It may be smelly and gross, but no gardener can deny the benefits of cow dung. Use as a fertilizer is an ancient practice that can bring revitalized soil back to life. It contains many nutrients that promote the growth and livelihood of your plants. Not to mention that it's completely organic!
In this article we will explain the basics of converting cow manure into a valuable addition to your garden beds. If you've traveled through this information with us, you'll find that manure isn't as smelly and gross as you thought! So let's take a look at how you can make the most of the gracious gift from the cow.
Fertilizers you can use:
What is cow dung?
Cow dung is an incredible fertilizer and soil improvement for gardening. Source: NefcoNordic
You may think that cow dung is just poop, but it is actually so much more than that. Cattle usually feed on cereals and grasses that are high in nutrients even after they have been digested. When manure is removed from a cow's barn, it brings hay, straw or other organic matter to the floor. This and the digested plant material in the manure ensure a nutritious load of manure.
Cow dung contains most of the macro and micronutrients needed for plant growth, especially nitrogen (the most important). Overall, however, this is a fairly balanced fertilizer with the lowest nitrogen content of all popular animal fertilizers. The exact NPK values vary depending on what the cow is fed, what bedding it has and even how old it is. Usually this amount drops by 3-2-1. You will find that it works for almost every plant, from ornamental plants to vegetables.
So why cows? Of course you can get dung from any animal, but only a few are suitable for gardening. It is extremely important that your manure comes from a herbivore, as carnivorous animal waste can contain dangerous pathogens. Chickens and horses are popular slurry products. However, cow manure contains less nitrogen than these two, which makes them more versatile in the garden. Nitrogen contributes to green leaf growth in plants and vegetables, which can deprive the flowering and fertile plants of energy. Because it's balanced, you can use cow droppings for just about anything.
There is a lot to do because cow manure has a larger mass than chicken and horse manure. In addition, cattle are raised all over the US, so it's pretty easy to get your hands on some crap (of course with gloves!).
Now you can no longer just lug fresh cow dung onto your garden beds. It must be composted first. In its original state, manure is rich in ammonia and can quickly burn and dry out plants – the opposite effect that we are striving for. Fresh or improperly composted manure can also contain invasive weed seeds or, worse, harmful pathogens.
The composting sterilizes the manure so that nothing harmful gets into your garden. If you are still unsure, you can always ask your supplier which chemicals the cows may be exposed to.
Benefits of using cow dung
The manure is often mixed with straw, hay and other brown composting agents. Source: Squirrel Nation
There are many advantages that need to be listed. So we start with the most important thing – how slurry helps the soil. When we think about it, our thoughts always jump to nutrients, but cow droppings are also an excellent soil improvement. They help to ventilate the soil and transform lumpy clay into loamy goodness. This also increases the soil's ability to retain moisture, which means less watering for you!
Composted cow droppings are also organic, which is a big selling point. There is no risk of chemicals for your plants. Even if the livestock received medication or grazed on pesticides, these chemicals are eliminated by composting. Manure is also an extremely natural way of fertilizing. Even without human intervention, it would slowly process and return nutrients to the soil.
When used correctly, liquid manure rarely burns plants. Instead, it encourages their growth and makes a more productive garden. This is a proven method that gardeners keep coming back to. It is also very cheap or even free. What more could a gardener ask for?
Disadvantages of using cow dung
There are some disadvantages to using cow dung for gardens, but most can be avoided by proper composting. Otherwise, the resulting fertilizer can become contaminated with chemicals that can cause damage. It can also contain fertile weed seeds that need to be removed later. Most importantly, manure can carry threatening bacteria like E. coli. However, if you compost properly, you can eliminate these dangers.
Of course there is an obvious disadvantage – the smell. Most people, especially your neighbors, don't appreciate the musky scent of cow droppings. However, the smell disappears during composting, so you don't have to worry about it for long. On hot days, composted manure may smell like cows, but isn't strong enough to worry about. If you absolutely can't stand the stench, you can always buy pre-composted manure in a garden shop.
How to compost cattle manure
To say that composting is important is a big understatement. This is the most important part of the process and must be done correctly. Fortunately, composting is much easier than it seems!
To get a good carbon-nitrogen ratio, the manure must be a mixture of manure and bedding material such as straw. If necessary, mix in some brown leaves, straw or other organic material.
Hot composting
Liquid manure can be composted in a large pile or by many other methods. Source: Putneypics
It is the most popular and safest method. It takes advantage of the fact that organic substances give off heat when they are broken down. This heat is used in hot composting to sterilize the manure when broken down. We promote the decomposition process by supplying the microorganisms in the soil with what they need to work – air, water and organic substances.
You need to make a large, dome-shaped dung heap. About 3 feet tall and wide is the recommended size, but you can get taller, especially if you have agricultural machinery to move it around. The larger the stack, the more work it will do. So be realistic about how much time you are willing to invest in this stack. Note, however, that stacks that are too small do not generate enough heat to decompose properly.
If you live in an area with frequent rain, put your stack under a roof to protect it. Otherwise, you can simply cover it with a tarp in bad weather. You also don't want to place it near your house, water sources or recreation areas (it smells first).
Once your stack is in place and shaped, let it soak well with the tube to speed up the decomposition process. It should be damp but not soaked throughout the process. You can test the moisture by taking a handful and squeezing it. When a few drops of water squeeze out, the moisture is perfect. Everything that needs to be adjusted more or less.
It can take anywhere from a day to a month for the stack to heat up. Cold weather can slow this down. If necessary, cover the stack with black plastic. Check the inside temperature regularly with a compost thermometer. The target temperature is 130 ° F, which is hot enough to sterilize the manure.
If your stack was approximately 30 ° C on three consecutive days, it can be rotated. Use a compost fork or shovel to remove the outer layer and throw it on your own pile. Then move the remaining compost, which is hot, onto this second stack. This allows the stack to heat up evenly and the microorganisms are additionally aerated.
Water the stack and let it heat up a second time. Check the temperature again with your thermometer and make sure it is heated to 130 ° F for three days. After that, let the stack sit until it is loamy, dark, and smells of earth. This can take a few days or months. If you are composting a large batch, you may need to rotate it several times to ensure that everything warms up.
Very rarely, compost material can overheat and burn. If you ever see your bunch smoking, pour it immediately to cool things down.
Vermicomposting
It was a great success to feed worms with cow droppings, both as a bedding medium and as feed. This composting method is great if you already have a worm farm. They simply replace the usual worm feed with compost. If you are new to vermicomposting, learn more about worming here.
You start by piling up manure, watering it down a few times, and aging it. This gives you time to overcome the heating level so that you don't cook the worms. If you water it from time to time, it ages and rinses off ammonia build-up and any deworming drug residue that has been given to the cow.
After aging, move the stack into your worm container instead of the usual worm food. If you only have a small amount of manure, you can apply a 2-4 inch layer on top of the existing worm feed without aging. Because this is such a small amount, it doesn't heat up enough to injure the worms. The most popular worm choice here is Eisenia fetida, the red wiggler. However, there are different types of composting worms to choose from.
Now that the manure is there, you can let your little composters do their thing. The worms eat the manure and turn it into worm castings. These castings in combination with leftover compost are referred to as vermicompost. It has a dark color and a fine grain texture. Since the manure has aged and been processed by the worms, it can be safely used in the garden. After separating the castings from the worms, you can apply them directly to the floor or use them for compost tea.
Can cow dung be composted in any other way?
You are not limited to worms and dung heaps. Many gardeners choose the lasagna route. This method is not a delicious meal, but layers fresh manure with other carbon-tight materials. The manure is called a "green" layer and the other materials are "brown".
The brown layer consists of carbon-rich organic materials such as cardboard, wood chips, straw, dry leaves or paper. Most cattle litter is made of brown material! Brown layers should be about twice as deep as green layers. If the layers are there, water them down with the hose. The lasagna must sit for a month. During this time, the layers warm and cool and turn into usable soil.
Liquid manure can also be plowed into the soil of your garden and then broken down. After tilling, cover the soil with black plastic to suppress weed growth and let it decompose for one season. If you choose this method, you are doing it in a part of your garden where you do not want to plant for the year.
You can also use a composting cup instead of a stack. These should keep the fertilizer discreet and make turning very easy. With this method you also need brown materials!
Finally, you can turn cow manure into biochar, a pyrolyzed organic medium. This process uses high heat and little oxygen to convert organic matter into a coal-like substance. It has excellent water-repellent properties and still aerates the floor.
How to use cattle droppings
You can buy composted manure in bulk or just buy a bag here and there. Source: Squirrel Nation
Cow manure compost can be used as a soil conditioner and fertilizer. It can also completely replace the bottom, but we recommend only mixing it. Due to its balanced pH, it can be used for almost any plant.
Mix a 2-3 inch layer of your fertilizer into the soil until the desired consistency is achieved for your plants. You can also simply spread a ½ "thick layer on the floor (1" for very poor floors). Make sure that you apply the fertilizer in areas away from water sources so that it does not get into the water.
A composted medium is often used as a topper for lawn grass seedlings. It can be added to landscaping, gardens and even houseplants. In some cases, fertilizer can be used as mulch, but it also benefits from being placed under mulch itself.
If you have fertilizer scraps that you simply cannot use, share them with your friends or neighbors. Do not store the same unused fertilizer in your garden for years.
Where to control manure
Fertilizer bought in the store can put a heavy burden on your wallet. This is another reason why we love cow dung – it's free! Well, it depends on where you get it from. If you breed cattle or know someone who does, you probably have more than you need. If not, find a nearby dairy farm and ask if they have anything left (probably also). Some farmers process the manure themselves and sell it. This may be a cheaper option than buying from a retailer.
Most well-known garden suppliers like Home Depot and Lowe's sell many different brands of composted cow dung. You can also buy it directly from suppliers like Black Kow or Amazon. Here are some of our favorites:
The green thumbs behind this article:
Rachel Garcia
Juicy fanatic
Lorin Nielsen
Lifetime gardener
Last update on April 23rd, 2020 / Affiliate links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API
