Content
Cow manure is an environmentally friendly, natural and quite affordable fertilizer for feeding various crops, including tomatoes. It is used fresh and placed in compost. The most commonly used liquid organic fertilizer for tomatoes is mullein infusion. Feeding tomatoes with mullein allows you to accelerate plant growth and increase productivity. Mullein contains high concentrations of nitrogen and some other microelements necessary for plants. You can replace mullein in the garden with horse or rabbit manure. These animal excrements also contain a rich microelement complex, and their use as fertilizer has a beneficial effect on plants.
Benefits of Cow Dung
Pork manure is probably more accessible to the farmer, however, it is significantly inferior in quality to cattle excrement, which contains a balanced amount of all nutrients necessary for plants.Thus, the composition of fresh cow fertilizer includes potassium (0.59%), nitrogen (0.5%), calcium (0.4%), phosphorus (0.23%), as well as a huge amount of organic matter (20.3 %). In addition to the above microelements, mullein contains magnesium, manganese, boron and other trace elements. This combination of minerals allows you to nourish tomatoes without saturating the vegetables with nitrates.
The concentration of nutrients largely depends on the age of the cow and its nutrition. For example, adult livestock manure contains 15% more of all micronutrients.
Types of mullein and how to use it
No one has ever succeeded in growing tomatoes on “lean” soil, but it can be fertilized with nitrogen and other necessary minerals and organic matter using cow manure. The method of use largely depends on the quality of the raw materials and the living conditions of the livestock.
Fresh manure
Fresh cow manure contains large amounts of ammonia nitrogen, which, if it gets on tomato roots, can burn them. That is why fresh mullein without special preparation is not used immediately before planting tomatoes or to fertilize them during the growing process. It is used more often to increase the nutritional value of the soil during autumn digging. In this case, the substance will have time to decompose over the winter and will not cause any harm to the tomatoes in the spring, but at the same time it will stimulate the growth of tomatoes and increase the yield of vegetables.
The quantity can be changed at the discretion of the farmer depending on the level of existing fertility.
Litter
In the case where the cow is kept in conditions using bedding, when cleaning the barn the owner receives a mixture of manure with hay or straw. When rotted, such manure contains a lot of potassium and phosphorus. If a gardener wants to receive fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, then it is better to use peat as bedding.
Litter manure is also used when digging up the soil in the fall or placed in compost for re-rotation.
Without bedding
If a cow's barn does not use bedding, the manure will not contain much straw and hay. In its composition you can find an increased amount of ammonia nitrogen and a minimum of potassium and phosphorus. Such manure is well suited for preparing mullein infusion.
Rotted manure
A feature of rotted manure is the fact that during storage it loses water, and the harmful, aggressive nitrogen present in it decomposes. Overheating of the substance, as a rule, occurs when it is placed in compost.
After composting, humus is used to add to the soil during digging or to prepare an infusion. In the first case, rotted manure is added to the soil in the fall in an amount of 9-11 kg/m2. You can prepare an infusion for root feeding of tomatoes by adding 1 kg of product to 5 liters of water.
Fertilizers on sale
Cow manure can be found in liquid concentrated form and in granular form in agricultural stores. It is produced on an industrial scale. Use fertilizers for tomatoes follows in accordance with the instructions.
Preparing the infusion
Most often, a liquid infusion of mullein is used to feed tomatoes. Even fresh manure or slurry is suitable for its preparation. When dissolved in water and left to infuse for several days, the ammonia nitrogen in these substances decomposes and becomes a safe growth activator for plants.
You can prepare a mullein infusion by adding manure to water. The ratio of substances should be 1:5. After thorough mixing, the solution is infused for 2 weeks. After the required time, mullein is diluted with water again in a ratio of 1:2 and used to water the tomatoes at the root.
You can see the process of preparing mullein in the video:
Mullein should be used when symptoms of nitrogen deficiency are observed, slow growth of tomatoes and in the early stages of the growing season to increase the green mass of the plant. For regular feeding of tomatoes during flowering and fruiting, it is recommended to use mullein with the addition of minerals.
Mullein infusion with additional minerals
During flowering and fruiting, tomatoes need fertilizer with a high content of potassium and phosphorus. With a sufficient amount of these minerals in the soil, tomatoes will produce ovaries abundantly, increasing the yield of the crop. The taste of vegetables will also be high.
You can also add phosphorus and potassium to the soil by using mullein with the addition of certain substances. For example, for 10 liters of concentrated mullein you can add 500 g of wood ash or 100 g of superphosphate. This mixture will become a comprehensive fertilizer for tomatoes.
You can also feed tomato seedlings with mullein with the addition of various minerals. For example, for the first feeding of tomato seedlings, mullein is used, diluted with water 1:20, with the addition of a spoonful of nitrophoska and half a teaspoon of boric acid. After planting the seedlings in the ground, it is recommended to use mullein in the same concentration with the addition of 1 spoon of potassium sulfate.
Thus, cow manure is a valuable, environmentally friendly fertilizer that can be repeatedly used to feed tomatoes at different stages of cultivation. Fresh mullein is perfect for laying in the ground during autumn digging or for creating compost. If you don’t have time to wait for the mullein to naturally rot, then you can prepare an infusion from it, which during the fermentation process will be devoid of ammonia nitrogen and will become an excellent, safe fertilizer for tomatoes.
Horse manure for tomatoes
A feature of horse excrement is its rapid decomposition, during which the manure releases heat, warming the roots of plants. They also contain a significant amount of nitrogen, up to 0.8%, which is higher than that of cow or pig excrement. The amount of potassium and phosphorus in horse manure is also high: 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively. Calcium, necessary for better absorption of minerals, is contained in this fertilizer in an amount of 0.35%.
Adding horse manure to the soil improves its microelement composition, saturates the soil with carbon dioxide, and activates the vital processes of microorganisms existing in the soil. Heavy soils fermented with this fertilizer become light and crumbly.
It is better to add horse manure to the soil in the fall during digging. The application rate is 5-6 kg/m2.
Horse manure can be used to increase soil fertility in a greenhouse and warm plants in confined spaces. Horse manure is sometimes called a biofuel for heating greenhouses. To feed tomatoes with manure, in a greenhouse it is necessary to remove the top layer of soil 30 cm thick. A small amount (3-5 cm) of this organic fertilizer should be placed on the resulting surface. On top of it it is necessary to again pour a layer of fertile soil. This will saturate the soil with nutrients at the level of the plant roots and replace depleted soil with “fresh” material.
Root feeding of tomatoes using horse manure can be carried out several times during the entire growing period. In this case, the tomatoes will receive not only the required amount of nitrogen, but also a lot of additional minerals.
To feed tomatoes, an infusion is prepared from horse manure. Add 500 g of fertilizer to a bucket of water and, after mixing, infuse the solution for a week.
Fresh horse manure can also be placed in compost to rot. Subsequently, it can be used in dry form to feed tomatoes. To do this, a shallow groove should be made along the perimeter of the root circle.You need to sprinkle a small amount of rotted horse fertilizer into it, cover it with a thin layer of soil and water it. Thus, the tomatoes will receive all the necessary microelements.
Horse manure can be used to create warm beds. Manure laid deep in a high ridge will nourish and warm the roots of the tomatoes. This technology for growing crops is relevant for the northern regions.
Rabbit manure
Rabbit manure as a fertilizer is also valuable for various crops. It contains nitrogen and potassium in the amount of 0.6%, phosphorus and calcium in the amount of 3-4% and magnesium in the amount of 0.7%. Apply fertilizer to the soil for tomatoes in an amount of 3-4 kg/m2 during autumn digging of soil. The fertilizer is well suited for various types of soil. Heavy soils mixed with rabbit manure become lighter and airier. However, to obtain this effect, it is recommended to double the rate of fertilizer application during digging.
You can also feed tomatoes at the root with rabbit manure. For this substance, it should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15. Tomatoes should be watered in the grooves around the perimeter of the root circle. Thus, young roots will best absorb all the necessary substances.
When putting rabbit manure into compost, you can mix it with leaves, straw, grass, and food waste. When storing for the summer, such a compost heap must be shaken 2 times to prevent fire.Rotted rabbit manure can be used in dry form to feed tomatoes, sprinkling the plant's trunk.
The technology for accelerated creation of rabbit compost can be found in the video:
When using any type of manure, you must remember that it contains weed seeds, pest larvae, and harmful microorganisms. They can be removed by visual inspection and elimination, sifting through a sieve, and watering with potassium permanganate. These measures are relevant when using fresh and rotted manure. When using fertilizer diluted with water for root feeding of tomatoes, you should remember that nutrients are better absorbed with more water, so before applying fertilizer, the plants should be watered abundantly.
Conclusion
Manure is an excellent fertilizer for feeding tomatoes. It can be used as compost or infusion. During the fermentation process, harmful microflora and ammonia nitrogen disappear in it, which means that the substance can only bring benefits to tomatoes, accelerating their growth and increasing productivity. If you decide to feed your tomatoes with minerals, you should also not give up organic matter, because by adding some additional minerals to the manure infusion, you can make it a source of potassium, or, for example, phosphorus. In turn, such mineral-organic fertilizing will not only accelerate the growth of tomatoes, increase productivity, but also make the fruits especially tasty, sweet, and most importantly, healthy.
