Before using rabbit manure, you should know its composition and characteristics. This is a unique type of fertilizer that can not only enrich the soil with useful microelements, but also soften, warm and loosen the soil. Such properties of manure are due to the special secretion in the bodies of rabbits and their special diet.
Rabbit manure is the most effective fertilizer
The great value of this organic matter for agricultural lands is its saturation with microelements.
The special distribution of this manure over the soil surface leads to rapid absorption of nutrients by the soil. One kilogram of this manure contains:
- magnesium oxide – 7g;
- nitrogen – 6 g;
- potassium oxide – 6 g;
- calcium oxide – 4 g.
The content of all presented elements in almost equal proportions is also unique and inherent specifically in rabbit droppings. In the manure of other animals, the predominance of one of all contents is most often observed.
It is thanks to this composition and phosphoric acids that rabbit manure in small quantities can replace almost ten times the volume of sold fertilizers. They include ammonium sulfate, potassium salt and superphosphates.
Chemical composition
Although the rabbit is not a large animal, one furry rodent of average weight produces 100-150 kg of litter per year. The composition of rabbit manure is closest to bird manure. The amount of nutrients is approximately the same and they are all well absorbed.
Rabbit droppings contain:
- Macroelements: phosphorus, potassium, sodium and others;
- Microelements: zinc, iron, copper and others;
- Acids;
- Vitamins.
Where is rabbit manure used?
There are various options for using rabbit droppings as a fertilizer:
- in the form of liquid fertilizer (for its production you need fresh manure);
- powder form;
- processed as compost;
- humus.
It is quite possible in some cases to use this fertilizer without prior composting. The substrate does not contain plant seeds that are capable of growing and contaminating the soil with weeds.
Rabbit manure is used in different forms, which have a special purpose and certain characteristics.
Fresh manure
This fertilizer is rarely used in its fresh form. But still, they can replenish depleted soil. After harvesting, it is necessary to distribute fresh rabbit manure evenly over the land at the end of summer. This method will help enrich the soil with useful substances before the next spring planting. During the cold winter period, having frozen and decomposed, the manure will lose all decomposition products. And during the period of snow melting or with spring rains, it will dissolve and penetrate into the lower layers of the soil, saturating it with useful substances.
Powdered rabbit manure
Having subjected the balls of droppings to burning or drying under the sun, they are ground into a powdery composition. This form is used to prepare fertilizer by first mixing the dry powder with the soil. Proportions used – 1 tbsp. l of dry manure and three kilograms of soil.
Liquid fertilizers are prepared from powdered rabbit manure. In this case, 1 teaspoon of dry preparation is needed for three liters of water. Used to fertilize indoor and some garden plants.
Humus
The product of the natural breakdown of manure under natural conditions with the help of worms is called humus. It looks homogeneous and loose. Because it underwent additional processing in the body of protozoan invertebrates. Humus must be placed on the surface of the site in equal portions and then dug up, deepening it into the lower layers of the soil. This way it will be possible to saturate the earth with microelements as efficiently as possible.
Compost
Rabbit droppings can be used as fertilizer as compost. Having previously laid it in early spring, after a year this form of manure use will be ready for use. Having spread it evenly over the land, you should dig it up for better permeability of nutrients into the soil.
Before direct use, the compost is diluted with water. Often used for feeding root crops, various fruit or berry crops. Compost is widely used as mulch. This way you will avoid excessive drying of the soil and prevent the appearance of weeds.
In winter, compost is used to cover the garlic. This helps protect the crop from freezing in severe frosts.
Obtaining humus.
Humus production.
Finally, we have reached the last stage of converting rabbit droppings into valuable raw materials - rabbit gold . I’ll tell you a little about what humus is. Translated from Latin, this word means earth, soil. This is a completely decomposed manure-compost mass, that is, a crumbly, earth-like, homogeneous, loose consistency, which is a mixture of valuable inorganic compounds. I will also say that it is almost impossible to obtain high-quality humus without the help of dung worms. Moreover, their number should be so large that a separate question arises about their cultivation.
In recent years, humus has attracted an increasing number of gardeners and other farmers. Its price on the market is constantly growing, especially in developed Western countries. And where, for natural reasons, there is a lack of soil nutrition (Egypt, Turkey, countries of the Arabian Peninsula), the price of humus reaches 1200 euros per ton! Why is this happening?
- Firstly, people have become more careful about their health and, whenever possible, try to look for an alternative to chemical fertilizers and grow environmentally friendly products.
- Secondly, humus, compared to even ordinary compost, is significantly more beneficial for plants; it is required ten times less.
- Thirdly, it is easily digestible, since it is very similar in composition and structure to ordinary chernozem.
- Fourthly, it is easy to store and transport (it is granulated, does not have an unpleasant odor, and does not corrode the container).
- Fifthly, it does not contain harmful bacteria and weed seeds; it is impossible to oversaturate the soil with them.
Unfortunately, the theme of the site does not allow me to deviate from the topic of rabbits, I will only say that this is now a very profitable area of investment. Worms specially bred in California are quite expensive in price, but they quickly pay for themselves and also quickly increase their population. Domestic coelenterate analogues “Prospectors” have already appeared. I suggest watching videos that, I hope, will further expand your ideas and knowledge about such a valuable fertilizer as humus.
Production of vermicompost in piles.
Production of vermicompost using the box method.
Production of vermicompost on a private farmstead.
Fertilize cucumbers
The excrement of furry animals is an effective source for fertilizing various vegetable crops, flowers, legumes, trees and berry bushes. Rabbit manure is great for cucumbers as a fertilizer. This feeding is the most acceptable.
You should always remember the dangers of using any type of manure in its pure form.
Regardless of the form of growing cucumbers - greenhouse or in open ground, rabbit manure is equally valuable in use for this type of vegetable crops.
Using it, gardeners pursue the following goals:
- Enrich the soil as efficiently as possible. This is very important to obtain a good yield. Therefore, in the process of changing crop rotation, it is advisable to carry out this procedure every 2-3 years.
- Create greenhouse conditions when planting seedlings or sowing seeds.
- Mulching the soil will help increase soil looseness. Reducing the density of agricultural land is a necessary condition for better germination and faster fruit emergence.
In some cases, fertilizer is used using a liquid solution of rabbit droppings. In greenhouses it is necessary to distribute it pointwise. At the end of autumn, the open ground is covered with a thin layer, which in the spring is saturated deep into the soil thanks to melt water. In any case, it is important not to make mistakes in choosing the amount of fertilizer applied.
It is advisable to prepare warm beds about a week before sowing. Litter or fresh manure should be placed in furrows up to 10 cm deep, which are located in the middle part of the proposed bed. Sprinkle with soil, water and cover with film to create a greenhouse effect. The subsequent chemical reaction will help warm the soil due to the release of heat at the site where the manure was introduced.
Compost is used for mulching. It should be distributed between rows so as not to harm the plant due to the very high nitrogen content.
In cases where the seedlings are weak and there is no active growth, you can apply liquid fertilizer. When fertilizing, you must be extremely careful not to water the plant itself. The fertilizer should be distributed between the seedlings in the prepared holes.
Use of the material in question
Application individually:
- in dry form;
- in a liquid state;
- in composts and humus;
- in humus;
- as bait and fertilizer.
Based on this, answers to the question: “What can rabbit manure be used for?” there may be a large number. Namely:
- Rabbit manure is an indispensable fertilizer for gardeners (the absence of seeds makes it possible to avoid the procedure of composting biomaterial).
- Rabbit manure is used as a soil and soil loosening agent due to its mulching ability.
- Poultry farmers feed it to their chickens.
- For breeding worms.
- In the production of humus.
- Rabbit droppings are used as an expensive biomaterial (you can sell it to other gardeners or state farms, because rabbit droppings are not commercially available for sale), etc.
Is it possible to use rabbit manure when growing perennial forage grass, growing mushrooms and in floriculture? The answer is positive, because the biomaterial in question has a number of useful characteristics (composition, absence of seeds, etc.).
Rabbit manure as fertilizer for tomatoes
The methods for fertilizing nightshades are identical to those used when feeding cucumber seedlings. You just need to be especially careful when using the litter due to the even greater sensitivity of tomatoes to nitrogen. For the same reason, when preparing a bed for planting tomatoes, you should use completely rotted compost. If necessary, fresh droppings can be added to it, but not more than 5% of the total mass of the resulting substrate.
Rabbit manure can also be used on strawberries.
Accuracy in application to this type of vegetable concerns feeding in liquid form. In order to get a good result, it is advisable to first test the prepared mixture on several bushes of the planted crop.
Storage rules
To preserve the microelements that rabbit manure is rich in, you should follow the rules for storing it:
- Too high a temperature is fatal for him. Therefore, you should not treat it with boiling water or steam. This will destroy the beneficial elements contained in it.
- To avoid drying out, storage should take place in a cool, damp room.
- The container with the solution must be tightly closed with a lid to prevent weed seeds from getting inside.
One way to store it is to put it in beds.
Rabbit manure for flowers
Fertilizing with rabbit manure also has a positive effect on domestic types of flowers and ornamental crops when used correctly. Before you prepare fertilizer from rabbit manure, you need to take a mixture of litter and wood ash. It is prepared from equal parts using a small amount of water. Next, the substrate must ferment. To ensure that the fertilizer is completely ready for further use, the fermented mixture must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 parts.
A mixture of dry powdered manure and soil is also suitable for fertilizing flowers. A similar composition can be used as a substrate for planting plants.
Useful tips
- Watering is done on cloudy days, so the fertilizer is better absorbed and evaporates less (if it is liquid);
- Watering is carried out at the root (in the tree trunk circles), without spraying the stem and leaves;
- If the soil is dry, it should be shed with water before adding it;
- Rabbit manure contains a lot of alkaline elements, so it reduces the acidity of the soil. It cannot be added to soil that is neutral or alkaline in composition. This will limit the plant's absorption of phosphorus.
- The prepared, infused solution should be stored in a special container covered with a mesh.
- You should not fertilize plantings with untreated manure: its breakdown products - ammonia and methane - will burn the young shoots.
Preparation and application of fertilizers
For easier composting, you should mix rabbit manure with horse, cow, or sheep manure. It is also recommended to use only organic food waste. During the process of rotting, it is necessary to turn the compost heap from time to time to ensure uniformity of the process. You can check its readiness by looking at the structure of the compost. It will become homogeneous and crumbly.
Once or twice a season it is worth applying fertilizer, which is placed in the holes formed near the plants. You can add an amount not exceeding 2 liters per 1 square meter. m. of soil. To prepare this type of feeding, you need to dissolve 1-1.5 kg of water in a bucket of water. fresh manure. The solution is considered ready after it has infused and the droppings have completely dissolved.
Fresh manure contains more useful components for fertilizer. When dry, it retains only half of the nutrients needed to nourish the soil. Such raw materials are suitable for preparing liquid fertilizer.
Rabbit droppings have advantages over other types of manure due to the higher content of useful substances in its composition. If used correctly, you can get a bountiful and high-quality harvest.
Common Mistakes
If used incorrectly, it can cause damage rather than benefit to the crop. This applies to the timing when fertilizer is added to the post office. It should occur before winter and early spring. During the fruiting period, fertilizing should not be done.
The use of freshly obtained manure is unacceptable, since its decomposition releases toxic gases. Such fertilizer may lose its positive properties if stored improperly. Incorrect proportions when preparing solutions are unacceptable.
