
Composition of fertilizer granules
It is easy and simple to treat the beds with horse manure, which is produced in granules. You can purchase fertilizer in this form at a specialty store.
Manure is turned into granules using a special technology. The crushed, homogeneous mass of feces is heated to 70–75 degrees. After this, they are mixed with chopped straw and begin to dry.Then it is passed through an apparatus that forms granules, and final drying begins. Per 100 sq. m. usually take 15 kg of fertilizer.
As a result, the processed granules contain only natural ingredients, such as water, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and organic matter.
What do gardeners write in reviews of ready-made granular fertilizer?
You can find many reviews about horse manure, as a fertilizer and how to use it. They are all 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 regular 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 this, 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 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 pour the granules and in the morning the solution is ready. I noticed that I especially like the fertilizer for strawberries, cucumbers and roses. In the beds where roses grow, the granules are laid out directly under a layer of mulch. The flower caps are huge and fragrant.”
“It is better not to use fresh horse manure. It must survive for at least two years. And even after this, it is better to dilute with water and let it ferment for some time. Recently I have gotten used to using fertilizer in granular form. It’s very easy to prepare, apply and you don’t have to worry about damaging the roots. The pack contains detailed instructions on how to dilute 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 for how and when to fertilize a planted plant. Tips will help you get the maximum benefit from the compounds, without causing harm.
If horse feces are supposed to be applied 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. Cover the top with a layer of straw and cover it with earth, a layer of about 33 cm. The fertilizer application rate is 700 g per 100 sq. m. m.
To fertilize the soil in spring, fresh manure can only be used for crops that have a long growth period, such as potatoes or cabbage. In other cases, a liquid composition is used.
You can dissolve 2 kg of manure and 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
Spicy vegetables, including potatoes, respond well to horse manure. The fresh composition is applied in the fall to the area where potatoes are supposed to be planted in the spring. You can use a half-rotted composition. Since the tubers develop slowly, you can add them 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, the manure is poured with water and left to infuse for 24 hours. Then you will need to dilute the prepared solution with water in a ratio of 1:10.
The first feeding of berries should be done in the spring during the period of formation of ovaries on the bushes.It is recommended to apply the composition a second time after harvesting so that the bushes gain nutrients. Shortly before frost, horse manure is spread between the rows and left in this state until spring. During this time, fresh manure will have time to rot and can be reused.
Dry horse manure can also be used when planting berries. They simply fill the prepared area with it. Using compost, you can mulch not only berries, but also other garden plants between the rows. The mulch thickness should be 8 cm.
For roses
Roses are favorite garden flowers that will complement the landscape design of your site. During their growth in the spring, they require a lot of nitrogen, which horse manure is rich in. The application 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. It is allowed to re-apply fertilizer during the period of active flowering.
How to save?
In order for manure to retain all its valuable components and properties, you need to know how to store it correctly. There are two main ways to preserve horse manure.
It is better to use a cold storage method. In this case, the substrate will lose less nutrients and will not overheat. You need to prepare a deep hole, at the bottom of which straw, peat, hay, sawdust about 25 cm thick are laid. Then there is a layer of manure, peat is laid on top and covered with earth. Such layers can be alternated until the hole is filled. All components are covered with film on top.
There is another way - hot storage. Manure is stored in a loosened state in a heap. Due to air ingress, microflora actively develops.In addition, after 5–6 months of such storage, most of the beneficial substances disappear.
Fertilizer is often applied to the soil in the fall, when the entire crop has been harvested. Autumn fertilizing is much more useful than spring fertilizing, since at this time all the nutrients have time to mix with the soil components.
When should it not be used?
Judging by the reviews of experienced gardeners, there are cases when it is not recommended to use horse manure:
- If a fungal coating appears on the fertilizer, the risk of pathogenic microorganisms multiplying increases. In addition, it loses its warming properties.
- Use is not recommended when the soil on the site is dense. Manure will decompose slowly and may release harmful substances that harm root development.
- Do not apply to the soil later than two weeks before harvest. If this rule is not followed, a large number of nitrates will accumulate in the fruits.
- Only high-quality, tested or granulated manure should be added to the hole for planting potato tubers, otherwise the risk of scab transmission increases.
- Do not apply fresh manure under the roots of plants.
When using horse feces, it is necessary to observe the consumption rates and the frequency of introducing organic components into the soil. An overdose will not only not be beneficial, but can also cause harm to the plant.
