When we begin to sow in the garden, we always have the doubt of when to put manure in the garden. The manure serves to nourish the soil and to be able to give the plants all the necessary nutrients so that they can grow in good conditions. However, not everyone knows when to use it.
For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you when you have to put manure in the garden and how you should do it.
Why should we put manure in the garden?
The store sells us compound fertilizer, the main elements are NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium), sometimes rich in some minor nutrients (magnesium, calcium, sulfur), and even rich in trace elements (iron, manganese, zinc, boron, chlorine...). So we can think that if humans farm with manure, ashes and by-products of daily life, we conclude that all these elements that plants need are contained in manure.
First, we must have a historical dimension of time and space to begin to find appropriate answers. At the beginning of time, when man was dedicated to agriculture and was no longer a nomad, he found virgin lands, which They provided him with all the minerals and organic elements he needs for agriculture. So, the human being began to cultivate and cultivate and so on for thousands of years. Inevitably, the soil has been exhausted, of that there is no doubt. If we bring nutrients from the soil to plants, we must replenish them by fertilizing them.
When testing a variety of the most common fertilizers, some amount of the well-known NPK triplet is found in all fertilizers, but not enough for today's industrial production yields. In fact, besides that, almost all fertilizers lack sufficient concentrations of phosphorus in the form of P2O5. What the manure actually provides is most of the fresh organic matter and nitrogen, but mostly in organic form. Therefore, the organic part of N needs a period of decomposition to become a mineral. Usually for vegetable gardens, substitution with compost made from plant waste etc. is usually good. Although many of us have to add a bit of nutrients in the form of chemical fertilizers to get more tomatoes, more fruit and more.
What dose is added to the manure?
Before using manure as a fertilizer, there are a few things to consider.
- The main point is that cannot be added directly to crops, must be applied for a certain period of time before planting, long enough for the organic matter in the manure to degrade. Depending on the crop, it can be a month or 15 days before sowing.
- Another important thing to remember is the dose. The legal maximum is 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare. This is defined by the legislation on water pollution by agricultural nitrates. Therefore, avoid reaching a maximum of 50 mg L of nitrate in surface or ground water, since higher values can cause serious public health problems.
To know what dose we can apply, it is best to know the agronomic doses. It is the balance between the nitrogen extracted by the crop during its cycle and the nitrogen present in the soil or humus in inorganic form and used in the irrigation water. To balance the balance we will add nitrogen to the fertilizer, in our case fertilizer.
When should you put manure in the garden?
One of the main issues is knowing when to put manure in the garden. To extract great single answer. They will defend what we have planted at all times, the climate where we are and when we have to water the crop. Sometimes it will be once a year, at the beginning of the seasons or more frequently.
Of course, be careful with the risks, since the greatest loss of food occurs when the water escapes and ends up in the sewers, which can also contaminate the aquifer. Apply a quick-release fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium every three to four weeks. This is because the plants are in full swing and as soon as food is available they will eat it.
In the fall, when we remove the depleted plants, we add a bit of garden fertilizer, this time with a slow release. It needs to be slow-release because the plants are gradually accepting it, they have already grown, they have borne fruit, and now the process is slower.
Of course, it also depends on what we plant and when… if the tomatoes continue to bear fruit in October, there is no point in fertilising. Already at the end of winter, it is a good idea to add compost or organic matter to maintain soil quality. Just as we read the nutritional information of the products we consume, we can read the labels of the fertilizers that we will add to our garden. Therefore, we will not only know what minerals we contribute, but also their proportions.
How does it apply
If we want to get the most out of the fertilizer in our orchard or garden, the way we decide to use it is essential. One of the best ways to use manure as a plant fertilizer is to mix it in as part of your compost. By using it as compost, you eliminate the possibility of burning your plants.
Another option is to apply it to the soil with a rake before planting in the spring, either in the fall or winter. In general, autumn is the best time to apply pure fertilizers in our flower beds and terraces. This gives the manure enough time to break down, eliminating the threat of burning crops and landscape plants.
Long curing fertilizers are also excellent fertilizers for our plants. Almost any type of fertilizer can be used, depending on the availability of fertilizers you get. Nevertheless, cat or dog poop is not recommended. These types of compost are not suitable for gardens or compost piles, as they can contain parasites, bacteria, and diseases that are harmful to humans.
In general, horse, cow and poultry manure, also known as chicken manure, are the most widely used fertilizers. You can also use sheep and rabbit droppings. Even recently, bat guano has become very popular.
Most of the different types of fertilizer can be purchased at nurseries and garden centers, but if you walk around, you'll find that farmers or horse owners are more than willing to give them away.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about when to pour manure into the garden.