Features of the use of horse manure. Horse manure as a fertilizer - types, characteristics, how to use Horse manure for cucumbers, how to use

Material prepared by: Alexey Stepanov, ecologist

Horse manure can be used as a fertilizer for most plants. It consists of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and others nutritional elements , which, as a powerful catalyst, affect plant flora. When using horse manure, the productivity of garden and garden crops, increased resistance to diseases and negative external factors. By fertilizing the soil with it, you can achieve an increase in its fertility for several years due to a significant aftereffect period.

This is a very rich in composition, but not very common feeding. The fact is that it is very problematic to buy such miracle organics in their natural form, since they are sold mainly from large stables, which are not available in all regions of the country.

The situation has begun to improve in the last few years. New types of packaging have appeared. This liquid horse manure, and granulated manure. Manufacturers also began selling it in bags. A standard bag holds about 40-50 liters of dry substrate, and it weighs about 35-40 kg.

Once the opportunity arose not to purchase this fertilizer by truck, but to purchase it in much smaller quantities, interest in it increased. Now even many summer residents have begun to fertilize their beds with horse manure, and are very pleased with the result.

Like any other organic matter, this substrate must be used skillfully. There are many ways to use horse manure. His They are used both in rotted form and fresh, using, for example, to heat beds.

Which crops should be fertilized with fresh manure?

Mostly this type of organic matter is respected melons . If you fertilize the soil with horse manure, pumpkins, zucchini, and squash will grow and develop well on it. Another lover of “fresh food” is celery. On soil fed in this way, it forms huge, well-leafed bushes along the entire length with fleshy stems, which overwinter splendidly without shelter (in the fall they need to be pruned at the root).

You can dilute horse manure (fresh) in this way:

Take a proportion of 1:200 (more water, of course), and place it in a warm place for several days. After the mixture has fermented, it is diluted again 1:10, and any garden crops are fed with it.

Another way to use fresh manure is to scatter it around the garden for autumn digging. It will rot enough over the winter. But this method, despite all its ease, is better not to use. When used in this way, this fertilizer can lose up to 50% of its beneficial properties.

Biofuel for gardening

Fresh horse manure is a natural source of heat for creating beds for melons. Its “burning” temperature is more than 33°C, which allows you to grow southern plants even in cold climates. For example, watermelons grow in such a bed in closed ground even in Siberia and the Urals.

How to “warm up” a bed for cucumbers?

There are several ways to set up a warm greenhouse. The simplest one is to dig a trench in the greenhouse, at least 0.5 m deep, and put fresh manure in it, with a layer of 0.2 m. You need to fill it with soil on top, to the level of the top cut of the soil. After this, the bed should be shed with a warm solution of potassium permanganate. pink color, and add fertilizer to it at the rate of: nitrophoska (2 tablespoons) and (1 glass), per 1 square meter. In such a bed, and even under a film, cucumbers grow very quickly and delight with rich harvests.

Litter manure - how to store?

In order to fertilize plants with horse manure more rationally and fully, you need to know how to preserve it maximum quantity useful substances.

Nitrogen is one of the essential elements, which is contained in green manure plants. Manure is saturated with their particles. Hay, straw and other cereal crops accumulate and retain this chemical element, and subsequently transfer it to the soil, providing new plants with adequate nutrition. Tomatoes, for example, love nitrogen-rich soil. If they are fully provided with this nutrient, they get sick less and bear fruit more actively.

If horse manure is not stored properly, a significant portion of the nitrogen can evaporate as ammonia as a result of the decomposition of protein substances. With sufficient air access, this reaction occurs faster. Therefore, the main task during storage is to ensure dense stacking with minimal access to oxygen.

The “cold” laying method involves the formation of a pile 2-3 meters wide and 1.5 - 2 meters high. Length is unlimited. The top of this structure must be covered with straw or well sealed to protect it from various external influences.

The temperature inside will be within 25-30 degrees, no air will pass through, and carbon dioxide will occupy the free cavities, which will slow down the activity of aerobic bacteria and help preserve more of the beneficial properties of this organic fertilizer.

Rotted manure

Properly stored, this dry humus is very beneficial for most plants. It contains 2-3 times more nutrients than fresh substrate.

It is brought under fruit trees(up to 5 buckets per plant), under berry bushes (3 buckets), mulch beds with tomatoes.

If there is a lot of sawdust in the manure, then it is good to mulch the tree trunks of fruit trees after watering. Then the moisture in the roots will remain much longer. Humus mixed with straw and leaves is “filled up” between the rows and strawberries, forming a layer at least 10 cm thick. It is not advisable to apply manure to beds where small crops are planned to be planted. The fact is that horses do not pick up weeds, and they can “chop” small sprouts.

Liquid horse manure

A few years ago, liquid concentrate of cow, poultry and horse manure appeared on sale. The manufacturer guaranteed the natural origin of the product, and promised that the effect on plants would be the same as when using simple manure.

Gardeners tested this product, and it received a fairly high positive rating. Moreover, it is packaged in small bottles with a capacity of 5 liters, which made its delivery to the site affordable for most gardeners. This recipe is used when preparing an infusion of horse manure with your own hands. The final product was popularly called “Horse Mash”. It's done like this:

Manure application rates are 4-6 kg per 1 sq.m. With the “manual” method of application, it should be taken into account that 7.5 kg of fresh manure and about 5 kg with sawdust are placed in 1 bucket with a capacity of 10 liters.
It is best to buy horse manure on peat bedding. Least nutrients contained in a mixture of this substrate with sawdust. But this type is often sold in bags, which simplifies transportation.

Manure is a complex organic fraction in which mineralization is slow. Because of this, it cannot always provide adequate nutrition to plants. . To maintain a normal balance, you should use parallel mineral fertilizers . To increase the nutritional quality of this organic compound, you can use composting, decomposition to humus, or add it to the soil in advance, for example in the fall.
Using horse manure as fertilizer, you can achieve good results both on your own personal plot, and on a larger, industrial scale.
Video: about the use of horse manure on the site

The benefits of horse manure in growing garden trees, bushes and flowers, as well as in the growing season of some vegetables and berries, have been proven. Horse manure is used as fertilizer in fresh, semi-rotted and completely rotted form. Each form has its advantages, as well as some disadvantages.

Fertilize in autumn or spring. But you cannot use organic matter if traces of fungal spores are found in it and if the soil in the greenhouse is too dense, since in this case it will destroy the seedlings.

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Benefits of horse manure

The simplest method of applying fertilizers to strengthen the root system of plants or to obtain high yields- this is the use of manure. This biological fertilizer is much safer than chemicals for the garden and vegetable garden. Recently, horse defect has become very popular. It is classified as a useful and effective organic product.

Horse manure contains:

nitrogen;
phosphorus;
potassium;
calcium and other useful microelements.

The above substances as a catalyst affect the growth and development, productivity of plants, and improve soil structure.

The benefits of agricultural technology using horse manure have been proven by many years of use in agriculture. Crops treated with animal defecation tolerate weather anomalies more easily, and they develop resistance to fungal diseases.

The advantage of this raw material is that it is lighter, drier and more easily decomposed than manure from pigs, cows or birds. Horse manure heats up to 70-80 °C, gives off heat to the soil, and the cooling process takes much longer. The product can keep warm for up to two months.

Natural fertilizer is not affected by pathogenic microflora. The soil becomes loose after using it. Manure does not contribute to soil oxidation, and the soil is saturated with carbon dioxide, as a result of which normal heat and water balance is maintained.

Types of horse manure

Fertilizer is used in different forms:

in fresh;
half-rotted;
rotted;
in the form of humus.

Each of these types has its own advantages:

1. Fresh manure. To improve the composition of the soil, manure is used in untreated form, as it releases nitrogen and heat. But it should be remembered that the defect burns the roots of plants. To prevent negative influence, it is introduced into the soil in the fall when digging the beds. During the winter it manages to decompose. In this case, green spaces will only benefit. In the spring, biological fertilizer is applied to greenhouses and hotbeds for growing cucumbers, zucchini, and pumpkins. They love potatoes and crops that have a long growing season. Manure is mixed with peat or sawdust, as well as old grass, ash, leaves, branches, and composted in a pit for about 5-6 months. To prepare liquid fertilizer you need fresh raw materials. This species is easy to distinguish, since the remains of straw and grain are visible in the young organic matter.
2. Semi-rotted fertilizer. The color of this fertilizer is darker. Half-finished animal waste has a modified structure. They feed garden plants. Used for growing cabbage, flowers, trees and shrubs. Add to the soil in semi-liquid form when digging. In the second year after introduction, carrots, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, wild strawberries and strawberries actively grow in such a plot. And for roses it is used as mulch.
3. Rotted organic matter. It looks like a homogeneous black mass, lighter than fresh. Completely rotted humus is used to fertilize the soil when planting seedlings in open ground or in a greenhouse. Two parts of the land require one part of fertilizing. This manure is ideal for feeding fruit trees.
4. Humus. This is the last stage of decomposition of horse feces. This form of fertilizer is the most useful. Suitable for feeding all garden flowers, bushes, trees and garden crops. They bring it under fruit trees. Adult specimens require up to five buckets.

The taste of root vegetables improves if they grew in soil fertilized with horse humus. Radish and onion lose their bitterness.

How to properly fertilize plants?

For autumn fertilizer manure is placed in the ground in a layer of 50 cm. Then this layer is covered with straw and covered with soil up to 30-35 cm thick. Per 100 sq. m. m is enough about 700-800 g of raw materials. Much less finished compost is required: 100-200 g of product per 100 square meters. m.

Natural fertilizer is applied during digging, since the nitrogen present in its composition quickly evaporates.

When feeding crops in spring, take 4-6 g per square meter of area. Along with fertilization, the soil is disinfected with potassium permanganate (“potassium permanganate”). Two days before sowing the seeds, cover the beds with plastic wrap so that the soil can warm up.

Cooking liquid product as follows: for 10 liters of water take about 2 kg of finished manure, add up to 1 kg sawdust, then insist for two weeks. The composition is stirred regularly. Strain the resulting mass and pour 1 liter of infusion into 10 liters of water and use it for fertilizing in a ratio of 1 to 6. For root watering, use 1 kg of manure per 10 liters of water.

Natural fertilizer for potatoes

Fresh manure is applied in the fall to the land on which it is planned to grow potatoes or tomatoes. Since the growing season of tubers is quite long, you can fertilize the soil in the spring. To do this, you need five kilograms of humus per square meter.

You can pour rotted fertilizer directly into the hole, mixing it with the soil. In such holes the tubers grow large.

A ten-liter bucket holds about 7-8 kg of organic matter or 5 kg of manure mixed with sawdust.

Fertilizing for indoor and garden roses

Repeated feeding is carried out during the flowering period after watering. You should not apply fertilizer before precipitation, as beneficial substances will be washed out of the ground. Best time days for carrying out the procedure is early morning or late evening, since during these periods there is no solar activity. The moisture should have time to be absorbed into the soil and not evaporate under the rays of the sun.

Fertilizer for berry crops

Horse manure is suitable for nutrition garden strawberries and strawberries. Manure is used, which has been infused for 24 hours.

When planting garden berries, add dry manure or rotted fertilizer into the hole at your summer cottage. It is permissible to water the plants with a solution prepared from 10 parts water and 1-2 parts manure. Up to three buckets of dry horse fertilizer can be poured per square meter.

It is recommended to mulch the row spacing of raspberries, currants and other bushes and berries with a ten-centimeter layer of humus.

Storage

To preserve useful elements, you should ensure proper storage humus made from horse manure. There are two ways:

hot;
cold.

The second storage option is considered optimal. With the cold method, there is more nitrogen in the manure and it does not overheat. To do this, the access of oxygen should be limited. Therefore, horse waste is piled in dense layers.

They dig a hole in the dacha and build a fence. Fertilizer is also prepared in bags. Branches, straw, old leaves and other organic matter from the garden are placed at the bottom of the recess. The first layer is at least 20 cm. The second - from manure - should be no thinner than 15 cm and up to 1.5 m wide. To prevent external negative impact, horse defecation is covered with twenty centimeters of peat or earth. The height of the pit is 1 m or 1.5 m. For the winter it is covered with film. During storage, you should not allow the prepared fertilizer to dry out or become waterlogged, as these processes have a detrimental effect on the microclimate of the raw material.

If this method is not suitable for use, it is possible to purchase fertilizer in granules. Granular products are of higher quality. They dissolve easily in water. Ready-made liquid concentrate is also widely used as a top dressing.

The hot method allows you to store the droppings in a loose state in a heap. Air flows freely into it, promoting the active growth of microflora. The fertilizing is prepared for about six months, losing half of the nitrogen content and the same amount of mass.

When should you not use natural fertilizer?

There are several reasons why horse manure should not be used. The main ones:

1. The material contains fungal spores. They will subsequently destroy garden crops.
2. The soil in the greenhouse is too dense. Methane and hydrogen sulfide released by manure will negatively affect root system plants.

Potatoes can become infected with scab, so the product should be administered with caution. Overdose should not be allowed.

Some gardeners and gardeners face the following problem. That when horse manure is added to the soil, it is observed that it is not as beneficial for plants as it is described on most forums and websites. The thing is that horse manure is not useful for all plants. In addition, the technique of applying fresh manure and humus from it also has a number of differences. So let's start in order.

When applied to the soil, horse manure works almost immediately. But in the first year of application there will be no noticeable increase in yield, since there is practically no mineral nitrogen in horse manure. But in subsequent years the harvests will please you. The organic matter contained in horse manure will decompose and increase soil fertility.

Horse droppings are very beneficial for everyone pumpkin plants. Zucchini, cucumbers and pumpkin grow in soil fertilized with horse droppings by leaps and bounds. Because it makes the soil warm to almost the entire depth of the root layer of these plants. And as we all know, the root system of these plants is superficial.

For which plants is horse manure harmful?

It’s worth noting right away which crops you can’t apply horse manure to. These are: carrots, beets, radishes, radishes, turnips, horseradish, celery and parsley; manure cannot be added either in the fall or in the spring. Although they can be grown in areas where manure was applied to the crops preceding them. You cannot add manure when growing aster; this leads to Fusarium wilt.

And how can applying horse manure be beneficial? These are zucchini, cucumbers and cabbage. And also planting peonies, roses, lilacs, clematis and dahlias will thank you with generous flowering for adding manure.

Chemical composition of horse manure. Horse manure contains up to 71.3% water and 25.4% organic matter. Nitrogen contains 0.59% of which 0.09% is ammonia nitrogen. Phosphorus is 0.26% and potassium is 0.59%. Calcium 0.21%. Acidity is 7.9 pH. And the ratio of nitrogen to carbon is 21, this is the ideal ratio for rapid decomposition.

Horse manure contains trace elements such as magnesium in an amount of 0.14% by weight of the manure. For example, 100 kilograms of manure contains 1.4 grams or 1400 milligrams. In addition, boron is present in the amount of 140 milligrams, cobalt 7 milligrams, copper 110 milligrams, zinc 670 milligrams and molybdenum 15 milligrams.

The data are averaged and can change by a factor of 2, both up and down. The content of microelements in manure depends on what kind of food the animal ate.

Horse droppings are used both for plant nutrition and as biofuel. IN fresh It is recommended to apply it to the soil only in the fall. In spring, it can only be used in the form of liquid fertilizers.

This type of organic fertilizer begins to decompose at a temperature of about 80 degrees, and the decay processes occur much faster than other types of manure. And in the end, this fertilizer ends up with the loosest structure.

How to feed tomatoes and cucumbers with horse manure.

Horse manure can be applied before digging the site in autumn period not only for cucumbers, but also for potatoes, zucchini and pumpkin. They contribute this type fertilizers at the rate of 5-6 kilograms per square meter. Manure does not need to be worked deep into the soil. Because it requires oxygen to be processed by soil microorganisms into humus. Therefore, the optimal depth for incorporating manure into the soil is 15-20 cm.

Horse manure is also suitable for preparing liquid fertilizers in a ratio of 1 to 10. That is, pour 10 liters of water per 1 kg of manure. And we insist for 3 days. To feed plants, dilute the resulting infusion with water in the ratio of 1 liter of infusion to 2 liters of water.

This infusion can be used to feed not only tomatoes and cucumbers. But also all plants with the exception of those plants whose names are placed at the beginning of the article. For them, manure feeding is undesirable in any form, not dry or liquid.

Many gardeners have noticed that if a container with fermented horse manure is placed in a greenhouse where cucumbers are grown, their growth will noticeably accelerate.

Manure goes well with peat, sawdust, leaves, straw, and grass. Compost with peat is considered the best. But affordable option what remains is manure and straw.

It turns out the most the best option To fertilize tomatoes with horse manure, one-year-old compost made from horse manure, green grass and straw crumbs is used. It rots quite quickly due to the high nitrogen content in green grass and straw crumbs, which take on a large share of the nitrogen for the decomposition of carbon.

If this compost substrate is spilled with a preparation Trichoderma Veride 471. This will speed up the composting process and additionally destroy harmful microflora.

How to feed strawberries with horse manure.

Both fresh manure and rotted manure (humus) are used for feeding. But you have to be very careful with fresh ones. Overdo it a little, and foliage will grow wildly on your berry garden, but you may not even see the berries.

Fresh manure is spread between the rows in the fall. It will rot over the winter and give the plants the necessary nitrogen in the spring. It is recommended to apply no more than three kilograms of manure per square meter.

When planting strawberry bushes, you can use humus, diluted, and add it directly to the holes. It is clear that the fertilizer works more efficiently this way.

Organic fertilizers applied early spring, will lead to increased strawberry yields. But it is not recommended to fertilize during flowering and fruiting.

In early spring, before the buds begin to grow, horse manure is applied to strawberries in liquid form.

It is done this way: the container is filled to a third, filled with manure and filled with water. The whole thing is mixed well with a wooden stick.

The size of the container depends on your needs, for example, for 1 square meter of strawberry planting you need 1 liter of concentrate. That is 50 liter barrel The concentrate is enough to water 50 square meters of strawberry plantings.

This concentrate should be allowed to ferment for a week so that the excess ammonia disappears.

Then 1 liter of concentrate from the barrel is mixed with 10 liters of water, and the strawberries are poured with it at the rate of 1 liter for each plant. You can also spill this liquid between the rows.

For those gardeners and gardeners who do not have access to horse manure. There is also liquid.

With it, in general, you just need to dilute the concentrate with water in the proportion specified in the manufacturer’s instructions and water the plants.

And if you have horse humus, then it’s worth mulching the strawberries with it; this is for strawberries - additional drainage and loosening of the soil near the roots. If it is mixed with peat, it retains water and organic matter dissolved in it well.

Do not forget that an excess of any fertilizer, including manure, is harmful to plants.

How to feed horse manure to roses and other flowers.

For roses, as for any other plants, important organic fertilizers. Roses literally bloom on manure.

When fertilizing roses with manure, they have:

a powerful root system develops;
more strong and healthy shoots with large leaves grow;
many buds appear;
Large flowers of rich color bloom.

Positive properties of horse manure:

Structures the soil. Clay soil becomes loose, and sandy soil becomes compacted.
Increases plant resistance to pests and diseases.
It does not pollute the soil with weeds, as it contains few weed seeds.
It heats up well and releases carbon dioxide.

It is dangerous to use horse manure fresh. It can burn the roots of roses. To prevent this from happening, prepare an infusion. Fill one bucket of manure with ten liters of water. And then they wait several weeks.

When using, dilute one liter of infusion in a bucket of water again. The color of the liquid should match the color of weak coffee. Rose bushes are mulched with half-rotted manure. It keeps you warm.

Many rose growers write on forums that, despite the warnings, they successfully used fresh manure. But it is unknown whether it was really fresh, or a little rotten. This may be why everyone gets different results.

It is better to prepare the soil for planting rose bushes in the fall. Manure will take longer to decompose in the soil and will saturate it with more nutrients. On one square meter fertilized land, one bucket of manure is scattered. Then he digs to the depth of one spade bayonet. It is advised to dig up the soil again in a week so that the fertilizer will rot better.

How to feed horse manure to trees and bushes.

In nutrition fruit plants There are two periods during the growing season:

From the beginning of the spring growing season until the end of shoot growth;
From the end of shoot growth until late autumn.

Perennial plantings especially need a lot of nitrogen for vegetative growth and fruit formation. With a lack of nitrogen, the color of the leaves changes from light green to light yellow with orange and red hues. The size of the leaf blade decreases sharply, and shoot growth weakens. The number of flowers and fruits decreases sharply. The fruits become small and brightly colored. In addition, early leaf fall is observed.

Nitrogen absorption occurs unevenly during the growing season. The greatest amount is required during the period of increased growth of leaves, shoots and fruits. In autumn, the need for nitrogen is significantly reduced.

Excess nitrogen has a harmful effect: the survival rate of seedlings decreases, the ripening of perennial shoots is delayed, the winter hardiness of plants decreases, and the shelf life of fruits deteriorates.

Fruit crops need nutrients most in the first half of summer, so the main amount of fertilizer is applied in late autumn and spring, and less in the summer, and the main amount of nitrogen fertilizer is given in the spring and the first half of summer.

In manure, nutrients are in the form of organic compounds and are not directly absorbed by the roots. It takes at least two months for them to turn into an digestible form.

Unlike, and are inactive. And they remain in the soil where they were introduced and are not washed away by water.

Therefore, it is better to apply manure, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in the fall before digging or in early spring. Apply superficially only nitrogen fertilizers, which dissolve well and penetrate into deeper layers of soil.

The effectiveness of any fertilizer increases significantly if it is applied to the area of greatest spread of roots. To do this, they dig up the soil, and in a turfed garden, fertilizers are applied to the furrows or about 15 holes are dug around the circumference of the crown at a distance exceeding the projection of the crown by 0.5 meters.

After applying fertilizer, the holes are filled with water and covered with soil. Good results are obtained from fertilizer solutions that are watered on tree trunk circles or poured into furrows or holes.

We fertilize currants, raspberries and gooseberries with manure.

For currants, raspberries and gooseberries the most effective method introducing horse droppings turned out to be mulching the soil around the bush in the fall. In the zone of greatest root occurrence.

Any manure can be applied, from fresh to rotted. Since the growing season is over, there is a danger that the young roots of these shrubs will somehow suffer.

The height of the mulching layer can be increased to 15 cm. Such mulching should be carried out after the autumn leaves fall. And you should not carry out this procedure more often than once every three years.

This is the most best way fertilizers for raspberries, currants and gooseberries, tested by more than one generation of gardeners. As the snow melts, most of the nutrients from the manure are carried into the soil into the bush's feeding zone. And what is most important is not immediately, but gradually over many months. In addition, soil microflora is activated, decomposes organic substances and develops valuable forms of humus in the deep layers of the soil.

Horse droppings are fertilizer for mushrooms.

Substrate preparation process: Horse droppings are shaken with a pitchfork and moistened hot water. Add 1-2 kg of ammonium sulfate or urea. Based on 1000 kg of dung. After this, the manure is allowed to brew for 10 days. After 10 days, the manure is shoveled again and lime or chalk is poured there. In a ratio of 1:6 (5-6 kg of lime are used for 1 ton of manure). Again you need to let it sit for 8 days. After eight days, you need to shovel the substrate again and add 6 kg of gypsum and 1 kg of superphosphate. This completes the process of preparing the substrate.

One piece of advice - don’t forget to seal the sides so that everything doesn’t fall apart. Ripe humus should have a sandy tint and crumble. At the same time, you will not smell the ammonia. This fertilizer is distributed over the surface with a ball of 30-35 cm. It is advisable to make the bed not on sunny place. The resulting substrate is laid quite tightly and mushrooms begin to grow.

Storing horse manure is best done cold. Then it will lose less nitrogen, will not overheat, and organic matter will decompose evenly.

The cold method differs from the hot one only in that with the cold storage method the layers of manure are compacted, but with the hot storage method they are not compacted.

If you have at your disposal since the fall not very large number manure, then the best option save it until spring without loss of ammonia and other useful components. The following storage method is possible.

We take plastic film and spread it on the ground, put manure on it and cover it all with film on top. To prevent this heap from being washed away by precipitation.

Any crop growing in a garden or summer cottage needs to be fed and watered. If this is not done, after 3-4 years the soil will become so depleted that it will not produce a crop. In addition to mineral fertilizers, it is advisable to apply organic fertilizers, and one of the most valuable is horse manure. It is easy to use, effective and contains the entire complex of minerals needed by plants.

Useful properties

Horse excrement contains the most nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium, but it also contains others chemical elements, and their ratio is optimal. In addition, the structure of manure is such that it improves the physical properties of the soil. It becomes loose, breathable and suitable for the reproduction of beneficial microorganisms and worms.

There is no consensus among gardeners about whether it is necessary to use horse manure fertilizer. Some believe that there is no need to experience inconvenience, because when working with such a substance you have to endure bad smell. Instead, it is enough to buy a complex mineral fertilizer or liquid fertilizer in the store, dilute it with water and water the crops. Indeed, this method is simpler, but without organic matter it is impossible to achieve the same high yields as when using it.

Comparison of organics and chemistry

Fans organic farming They are confident that they can do without chemicals altogether, and they give many reasons. The main thing is that vegetables, fruits and berries grown using environmentally friendly fertilizers are healthier and tastier than those receiving nutrition from synthetic preparations. Many people note that crops cultivated using manure produce very high yields.

The opinion of leading agronomists on this matter is clear: vegetables and berry gardens equally need both organic and mineral fertilizers. In agriculture, both are used, and the costs of the drugs are recouped many times over due to increased productivity. In the long term, the use of horse manure as fertilizer allows preserving beneficial properties soil and prevent it from becoming depleted.

Benefits of horse excrement

Crops to which organic matter is added suffer less disease and are better able to resist unfavorable factors, including heat, drought and short-term cold snaps. In addition, they are not as damaged by pests. Compared to chicken droppings, pork, cow and goat manure, horse manure has the following advantages:

The excrement of other farm animals does not give such a multidirectional effect, and horse manure is good as a fertilizer on all types of soil.

Types of fertilizer

The classification of horse excrement is based on the degree of decomposition. According to this criterion, it can be rotted, half-rotted and fresh. Sometimes humus is isolated, but some gardeners and agronomists classify it as rotted manure. Each variety has its own advantages and problems that are solved during use.

Freshly collected manure

Fresh horse manure is used as a fertilizer to improve the physical properties of the soil and make it more nutritious. Organic matter heats up well and releases nitrogen in a form accessible to plants. But you can’t plant or sow immediately after application, because the roots will get burned. It is recommended to apply fresh horse excrement in the fall, before plowing or digging. In this case, the organic matter will completely decompose, and by spring the nutrients from it will enter the soil, and the danger of burns to the root system will disappear.

If the manure is not obtained from your own yard, but rather purchased from a horse breeder, it is sometimes difficult to know how fresh it is. It will be useful for the gardener to know the signs by which the degree of overheating is determined.

Fresh fertilizer contains particles of sawdust and straw, and their color is close to natural, that is, they are not too dark. The structure of such particles is strong, signs of decomposition are not visible. Manure that has begun to rot is composed of darker particles. The litter elements can be distinguished, but it is clear that they have lost their integrity and have begun to disintegrate. The color of old manure is darker than young manure.

Spring use

Organic matter that has not begun to rot is used in the spring to create warm beds. Also, horse excrement along with bedding is placed under the soil in greenhouses and greenhouses, where it plays the role of biofuel. With such heating, pumpkins, cucumbers, and zucchini grow well. On warm beds You can plant seedlings of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and other crops, which will subsequently be placed in open ground, that is, their root system will not come into contact with manure.

You can apply fresh organic matter with caution. late cabbage, corn, sorghum. For other crops, horse manure is applied only in rotted or semi-rotted form. Failure to comply with this rule can result in excess nitrogen forming in the soil and vegetables becoming less resistant to disease. As for potatoes, their taste deteriorates from fresh manure.

It is useful to feed cultivated plants rotted horse feces, composted since the fall. The mixture is prepared as follows: a layer of manure 12-15 cm thick is poured onto a flat surface, peat, straw, old leaves or grass (what the gardener has), then another layer of horse excrement is placed on top. This is done until the height of the pile reaches 1.2-1.5 m. If you have sawdust, you can use them, but this is not the best option.

Another option for using horse manure in the country is in the form of top dressing. To apply in liquid form, horse excrement diluted in water is used. You can add a little wood ash to the solution.

Partially decomposed dung

Semi-rotted manure is easy to distinguish by dark color and structure. Particles of litter and remains of grass feed are visible in it, but they are very small and easily separated into fibers. This fertilizer gives good results, if applied to the following crops:

Method of application: in semi-liquid form, for autumn digging or plowing. The next year after these crops good harvest They will give you strawberries, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes. In dry form, half-rotted horse manure is suitable for mulching roses, berry bushes.

Rotted substrate and humus

Rotted organic matter is black in color and light. Such manure is a crumbly, homogeneous, loose mass in which litter cannot be discerned. The substance is used to prepare a nutritious soil mixture for seedlings; it is also applied to fruit trees, early potatoes, flowers, tomatoes and other crops. The nutrient substrate for seedlings is prepared as follows:

2 kg of turf soil;
1 kg of rotted manure;
1 kg of high-moor peat;
500 g coarse sand.

At the stage of complete decomposition, manure is called humus. This is no longer so much feeding as full-fledged nutritious soil. Horse humus is used as a fertilizer without limitation, applied for plowing or digging, and this can be done both in autumn and spring. When planting potatoes and seedlings, humus is poured into the holes, and when sowing different cultures poured into the grooves. Humus is also suitable for use as mulch. If you spread it in a thick layer, most weeds will not be able to germinate.

The addition of this substance can improve the taste of some vegetables. So, onions and radishes turn out without bitterness, beets, tomatoes and cabbage grow sweeter. It is useful to feed berry and fruit trees with humus.

Construction of beds and fertilizing

Horse excrement is suitable for use on all types of soil. The main thing is to apply the substance correctly and not exceed the recommended amount. So, in the fall, waste is embedded in the soil, spreading it in a layer of 20-25 cm. Fresh straw is placed on the layer of manure. The thickness of the layer should be about 8-10 cm, maybe a little more or less. A layer of soil 20−25 cm high is poured on top of the straw. The approximate consumption of fresh manure is 700−800 kg per 1 hectare. Soil and straw are needed so that nitrogen does not evaporate, but enters the soil. Besides, plant remains improve the structural properties of the soil.

In the spring, when manure is used to make warm beds or brought into a greenhouse, it is laid in a layer of 20-25 cm. Soil 30 cm thick is poured on top. The consumption rate of horse excrement is 5-6 kg per 1 sq. m. m.

When all the components are laid, the bed is moistened with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. A black or transparent plastic film is placed on top. Periodically check whether the earth has begun to warm up. When it is warm, but no longer hot, seeds are sown or seedlings are planted. Seedlings and adult plants can be fed with slurry and manure at the times recommended for each crop. The solution is adjusted in the following proportion:

1 kg of fresh nettle;
10 water;
2 kg of manure.

Mix everything until it is homogeneous liquid mass, insist 2 weeks. After this, add 6 liters of water to 1 liter of liquid and water it under the root. When there is no time to infuse, it is permissible to use a solution prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 kg of horse manure.

Half-rotted horse excrement is used as fertilizer for potatoes. They can be applied both in autumn and spring. Rose bushes are fertilized before winter, and after that they rake the soil to the stems. In spring, the bushes will immediately begin to receive nitrogen and other substances. Manure is added to strawberry and strawberry bushes during planting, but not to the holes. First, organic matter is scattered over the soil, then loosened, and only after that holes are made. Plants are fed with the solution before flowering. Add 1 kg of organic matter to a bucket of water, mix and water at the rate of 1 liter per bush.

Storage conditions

Horse manure is stored cold or hot. The first option boils down to digging a hole in the area and laying manure (15 cm) and peat (20 cm) there in layers. The dimensions of the pit are chosen arbitrarily. The heap can reach a height of 1.5 m. A plastic film is thrown over it.

The hot storage method is even simpler: the manure is scooped out of the stable and simply piled up. During the winter it partially overheats, becomes lighter and loses about 50% of its nitrogen. To save yourself from the worries associated with storage, just buy a liquid concentrate or organic granules in the store.

Possible harm

While there are many benefits to organic horse-derived fertilizer, there are situations where it is best to avoid using it. First, the manure needs to be inspected. If there are signs of fungal infection, such a substance should not be used in the greenhouse, as there is a risk of contaminating the soil and plants.

The substance at any stage of decomposition should not be placed in a greenhouse or greenhouse if the soil there is very dense. When organic matter decomposes, it releases hydrogen sulfide and methane. IN loose soil they quickly erode, but remain dense for a long time, adversely affecting the root system. You should not put fresh manure in the holes when planting potatoes. In addition to a possible deterioration in taste, there is a risk of infecting plants with scab and other diseases.

Horse manure with sawdust is a valuable nutritious organic fertilizer, but, unfortunately, very rare. To use it regularly for summer cottage, you need to have a stud farm nearby or at least a neighbor who keeps horses.

Fresh horse manure is superior in concentration to all available types of animal organic matter: chicken, cow, goat and pork, so it must be used carefully, and preferably in the fall after fruiting has ended.

Features of horse manure and benefits

The use of horse manure as a fertilizer is justified from the point of view of benefits for the soil, since plant residues serve as food for soil microorganisms. They process organic matter, releasing humic acids into the soil. In this form, nutrients are quickly and fully absorbed by plants.

Horse manure contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus substances and microelements - everything that is necessary to nourish plants in spring and summer during flowering and fruiting. The advantage is that fertilizing the soil with horse manure does not contribute to the proliferation of pathogenic flora, since bacteria and fungi do not grow in horse organic matter.

If you use the substance to prepare compost, it is much more effective than other types, since the combustion temperature reaches almost 80 degrees.

This means that when ripe, it disinfects all other components: plants, soil, kitchen waste, and the output is completely sterile compost.

This feature of fresh horse manure is used both for plants open ground in early spring, and for greenhouse crops to heat the root system of seedlings. Heat is released for two months, but the depth must be at least 30 cm, so as not to burn the roots with nitrogen substances.

Horse manure as fertilizer is mixed with peat, sawdust and straw. Straw comes first in terms of efficiency. Since it is a plant component, it breaks down in the soil over time and also helps restore the soil.

In second place is peat - earthworms love it and actively absorb it, releasing humates into the soil. It is not advisable to mix sawdust, especially fresh ones, with organic matter containing nitrogen. Wood absorbs most of the nitrogen substances.

Types of manure

To fertilize the garden, horse manure is used as a rotted substance or humus if it is applied in the spring. Fresh substrate is added in the fall to winter period it had time to decompose and the excess ammonia had disappeared. Then by spring the plants will receive all the nutrients in an accessible form.

Fresh

Fresh horse manure is used as fertilizer for both vegetable and ornamental plants. But you need to take into account the concentration of active substances, especially nitrogen. Most often, summer residents prefer to dilute it with water, infuse it, and then dilute it further for watering. This method reduces the risk of root damage in young plants.

The best way is to dig up horse manure in the fall with soil and water it. The event is held after the harvest. A fertilized area is well suited for growing plants that consume nitrogen in large quantities - tomatoes, potatoes.

If horse manure and sawdust are used as fertilizer, the wood will absorb most of the ammonia and make it less dangerous for plants.

Half-rotted

If horse droppings are allowed to sit for a while, it will turn into a half-rotted substrate. This form of fertilizer is less hazardous, but in the spring it still needs to be diluted before being incorporated into the soil.

Rotten

After another year, the lying horse manure turns into a rotted substance. It is applied to the soil without fear that the roots will suffer and not recover. To distribute nutrients evenly, it is diluted with water, dug up, or simply scattered over the soil surface.

The last option, using rotted horse manure as a fertilizer, is not very successful, because it will be difficult for bacteria to reach it on the soil surface and process it. Therefore, it is better to dig up.

Humus

The use of horse humus is completely safe, since 2 - 2.5 years pass from the moment of its formation. The substance contains a lot of potassium and phosphorus, an optimal amount of nitrogen, so plants accelerate their growth, bloom well and set fruits that differ in taste, size and long-term storage.

From the moment fresh droppings are received until the humus stage, the substance decreases in volume, as almost all the liquid evaporates. Compared to other types, horse manure dries out less, since it initially contains less moisture, which makes it more economical to purchase.

In granules

Granular horse manure is a store-bought form of fertilizer. Some manufacturers apply a special substance to the granules to remove a specific odor. This is suitable for indoor plants or greenhouses with ornamental crops. The shell dissolves in the soil, and granulated horse manure begins to decompose like all organic matter.

Basically, granules are made from rotted substances so that buyers can use it immediately after purchase. Although it is recommended to first read the instructions on how to use horse manure in granules as fertilizer.

Storage methods

In order for nutrients to be better preserved, you need to properly store horse humus, granulated manure and fresh litter. Nitrogen is the main thing active substance litter, so it must be preserved. To do this, the droppings are mixed with peat or straw, less often with sawdust. The liquid that drains as fresh manure decomposes will be absorbed into and retained by the dry plant components.

Store-bought granular mixtures are stored closed. If the granules are coated, then its dissolution can be accelerated high humidity. Therefore, the bag of horse manure pellets is closed and placed in a cool, dry room.

Hot

Not good effective way, since horse manure quickly decomposes and loses a lot of nitrogen.

Installation method:

stack horse manure without compaction in piles no more than 50 cm high;

when the temperature starts to rise, add the next 50 cm layer, and so on.

You can cover the top with a layer of straw or peat so that the released carbon dioxide is absorbed and evaporates less.

Video: Mulching plantings in the garden with horse manure

Cold

The most productive option. How to organize a pile for cold storage of horse manure:

Make a pile from the boards: height 1.5 m, length - no matter how much, width - no more than 2 meters. This is important because it is necessary to control the access of oxygen. If more air flows into the horse manure due to its small width or height, then the method will turn into a hot method. The fertilizer will lose its potency.

Place a layer of peat or straw on the bottom. If not, use sawdust, but preferably one that has been sitting for a year or two. This will be drainage. Some people lay a layer of oilcloth, and then drainage substances.

A layer of horse manure 20 cm high is laid out. There is the same layer of soil or peat on it. Everything is carefully compacted. There should be a minimum amount of air. So the layers are stacked to a height of 1.5 m. On top is the last layer of earth.

At the end, it is necessary to build a canopy to prevent rain from getting into the pile.

With this method, the activity of soil microorganisms will be suspended, and the temperature will be preserved inside at 30 degrees. The collar should not have wide gaps - the boards are nailed tightly.

Liquid

In this form, storage of horse manure should be carried out in a closed form. How to cook:

Storage container filled with horse manure by 1/3.

Filled with water to the brim.

When it dissolves a little, mix well and cover tightly with a lid.

It is believed that the use of horse manure as a fertilizer in liquid form is possible only after its fermentation. This is not correct. During the fermentation process, an important component, nitrogen, is released and evaporated. Therefore, the fermentation process must occur in the soil. You can avoid fermentation by simply tightly closing the lid on the slurry. In the spring, it is diluted with water again and the beds are watered.

How not to store

It is advisable to immediately place fresh horse manure in a pile for cold storage or compost it to avoid loss of nutrients. If droppings are left under open air– without bedding and shelter from above, then rain and sun will destroy most of the useful components.

Humus cannot be left in the air - it dries out and decreases in volume.

Purchased mixtures contain instructions on how to use horse humus as fertilizer:

in autumn;

in spring;

in summer.

If humus was made independently, then it is used in the following volumes:

in autumn - a bucket of fresh manure per square meter;

in the spring only rotted manure - 5 liters per square;

fresh droppings can be scattered on the snow and excess nitrogen will evaporate before planting;

in liquid form in spring under each bush -1 liter of working solution;

in summer in liquid form for each plant - 1 liter

In the spring, after incorporating humus or rotted substances into the soil, you need to wait 2 - 3 weeks. During this time, earthworms and soil bacteria have time to process organic matter and will be able to feed the plants when planting.

How to use horse manure autumn:

scatter and dig with the top layer of soil;

add slurry into the depressions and cover with earth.

Granulated horse manure is used in the fall to improve the physical and chemical parameters of the soil, as well as for crops of green manure, the roots of which, when rotting, leave channels through which air and water enter the soil.

Video: The value of horse manure when planting potatoes

Plant nutrition

For which plants is the use of horse manure beneficial:

vegetables, especially tomatoes and potatoes;

fruit trees, especially when introducing young seedlings into the hole;

for berry bushes that have a shallow root system - the droppings warm the roots in winter, and in the spring nutrients stimulate flowering and the formation of berries;

decorative flowers - peduncles increase in size, cut flowers last longer in the vase.

One-component mineral fertilizers are sometimes added to horse manure - potassium sulfate or superphosphate.

Fruit trees

Maybe someone doesn’t know that horse droppings can be used to fertilize fruit trees after harvesting. To do this:

a hole is dug along the diameter of the crown depth of at least 30 cm;

a humus solution is made - a third of the bucket is filled with water;

the liquid is poured into the depression and covered with a layer of earth.

You can add wood ash and superphosphate to the humus.

Carefully! Ash is not added to fresh horse droppings.

Berry bushes

For berry bushes, mulch is made from straw. To do this, first the bushes are watered abundantly in the fall, when they have already lost their leaves. Then water it with a solution of slurry, after which a layer of straw is laid around the shoots. This “blanket” warms the root system well.

Potato

Use horse manure as fertilizer for potatoes can be done in two ways:

in the fall, dig up soil with fresh horse droppings;

add humus to the hole when planting.

The first method is easier in terms of labor costs and more efficient in terms of the amount of nitrogen entering the soil.

Flowers

Perennial plants can be fed with horse droppings that have been stored in a pile for at least a year. A working solution is made from them: first stir a third of a bucket of manure with water, let sit and dissolve.

The next day dilute the slurry 1/10 and water the plants. It is desirable that the liquid completely penetrates the soil to prevent loss of nutrients. Such supplements are useful flowering plants: roses, asters, gladioli, cockerels.

Important! Fertilizing coniferous ornamental plants is carried out only with humus or compost based on horse droppings. High nitrogen content is contraindicated for conifers

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