How to fertilize with manure : fresh or mature, quantity to distribute, how to use it and on which crops the manure should be administered.
How to fertilize with manure:
vegetables to fertilize
Fertilization with manure should be done only in one part of the garden because not all plants prefer direct manuring but all plants appreciate the effects that manure as fertilizer produces in the long term.
Fertilization with direct manuring should be carried out on all those crops that see a large production or foresee strong vegetal crops, that is:
- strawberries
- tomato
- pepper
- eggplant
- cucumber
- watermelon
- melon
- thistle
- celery
- artichokes
- asparagus
- pumpkin
- zuchini
Even most ornamental plants prefer fertilization with manure which should be administered at the bottom of the hole at the time of planting, separated from the roots by a drainage layer made of soil mixed with gravel.
There are some garden plants that do not appreciate direct manuring but prefer to benefit from the long-term effects of manure. This preference goes very well with crop rotations to be done in the garden. If in the previous year you fertilized with manure a plot of land cultivated with tomatoes (or one of the cultivars listed above), in the following year, in that area of the garden, do not administer manure and grow one of these plants:
- leek
- garlic
- shallot
- onion
- bean
- green bean
- chard
- carrots
- radishes
- spinach
- lettuce
- Salads
- all leafy vegetables
- all aromatic plants
Fresh or mature manure
On the page dedicated to manure as fertilizer we explained the importance of using well-matured or even old manure. Fresh manure, not having gone through any fermentation phase, leaves a very wet mass without providing the necessary quantities of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and other nutrients useful to the soil. In addition, fresh manure (whether or not with straw, hay and other litter), does not provide structural improvements to the structure of the soil.
Sheep or chicken manure
Chicken manure or poultry manure , as well as sheep manure (ovine manure), were once widely used in agriculture. Today they play a more marginal role. Due to the characteristics of sheep manure and poultry manure, these two fertilizers are used for working the soil before sowing fodder crops. Chicken manure and sheep manure are used to fertilize fields intended for renewal crops such as cereals.
Horse or cattle manure
Sheep manure and chicken manure have been replaced by more nutritious fertilizers that can also provide structural improvements, such as horse and cattle manure.
The differences between fertilizing with horse and cow manure have been described in the article dedicated to “ manure as fertilizer” . On the same page, the differences between manure and products such as manure or similar marketed in the form of pellets or flakes have been analyzed.
How to fertilize with manure:
dose and quantity to administer
It is not easy to talk about dosages: how much manure to use to fertilize the vegetable garden ? It all depends on the type of soil and the work you intend to do.
In the case of very clayey, heavy soils, poor in organic substance and with a tendency to stagnate, there are no limits to use but it is important to use very mature manure so as to carry out very deep workings. You can also use medium-maturation soil (a little cooler) for less deep workings and to obtain a soil with less tendency to form crusts.
When fertilizing with manure , at least during the first year, it is important not to also administer chemical top dressing fertilizers (granular products or similar that are distributed on the surface).
In the case of “ already good” soil (that is, soil that you already use for growing your vegetable garden), the recommended dose of manure for fertilization is 4 kg of manure for each square meter of soil.
If the land has never been used for growing vegetables, at the time of planting, it is recommended to administer 6 kg of manure for each square meter of garden soil to be cultivated.
