Chicken manure is a rich organic fertilizer.
Chicken manure contains high volumes of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. This combination of high-level nutrients provides growers with an organic fertilizer used for growing flowers, herbs and vegetables. Although chicken manure is an excellent amendment for the garden soil, the manure must age first to avoid burning young plants with the high concentration of nutrients when fresh. By using chicken manure as fertilizer instead of the chemical kind found in retail stores, the grower will eliminate the risk of toxic by-products seeping into the soil and harming the plants. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the chicken manure.
2. Add fresh chicken manure and straw bedding to a compost bin daily. The correct straw to chicken manure ratio is at least 2 parts straw for 1 part manure.
3. Turn the chicken manure with a garden rake to mix. Spray a light mist of water from the garden hose into the compost bin to dampen the contents, and use the rake again to turn the contents.
4. Repeat turning the chicken manure contents and misting with water at least once a week, up to six months. Composting the chicken manure up to six months ensures harmful organisms will not survive and harm the plants when added to the garden soil.
5. Apply a 3-inch layer of composted chicken manure to the garden bed in late fall. Do not disturb the garden bed until early spring. Leaving a thick layer of chicken manure on top of the garden bed allows the nutrients from the manure to leech down into the existing soil.
6. Consult the local county extension on when the last frost date is expected to pass. Work the chicken manure into the top 6 inches of garden bed soil with a shovel around one month before the last frost date.
7. Add handfuls of composted chicken manure around the base of growing plants at least two times per month during the growing season. Work the manure fertilizer into the soil surrounding the plants, using your hands. Use the garden hose to water the chicken manure further into the soil around the plants.
Tags: chicken manure, chicken manure, chicken manure, garden soil, into soil, chicken manure, chicken manure garden