Content
- 1 Is rabbit droppings used as fertilizer?
- 2 Rabbit dung composition
- 3 Pros and cons of using rabbit manure
- 4 Rabbit dung processing
- 5 How to use rabbit manure to fertilize your vegetable garden
- 6 Features of the use of rabbit droppings
- 7 How to use rabbit manure in the garden correctly
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Reviews of rabbit manure as fertilizer
Rabbit droppings are less commonly used as plant food than other types of animal waste. This is partly due to its small amount, because furry animals produce much less of it than, for example, a cow or a horse. However, if necessary and in sufficient quantities, it is quite possible to use rabbit manure as fertilizer if certain rules are followed.
Is rabbit droppings used as fertilizer?
Pet excrement has been used to fertilize garden beds since time immemorial. Cattle manure, as well as horse manure, is best suited for this purpose. Other types of litter are used less often, although they can be used as such after some preparation. Rabbit manure also belongs to this category.
Rabbits are not only valuable fur, but also ... 100-150 kg of manure per year
On private farmsteads, where the number of rabbits is low, a small amount of droppings are formed, and the problem of its disposal, as a rule, is not worth it. However, in specialized farms, where the number of these animals is measured in hundreds and thousands, a lot of rabbit manure can accumulate.
Rabbit dung composition
As a percentage in the composition of rabbit manure, the amount of nutrients valuable for plants is distributed as follows (as a percentage of the total mass):
- Nitrogen - 0.6.
- Potassium - 0.7.
- Magnesium - 0.7.
- Phosphorus - 0.6.
- Calcium - 0.4.
As you can see from the list, rabbit droppings are a fairly balanced fertilizer that lacks any macronutrient predominance. In addition, manure contains about 60% of organic matter, it contains elements such as manganese, sodium, iron and some others.
Why rabbit dung is useful for the garden
The main benefit of applying rabbit manure is to increase soil fertility. In addition, such fertilization improves the structure of the soil, increases its air permeability. Untreated organic residues attract a large number of earthworms, which loosen the soil and contribute to the formation of a layer of humus.
Pros and cons of using rabbit manure
In addition to the balanced composition of macronutrients, rabbit manure has several other positive properties:
- It belongs to the "hot" type, ie it releases heat during decomposition. This can be used in the arrangement of the so-called "warm" beds.
- It goes well with other types of manure.
- Does not contain weed seeds, since rabbits do not eat them.
- Perfectly loosens the soil.
- Easily composted.
- Can be used in any form.
- It is easy to collect and store.
- Has an initial low humidity.
- It can be used as a fertilizer for feeding any plants.
Pure rabbit droppings look like small pellets
There are significantly fewer drawbacks in rabbit droppings. They are connected with the fact that it is dangerous to use excrement in its pure form for feeding plants, since this can provoke burns of the root system. Therefore, such manure must be pre-diluted or composted. If you neglect this rule, then it is quite possible to simply lose the harvest.
Rabbit dung processing
Since it is risky to use fresh rabbit manure in its pure form as a fertilizer, gardeners use the following methods to reduce the negative impact of manure on plants:
- Composting.
- Shredding.
- Infusion.
- Preparation of humus.
After preliminary preparation, rabbit manure turns into a full-fledged fertilizer, practically devoid of negative properties.
Composting
Composting is a natural process in which organic residues are overheated, depriving them of their harmful factors. To obtain compost, you need to dig a shallow hole in the ground, on the bottom of which a layer of fallen leaves or peat is laid. Then organic matter is laid there in layers, alternating rabbit manure with straw or grass. Periodically, this pile needs to be agitated, and if it dries up, moisten it. If done correctly, the compost will warm up from the inside, which will lead to accelerated decomposition of both manure and organic debris.
All organic residues on the site can be turned into valuable fertilizer - compost
It usually takes about six months for the compost to fully mature. The fertilizer can then be used. Most often, compost is used in spring or autumn, scattering it over the area before plowing.
Powder
Dried rabbit dung loses its activity, but does not lose its beneficial properties. For use or storage, dry excrement is ground into a fine powder. It is best used as a fertilizer when planting or transplanting flowers by mixing the powder in a 1: 3 ratio with garden soil.
Infusion
Rabbit droppings in the form of an infusion are usually used as a fast-digesting root fertilizer. For its preparation, the droppings of rabbits must be poured with water in a ratio of 1:15, and then let it brew for at least 10 days so that it ferments. Since this fertilizer contains quite a lot of nitrogen, it is used only at the beginning of the garden season to stimulate the rapid growth of green mass. Fruit trees also respond well to such feeding.
Preparation of humus
Completely rotted compost from rabbit excrement over time turns into humus - a nutritious substrate that can be used without restriction to improve the characteristics of the soil and increase its fertility. However, under normal conditions this takes several years, and not all gardeners are ready to wait that long. The process can be accelerated if a large number of worms are populated into the compost heap.
Humus is completely recycled organic matter
Ready humus can be plowed into the soil or used as mulch.
How to use rabbit manure to fertilize your vegetable garden
In the garden, rabbit droppings are used for various dressings, most often root ones. As a fertilizer, both pure manure and its various combinations with the droppings of other animals, as well as with bedding straw, are used.
Ways to use rabbit manure in the garden
Depending on the age and condition of the rabbit droppings, you can use it as fertilizer in the garden in the following ways:
- To increase yields and improve the structure of the soil, compost is scattered in the garden before winter, and in the spring it is plowed into the ground.
- Ripe compost and humus can be applied when planting and transplanting garden plants directly into the planting pit, mixing it with sod soil.
- Infusion of rabbit manure is used for quick root and foliar feeding.
- Rabbit droppings mixed with other types of manure can be used to equip "warm" beds in hotbeds and greenhouses.
- Litter manure mixed with straw is used for mulching the root zone of trees and shrubs.
When can you fertilize your garden with rabbit dung
It is more advisable to use rabbit manure at the beginning of the season, since such a fertilizer has a high content of easily assimilable nitrogen. From the middle of summer, it is stopped to be used for feeding fruit crops, vegetables, root crops, this will save them from the accumulation of nitrates. Ornamental plants and flowers can be fertilized. In the fall, rabbit manure is not used, it is simply scattered over the site.
Most often, rabbit manure is plowed into the ground in the spring.
During the winter, it will lose activity, and in the spring, during plowing, the fertilizer will fall directly into the soil.
What plants can be fertilized with rabbit dung
You can use rabbit droppings to feed all types of plants. Most often, such fertilizer is applied under indoor flowers, decorative, fruit and berry trees and shrubs. You can use rabbit manure to improve the characteristics of the soil under plantings of potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants.
Features of the use of rabbit droppings
When using rabbit dung as fertilizer, many factors must be taken into account, such as the age of the manure itself, the degree of its decomposition, condition, cleanliness. Depending on this, the dosage of the substance is calculated, the method of its introduction is determined. It is imperative to take into account the seasonal factor, since for some plants such fertilizer can only be applied during a certain growing season.
For indoor plants and flowers
For indoor plants and flowers, you can use both dry fertilizer and its water infusion. Apply this top dressing as follows:
- When boarding and transferring. For 3 kg of soil add 1 tbsp. l. dry powdery rabbit droppings. The components are mixed with each other, forming a nutrient substrate, into which they are then planted.
- For active growth. Rabbit droppings are mixed with wood ash 1: 1 and soaked in water for at least 10 days. Subsequently, the resulting infusion is diluted 1:10, and then gently irrigate the root zone.
Rabbit dung-based liquid feed can be applied to many horticultural crops
For vegetable crops
To increase the yield of any vegetable crops, you can use rabbit droppings in compost form or in the form of humus. The finished fertilizer is laid out on the surface of the beds or on the site in the fall, and in the spring it is embedded in the soil when digging or plowing. The recommended application rate is 2 kg per 1 sq. m.
For fruit and berry crops
Compost or humus obtained from rabbit droppings can also be used to feed fruit trees. In this case, it is evenly embedded in the soil during the autumn digging of near-trunk circles. For each adult fruit tree, up to 10 kg of compost or humus is applied. You can apply fertilizer in liquid form, pouring the infusion of rabbit manure into special grooves made in the root zone.
Compostable rabbit droppings are brought under fruit trees in the fall
Rabbit droppings in the form of infusion, compost or humus can also be used to feed berry bushes. Straw-containing bedding manure is especially suitable for this. In late autumn, they mulch the root zone of shrubs, this serves as additional protection for the roots from freezing. During the winter, the fertilizer completely decomposes, while enriching the soil with nutrients and microelements.
For garden flowers and ornamental shrubs
Perennial garden flowers and ornamental shrubs are usually fed with infusion of rabbit manure diluted in water. This can be done several times during the season:
- In early spring, before the start of the growing season.
- During the period of active growth, before the budding phase.
- In late autumn, after the end of the growing season.
In this way, roses, decorative honeysuckle, chrysanthemums and many other plants are fed.
How to use rabbit manure in the garden correctly
The long-term practice of using rabbit manure for feeding garden plants confirms that the use of this fertilizer is effective and safe if the permissible concentration is not exceeded. The best option for preparing it is composting for a year, and preferably 2 years. During this time, the excrement decomposes completely, turning into a full-fledged humus. The use of such fertilizer will not have any negative consequences.
A multi-section compost pit will allow you to separate organic matter depending on the ripening period
In order for the process of decomposition of organic residues in the compost heap to proceed continuously, a place for its placement should be chosen in the shade. This will prevent drying out. From time to time, the pile should be watered with water, after which it is better to cover it on top with a dark film or a piece of tarpaulin. After the active decomposition of organic matter ends and the temperature inside the compost heap drops, the shelter can be removed.
Rabbit droppings mixed with cattle manure are excellent for heating beds. This is a very useful property for hobbyists. Arrangement of "warm" beds in greenhouses and greenhouses allows you to plant seedlings much earlier than usual, and this directly affects the yield.
Conclusion
It is possible and necessary to use rabbit manure as fertilizer. It has a balanced composition suitable for almost all horticultural crops. Rabbit droppings are easy to collect and store and compost quickly and easily without taking up a lot of space and cost. At the same time, the effectiveness of its use is very high, as evidenced by numerous positive reviews of gardeners and gardeners.
