That plants in your garden actively grow and develop them it is necessary to feed. As a top dressing, various fertilizers can be used: both organic and mineral. One of the most common and effective organic fertilizers is manure, in particular, horse.
Horse manure as a fertilizer: its application in the country
Horse manure is considered to be the best fertilizer, since it contains a large amount of nutrients, it is convenient to use it as a heating for greenhouses. No wonder it is also called hot, since it has the property of quickly warming up and decomposing.
The quality of horse manure directly depends on the litter used:
- straw of grain crops;
- peat;
- sawdust.
Straw is able to absorb more emissions and loses less nitrogen.
The use of peat as a litter is the best option, horse manure with sawdust is the worst.It should be remembered that the thoughtless use of horse manure in the country in large quantities can cause irreparable harm to your household plot.
Composition of horse manure
Horse manure consists of:
- 70% water;
- 26% of organic substances;
- nitrogen;
- potassium;
- phosphoric acid.
What is useful for horse manure?
Feeding with horse dung improves soil quality:
- provides optimal air, water and heat regimes;
- increases the content of carbon dioxide;
- clay soil makes it more friable;
- in sandy soil delays moisture, not allowing to wash out nutrients;
- activates vital activity of useful microorganisms;
- improves the physicochemical composition of the soil.
What can be fertilized with horse manure?
This fertilizer is suitable for fertilizing various horticultural crops:
- cucumbers;
- zucchini;
- pumpkin;
- cabbage;
- potatoes and many others.
Horse manure is suitable for growing seedlings in a greenhouse or as a fertilizer for the soil of heat-loving plants at first.
How to use fresh horse manure?
Fresh manure is best used in the autumn for digging. For 1 square meter of land, 4-6 kg of manure is applied.
Fresh manure can be diluted in a barrel to a semi-liquid test. If you put such a barrel "wander" in the greenhouse to cucumbers, then they will grow faster. However, it should be remembered that such a barrel should be stirred every day. As a result, carbon dioxide will be released, which has a beneficial effect on plants.
As a top dressing, liquid horse manure can be used: the infusion is prepared at the rate of one liter of manure per 10 liters of water. Before fertilizing the plant with liquid horse manure, the day before it is watered. Liquid slurry with manure is poured directly under the root of the plant.
How to store horse manure?
It is important to organize the storage of horse manure properly. There are two ways to store:
- cold: laying manure in field stacks, which after packing are compacted and covered with soil;
- hot: stacking manure stacks (the width of one layer - 50-70 cm) without sealing.
Horse manure is best kept cold. Then he will lose less nitrogen, do not overheat, and organic substances will decompose evenly.
Stacking should take place in a specially designated place. Layers are stacked in the following order:
- ordinary soil, peat or dry leaves 30 cm thick;
- manure (15 cm);
- sprinkling with phosphate flour (20 kg of flour per ton of manure);
- low-lying weathered peat;
- the next layer of manure;
- peat;
- manure, etc.
Thus, alternate layers of peat and manure. Top cover with a film, dry leaves or reeds.
Horse manure is one of the best fertilizers. Feeding the earth with such manure, you can get a good harvest, because the soil will be constantly enriched with nutrients.