Manure

Animal manure, more commonly called poop, dung, or quite a few other things, is great for the garden. It's not high in nutrients, but it increases a plant's ability to absorb and use what's available over a longer period of time. This makes it a very effective fertilizer. It's usually inexpensive too, if you know a farmer with cows, sheep, horses, or pigs who may have a whole pile of it with your name on it! Animal manure is affected by many factors:

• Which animal it came from
• What the animal ate
• How thoroughly it was digested
• What bedding the animal used
• How the manure has been handled and stored

Manure loses 60% of its nutrients in less than 6 months if it's left outside, uncovered, but it is still a good soil conditioner.

Don't use manure from animals that have eaten meat. It becomes too acidic for plants and smells really, really, really bad. That's why we don't use pet dung on our gardens... we've all seen what it can do to a lawn! Most manure contains weed seeds, so be sure to mulch your garden well so they don't get a chance to grow in your vegetable and flower gardens. Caution: when using manure that has sawdust or wood shavings in it, you may need to add nitrogen to the soil.

Fascinating Facts!

1. Manure has been used as a fertilizer for thousands of years! In fact, the ancient Egyptians used manure to fertilize their crops over 5,000 years ago.
2. Manure is full of nutrients that plants need to grow, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
3. Cows produce a lot of manure—up to 120 pounds (54 kg) per day!
4. Pig manure is one of the richest animal manures, with high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus.
5. Manure can be processed into biogas, which can be used as a renewable source of energy.
6. Manure can be harmful to waterways and marine life if it is not managed properly. This is because it can release excess nutrients that cause harmful algal blooms and other water quality issues.
7. In some parts of the world, dried animal dung is still used as a fuel source for cooking and heating homes.

soil conditioning

Kids' Valley Garden by Louise Larabie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.