Gardens require manure to help replenish the soil’s lost nutrients so that plants can grow and thrive optimally. Plants feed on nutrients present in the soil, thus the need to add manure when they get depleted.
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Most manures do well in helping to make the soil fertile. Some are richer in nutrients than others. However, the best manure for gardens is chicken manure.
Thumbs up for chicken manure
Chicken manure has very high nitrogen content, an extremely vital nutrient for all growing plants. Actually, it contains all 13 essential nutrients needed by plants.
Besides nitrogen, which is a macronutrient, other nutrients include phosphorus and potassium, also macronutrients, as well as micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, sulfur, zinc, boron, chlorine, iron and molybdenum.
However, it needs to be well composted before use to prevent the burning of plants which occurs whenever it is applied directly.
Importance and need of composted chicken manure
Composting also helps to kill all parasites present in the chicken manure together with any existing parasite eggs. This protects plants from manure borne disease.
Composted chicken manure is especially beneficial for plants that love nitrogen such as sweet corn, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini and leafy greens among others.
Gardeners who cannot access chicken manure can opt for any other easy to access but good manures such as horse, cow, sheep and goat manure.
When to put manure in my garden
Put manure into your garden after it has properly composted. A composting period of six months or more is best. Once fully composted, put it into the garden at least three months prior to full maturity of your crops.
If your crops are already growing, avoid using raw manure as a side dressing to your growing plants as the heat generated by the composting process will burn them.
How much manure do I mix with soil?
Experts have recommended the use of specific ratios when it comes to mixing manure with soil. The ratios used are determined by the type of manure you have.
For cattle manure, use a ratio of 150 to 200 pounds of it for every 1000 square feed of garden soil. If you are using horse manure, apply 200 pounds of it for every 1000 square feet, and if you are using chicken manure, use 50 pounds of the same for every 1000 square feet.
These ratios will give your soil enough nutrients for your growing season. Usually, manures come with instructions on ratios of application and the frequency of application, helping you to get it right when it comes to mixing your soil with manure.
Should your soil be too poor as to need more manure during the growing season, you can use chemical fertilizers or other forms of non-manure plant nutrients.
How many times should I put manure in my garden?
You can put manure in your garden every two to three months if you wish to, but ideally, at the very minimum, manure should be put into a garden twice a year, every six months.
This means once during the month of September, which marks the beginning of spring for those living in the southern hemisphere, and in March, which marks the beginning of spring for the people living in the northern hemisphere.
This is best for warm season crops. This will help to maintain optimal levels of soil nutrients and will keep soil drainage at its best. However, avoid over-fertilizing as it can be harmful to your plants.
Adding too much manure often can result in leaching of nitrates, excessive growth of vegetation and runoff of nutrients. It can also result in excessive salt accumulation which damages plants.
Over-fertilizing will also cause you to waste money by acquiring quantities of manure that your garden does not need.
Is bagged cow manure good for the garden?
Yes and No. Yes, if it is free of pathogens. Bagged cow manure should have a tag labelled “pathogen-free”. This is a safety measure for your plants as it is proof that the manure was thoroughly composted.
No one will indicate it as being pathogen free if this is not the case due to the lawsuits that can ensue in courts of law.
Cow manure is always a great multi-purpose fertilizer and is used as a soil amendment. However, If the bagged manure you intend to purchase lacks a label to this effect, leave it alone as it may not be good for your garden.
Cow manure from ranchers and livestock farmers
If you are getting your bagged cow manure from local farmers or ranchers, enquire whether their cows have had any health challenges and whether the manure is thoroughly composted.
However, if the manure was not composted, and you have a hard time accessing well composted bagged manure, you may choose to acquire it then give it time to compost before applying it on your garden. It also serves as an ideal top dressing for the soil when composted.
Length of time bagged cow manure can last
Bagged cow manure can be preserved for six months. However, it still can last many years and will continue to compost, so long as all ideal conditions are met.
Unfortunately, it is likely to become less potent beyond one year due to great reduction in its microbial activity. The volume of the manure will also reduce over time.
Can you put manure straight on the garden?
Whether or not you can put manure straight on the garden depends on the type of manure you intend to use, and the time or season you intend to plant.
For instance, goat manure doesn’t attract insects, nor does it burn plants when applied straight on the garden.
As such, it can be used safely on all types of gardens such as flower gardens, herb-growing gardens, vegetable gardens, and fruit tree gardens without taking it through the composting process.
It will provide nutrients to your plants with or without composting. It is neat in appearance and not messy in handling since it comes in form of pellet droppings. It is also odorless, making direct use acceptable and convenient.
Application of cow manure
Cow manure on the other hand can be put straight on the garden before composting, then allowed time to decompose before planting.
Alternatively, it can be put straight then allowed to begin composting slowly in the garden at least 3 months before harvesting. However, the four stomachs of a cow serve to digest food so thoroughly that very few weed seeds survive.
This means you don’t have to worry about the possibility of introducing weed seeds in your garden if planting is done before the decaying process is completed.
Most growing seasons last 4 months. You can therefore apply manure at the beginning of the 4 months or earlier.
Composting is however always recommended as it allows bacteria time to break down the waste and turn it into well processed manure or fertilizer that is free of odor and toxic ammonia levels found in cow dung.
Should I put manure down in fall or spring?
Fall or autumn, as the season is commonly referred to in the United States, is the most preferred time when manure is added to the soil.
This is because it gives farmers a break in the growing season, allowing them good and convenient time to apply manure in their farms.
Fresh manure application
Fall is also an ideal time for fresh manure application. Applying fresh manure in the spring or during the growing season in an area that is to be planted with food crops is greatly discouraged.
However, you can still apply it during spring, just before the growth of your plants begins.
Application of manure during spring has its downside thou, because applying manure at this time adds to the challenges of a season that is already too busy.
This can delay seed germination, particularly in situations where manure application is hampered by challenges such as wet soils, lack of farm equipment, poor state of roads, or even unexpected road restrictions.
It is advisable not to use manure in late fall or late summer as the nutrients on the manure may get lost during winter through water runoff, thus polluting water bodies.
Should I mix cow manure with soil?
It is advisable to mix cow manure with soil, because doing so helps to fertilize the soil. The manure adds nutrients and organic matter into the soil, which are essential requirements for plant growth.
It also helps to improve soil aeration and the soil’s water holding capacity, resulting in maximization of yields in any given growing season.
Well composted cow manure also increases the pH of the soil and can be used for any plants. Cow manure has a good balance of soil nutrients and is also low in nitrogen so it won’t burn your plants.
Spread 2 to 3 inches of manure on the surface of your soil evenly, then mix it with the top soil.