How to prepare manure before spreading - the main points of obtaining high-quality organic matter
For gardening, organic is the first assistant if you know how to prepare manure before applying to the beds. Usually, fresh manure after cleaning the barns is simply piled up in a large pile at the edge of the plot, where it does not bother anyone. And those who do not have the opportunity to collect organic matter just buy it, but also in large quantities. You can't do with one bucket. However, in this form, it is not yet a complete organic fertilizer. After all, the height of the heap is often considerable, therefore, the number of layers is also. Such a thick layer does not rot until the end and contains fresh waste inside. Today we will talk about why they are not recommended for soil fertilization. And also how to do it right organic fertilizer from the manure.
You can tell whether manure is fresh or not by its color: it is brown, besides, the plant part in the form of hay or bedding straw is intact, not decomposed.
Why fresh manure cannot be used for fertilization
It is not worth bringing in fresh manure, because it contains many harmful gases and their compounds (ammonia, propane and others). You can smell them, and when they get into the ground, they create toxic compounds. They, in turn, kill all beneficial organisms and worms, so in the first year there will be no benefit from such feeding. Of course, by the second year, nature will do its job, and the manure will rot. But in the current season, it will only provoke an outbreak of diseases such as brown spots and late blight.
How to prepare manure before applying to the soil
So, if you have purchased large quantities of fresh natural fertilizer, the first step is to:
- Spread the manure a little and see what happens to it. If a light steam is visible above the waste, it means that aerobic bacteria have begun to work. They heat up the manure by raising the temperature inside the heap. Weeds and many pathogenic bacteria die. However, the "combustion process" is possible only in the presence of air and moisture. Therefore, be sure to turn the manure over, spill it with water and cover it with a layer of straw for 1.5 weeks.
- If the manure has already passed the first heating, you need to spread it out in a thinner layer (about 20 cm) and cover again. At this stage, it is recommended to re-spill organic waste with the addition of special biological products. This is how beneficial bacteria colonize and their number increases.
- After about 1-1.5 months, the manure begins to gradually turn black. When it changes its reddish color and the specific unpleasant smell disappears, it can already be used. In this semi-composting form, it is almost ready-made fertilizer, for example, for warm beds.
By the next season, he will completely grind, and then it will be a wonderful top dressing for tomatoes.