Quail manure fertilizer
All owners of summer cottages and country houses know that in order to get a good harvest from the garden, it is necessary to carry out regular fertilizing of plants with fertilizers. Organic minerals useful for growth and productivity are found by gardeners in pigeon or quail droppings. In addition, such fertilizer from fresh quail droppings can be obtained by a person free of charge if he maintains such birds at home. It remains only to find out to what extent quail manure is used as fertilizer and how to rationally use it.
Quail manure as fertilizer
The value of organic fertilizer
Quail dung is highly valued by gardeners because of its richness in minerals that are especially useful for plants. Cow dung or that of any other bird has a more modest composition. So, even nitrogen and phosphorus in them is several times less compared to quail droppings. Many gardeners also note that the use of quail fertilizer is perceived by the root system of fruit plants better than with other organics. And its beneficial effect has a positive effect for 36 months. No other organic fertilizer in the world has such characteristics.
Quail droppings, in addition to their positive aspects, also have disadvantages. One of them is the content of uric acid in the fertilizer. At a certain concentration, such a substance has a detrimental effect on the root system of plants. In addition, improper use of quail droppings can destroy the plant. In some cases, it leaves burns, but most often leads to its poisoning, so many gardeners, before using quail dung, put it into processing, defend and dilute it with other substances useful for vegetation.
Features of litter processing
Plant nutrition plays an important role in getting a good harvest. But in order for the droppings from domestic quails not to destroy the plants due to the contained uric acid, it is necessary to process it. Quail manure processing is its overexposure. This procedure has its own characteristics, which should be known to everyone who decides to do this.
The most effective method of overexposure is composting. Quail manure containing urea must be allowed to sit for several months to reduce to a safe level. Using a fresh product will not bring the desired effect, it will only damage the plants. At home, the processing of quail droppings is as follows:
- Prepare a large-volume container (barrel, metal tank, etc.).
- Pour liquid quail droppings.
- Cover with a layer of sawdust or straw.
According to the proportion, the loaded compost from fresh quail manure should contain only 40-45% manure and 55-60% additives. Straw and sawdust absorb urea and become wet.Wet additives completely rot during infusion, which leads to the evaporation of urea. The processing of fresh quail droppings also makes it possible to rid the decaying masses of harmful parasites during the settling period. In 2-3 months, a person can get a clean, ready-to-use product in the form of an organic fertilizer.
Every gardener uses quail manure as a quality feed for fruit plants in order to get a good harvest in the summer season. The soil receives the minerals it needs, which leads to the activation of the growth of seedlings. We must not forget that the feeding itself also requires certain knowledge in this area. Compost should be used for its intended purpose only in the fall, so that the quail droppings are well absorbed into the soil before the cold weather. It is forbidden to make compost in the spring: such actions can lead to a violation of the growing season and ripening of the fruits themselves.
Preparation of top dressing
The quail manure placed in compost drums is used only as fresh fertilizer. But, if there is no time to wait, the manure should be diluted with water and let it brew for several days. The resulting substance is called top dressing. The use of such a tool allows you to enrich the soil and the plants themselves with useful substances in the summer. You should know how to feed and what proportions of water and quail droppings will be safe for vegetation.
Experienced gardeners recommend preparing quail droppings a week before using it. To do this, you must use an ordinary bucket with a lid, into which quail manure (0.5 l) is placed and water (10 l) is poured. The resulting substance should be thoroughly mixed and covered with a lid. In a week, fertilizer from quail droppings will be ready. It should be used instead of watering.
Fresh or dry?
Before fertilizing fruit plants with quail droppings, you need to know that this product can also be used in dry form. Fresh litter contains:
- 1.5-2% nitrogen;
- 1.5% phosphorus;
- 0.7-1% potassium.
After heat treatment, the product becomes even more saturated with useful substances:
- 5% nitrogen;
- 3-4% phosphorus;
- up to 2.5% potassium.
It is very difficult to produce such an increase in the indicators of nutrients for plants on your own. This is due to the processing of the product at high temperatures. On an industrial scale, drying takes place in specialized cabinets at a temperature of 700-800 ° C. This equipment is not used in the household. It is more expedient to buy a ready-made product in a specialized store in the form of a powder.
The dry product has a composition more saturated with useful elements. Even after heat treatment, the droppings do not lose their properties and become even more effective. This difference in indicators determines the higher demand for industrial products. In addition, fresh manure has to be used after long processing, while dry manure has a smaller list of requirements.
What summer residents talk about
Quail droppings from a large variety of organic fertilizers have become less popular in recent decades than they have been before.
This is due not to the poor qualities of the product itself, but to the fact that specialized dressings have appeared on the market that do not require lengthy processing. But why buy something new if a livestock of quails is grown on a personal plot? In addition, manure is no worse than specialized means for gardening purposes.
There are also certain rules governing the correct use of quail manure in order to obtain the highest possible yield from vegetable crops. The owner of the garden should:
- Use quail droppings for white cabbage at the rate of 2 kg / sq. m.
- Use manure for pumpkin and tomatoes at 3-4 kg / sq. m.
- Fertilize root crops at 2-2.5 kg / sq. m.
- Apply 2-2.5 kg / sq. m.substances for onions, garlic and herbs.
Experienced gardeners have noticed that quail manure as a fertilizer has some features that are manifested in different ways in the frequency of its use. So, in 1 year, manure is similar to other fertilizers, but in the next 2-3 years, you can notice a significant increase in the amount of harvest. We must not forget that quail droppings can be different. It depends on the quality of the birds' feed, their health, age and even breed.
Every farmer knows that quail manure as a fertilizer has good indicators of the benefits spent on it.
That is, how many kilograms of grain or other food a person spends on feeding quails, he will receive the same amount of the desired product. The ratio of 1 to 1 allows you to use manure for your own purposes free of charge, since this product is no longer suitable for any purpose.
Panacea or not
For breeders of quail, white dung is one of the most popular types of organic fertilizers. But can it be applied to all vegetables and fruits? The product, which is so popular among private owners, has a low potassium content, and some crops need it more than others. Potatoes are one of them. It is ineffective to use the pure form of the quail product without additives and impurities for fertilizers, so many gardeners add potassium chloride or ash to it.
The use of such fertilizers can also cause some difficulties in the quality and quantity of the crop. To understand the essence of the problem itself, you need to know the composition of the fresh product, as well as information about what reactions occur with it during composting. According to experts, a large concentration of nitrogen useful for plants is contained in urea, which is harmful to them. The use of composts and their infusion leads to a partial loss of nutrients. In addition, insufficient processing of manure harms the plant, kills it and poisons the fruits, saturating them with nitrates.
Fertilizing indoor plants
Some indoor growers are often interested in the question of how to fertilize indoor vegetation with quail droppings. Growing fruit plants in houses and apartments is rare. Most often, the main activity stops at keeping flowers in pots. It is impractical to introduce droppings into the soil, mixing it with a small volume of soil. Most often, small doses of fertilizer are placed on top of the soil, and nutrients get to the roots of flowers with each watering.
We must not forget that a large dose of applied fertilizers can negatively affect the condition of the plants. Experts advise pouring no more than half of 1 tsp. in one container. The location of the compost is equally important. It should be placed at a safe distance from the stem so that the product does not burn on it.