The composition of chicken manure puts it in first place among organic fertilizers. The question is, can it be used as fertilizers for cucumbers, is associated with the presence of uric acid in fresh droppings, 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, fertilizing cucumbers with chicken manure can only be done after special preparation and in very small doses.
Properties of the litter
The speed of impact of chicken manure is comparable to that of mineral fertilizers.
Pros and cons of chicken manure
In terms of its effect on the composition of the soil, it is superior to cow manure, which is more popular among gardeners. Contains a unique set of chemical elements necessary for the development and growth of vegetable crops.
It is often compared to complex fertilizers, in contrast to which, the effect of one-time feeding lasts for 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 to adding a good portion of manure.
It has a positive effect on soil structure, dissolving perfectly in a moist soil environment, stimulates intensive growth and significantly affects productivity.
The disadvantages of using fresh chicken excrement include the high acid content, the presence of weed seeds, pathogens of unwanted infections, including salmonellosis, and helminth eggs.
Homemade chicken manure
Chicken manure is not used fresh, but an infusion, compost or dry extract is prepared from it.
- Fresh chicken droppings are diluted in water in a 1:1 ratio and left to ferment for 5-7 days. Fermented fertilizer can be stored in this state for 2-3 months. For feeding, 1 part of the concentrate is diluted in 20 parts of water. You can feed cucumbers with this solution by pouring soil 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 poultry waste. The bottom of the hole, about a meter deep, is sprinkled with sawdust, straw or fallen leaves. Bird excrement, peat, straw, dry leaves, and weeds are laid out on them in layers.Compost takes about 1.5-2 months to prepare. It is used in open ground, greenhouses and greenhouses when preparing the soil.
- To preserve fresh droppings until spring, they are spread 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 greenhouse plants love. It can be stored in this state in bags or barrels all winter. You can fertilize the beds with powder by adding 200 g of powder per 1 square meter when digging the soil in the spring. m area.
When working with bird droppings, especially in powder form, you should always keep safety precautions in mind. 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 home-prepared fertilizer, you can purchase ready-made industrial fertilizer.
Granular bird droppings
It must be taken into account that the chemical composition of the droppings largely depends on the method of keeping the poultry and the composition of the feed. Therefore, industrially produced manure may differ in its effects from homemade fertilizers.
This type of bird droppings fertilizer has undoubted advantages:
- it is produced by quick drying in a vacuum, which allows you to preserve all the beneficial properties of the original raw material;
- under the influence of high temperatures, harmful bacteria, fly larvae, helminths die, and weed seeds lose their germination;
- granules, unlike the original raw materials, have practically no unpleasant, specific odor;
- they are compact, have a long shelf life, which makes them easy to transport and store;
- methods of use and dosage are always indicated on the packaging;
- In addition, the ratio of chemical elements is precisely known, which allows you to maintain the exact dosage when feeding cucumbers.
This is important, especially for fertilizing cucumbers, because during the growing season, fertilizing is carried out about three times, trying to supply the plant with only the most necessary nutrition. For feeding, 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. You can feed cucumbers with this liquid fertilizer, spending up to half a liter per plant. You can prepare the soil during the digging period. In this case, per 1 sq. m uses about 100 g of granules chicken manure fertilizer.
Feeding and growing cucumbers
Chicken manure is used in pre-sowing preparation and as a top dressing when growing vegetables in open ground and greenhouses.
Features of fertilizing
Chicken manure contains nitrogen in fairly high concentrations. When fertilizing cucumbers with chicken droppings, you should take into account the plant's need for nitrogen, mainly at the initial stage of development. The first feeding is carried out half a month after germination. The second feeding of cucumbers in the greenhouse coincides with the flowering period. This is quite enough for full development.
Depending on the condition of the plants, the last fertilizing is carried out during the fruiting period, if signs of a pause in the growth of cucumbers appear.
It is important to use fertilizer in doses. Its excess can simply destroy the plant. The most common method is to use a liquid infusion of chicken manure, which you can water the soil around the plant. Liquid fertilizer can be prepared in several ways.
- This option is prepared quickly and used immediately. You need to take one part of dry litter and dissolve it in 20 parts of water. Cucumbers in a greenhouse must be pre-watered. The prepared solution should not come into contact with green parts of plants and foliage. The consumption of liquid fertilizer per adult bush is 1 liter. For young plants, half the norm is enough.
- When using a concentrated infusion, it is first diluted in a 1:1 ratio and left in a warm place for fermentation for a week. A liter of such concentrate is diluted in 10 liters of water and watered between the rows. It is impossible to water cucumbers with bird manure at the roots, even with a lower concentration.
- This recipe is also suitable for fertilizing plants in open ground. All fertilizing is carried out after watering or rain. Liquid fertilizer should fall on well-moistened soil. If during watering the solution gets 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 placed 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.
In the fall, you can add dried manure mixed with ash and distribute it evenly over the soil surface. With precipitation, the highly soluble composition will penetrate into the upper layers of the soil during the autumn and winter periods. You can also use chicken droppings in a greenhouse as a substitute for mineral fertilizers. It is evenly distributed on straw shafts and regularly moistened with water or manure mash.After 10-15 days, when ammonia ceases to be released and the temperature levels out to 30 degrees, you can plant cucumber seedlings.
Another option for the pre-planting method of using chicken manure is to make a self-heating substrate from beech bark, pine, and sawdust from coniferous trees. 10% of the volume of dry chicken droppings is added to the mixture of bark and sawdust and placed in a pyramid, which is watered with water. After 4-5 days, the composition is laid out in ditches inside the greenhouse. This composition heats up more slowly, but requires less water and mineral fertilizers.
With this method, you don’t have to decide how to feed the cucumbers. The entire complex of necessary fertilizers is already present in the unusual soil.
In a greenhouse, chicken manure should be used carefully, observing the proportions and dosages of liquid fertilizer. According to experienced gardeners, it is better not to feed plants than to overfeed them.
