Manure Fertilizer
Tips on Using Manure Fertilizer
One of the most natural and effective ways to have a high producing garden is to use manure fertilizer; a fact that many successful gardeners know and practice. The result is the optimal yield of vegetables and fruit, obtained from providing the maturing plants with all of the nutrients and minerals that are needed.
Fertilizer has long been used as a means of enriching the soil in order to grow crops. Since some type of farm animal has almost always been present, there was generally a good supply of the manure that accumulated. The waste product of any type of animal, whether it is cattle, horses, chickens, sheep or pigs, is a highly concentrated form of a number of components, depending on the feed of the animal. Most of these are grazing creatures; ingesting greenery and grains. Plants are high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; therefore, the waste of the animals who regularly feed from them will also be enriched by these minerals. When used as a fertilizer to grow plants, the manure enhanced soil will provide these valuable elements once again to the plants that must have them to survive. It can easily be seen how the phrase “circle of life” engages both fertilizer and plant life.
When waste products are secreted by the animals, the manure is in concentrated form. As such, it is too strong to apply directly to plants. In a grazing field, bare patches of ground will be evidence to this fact as the fresh manure will burn the leaves of weeds growing where it is deposited. For this reason, aging any type of manure fertilizer before applying it to gardens, lawns or flower beds is highly recommended. Aging the manure also reduces the intense odor that fresh manure possesses, making it easier on the senses for you and your neighbors. Certain types of manure require longer periods of aging than others, simply because of the differing concentrations of nitrogen.
The best method of aging manure from any source is to combine it with composting material. Compost is basically a means of turning waste materials into productive elements to return to the soil. In nature, composting is done on a daily basis simply by plant material and dead insects, worms and even animals decaying and decomposing over time. Composting is just a means of speeding up this natural process. The composition of a compost pile is quite elementary; grass cuttings, vegetable and fruit peels and skins, coffee grounds, shredded paper, branches, eggshells and straw among others. To all of these items, a measure of fresh manure can be added. The compost should be continually mixed and turned over to ensure a good blend. Adding the fresh manure to these other ingredients not only enriches the compost, but also serves to “dilute” the manure’s strength. This will make the manure usable more quickly.
Another method of aging fresh manure is to add it to the garden soil at the end of the growing season. After clearing out all of the dying plant matter (which can be added to a compost pile), the fresh manure can be spread over the garden area. The manure along with the soil should be turned over and well combined. It will now sit over the winter months as the nutrients in the manure enrich the soil, further diluted by the addition of melting snow. By springtime, when the garden soil is once again tilled for planting, the soil will have been enhanced with the valuable elements from the manure.
Gardeners have long known the value of adding manure fertilizer to their gardens for higher yields of crops. Natural and free, it is the best method of getting the most from your garden.