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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2022)
Applegater Summer 2022 9 DIRTY FINGERNAILS AND ALL Here is the poop on poop BY SIOUX ROGERS What is plant “fertilizer”? Sure, most of you know the word—“fertilizer” or “manure” or “…..” All I am thinking and talking about is free fertilizer. A pile of poop, given as a gift. How lucky can a gal get? Because we live in the country, we have a smorgasbord of “country poop.” Included in the “menu” is manure from chickens, cows, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, and llamas. That about covers the variety of country poop. Basically, the usefulness of any fertilizer for either the home garden or a giant industrial plot comes down to just three ingredients: nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). Those letters, NPK, appear on the front of most fertilizer products, each letter followed by a number. Sometimes just the numbers appear, without the letters. For example, a label that looks like “The Right Stuff” pictured on this page or the XYZ Brand label is telling you the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (potash) contained in each bag. Now that that is perfectly clear, a quick lesson on the necessity of each ingredient. Nitrogen (N) is important for green leafy growth. You know—the leafy green stuff you love to hate, such as spinach, lettuce, kale, and collards. Keeping grass green is also very dependent on nitrogen. Low nitrogen makes plants pale green, sometimes even yellow (see photo.) Too much nitrogen on flowers or fruit trees will produce bushy green plants and trees but few flowers and fruit. Dang. Phosphorous (P) is an important nutrient for the development of “ H o t ” flowers and manure can fruit. It is also burn your a significant plants, but a ingredient for “cold” manure root health can be used and growth. w i t h o u t Potassium c omp o s ti n g . (K) is also Compost important manure for at for robust least three or development four months of flowers, to turn it from fruit, and roots. hot to cold. Potassium The list helps the roots below is what absorb water Example of a plant fertilizer label. you have been and avoid w a i t i n g f o r. the effects (For even more of drought. information, Potassium is visit Alpacas essential to o f Mo n t a n a the metabolic at bityl.co/ processes CDMb.) of virtually Alpaca all plants. m a n u r e It pro m o te s (1.7-.69- strong stems, 1.2): Alpaca we l l - f o r m e d compost has flowers, robust the highest fruits, and NPK of healthy roots. any natural It's not f e r t i l i ze r. It guesswork A young cabbage plant exhibiting nitrogen deficiency. i s l o w e r i n to determine organic matter the NPK of barnyard manure you buy as it has been than the manure from most other barnyard formally analyzed. However, the NPK livestock (cows, horses, goats, and sheep) numbers may vary when you are scooping so is less hot. The nitrogen and potassium piles out of your or your neighbor’s content is comparatively high. Poultry manures (1.1-1.4-0.6): These barnyard, depending on what the animals are often simply chicken droppings have been eating. Sioux Rogers m i xe d w i t h t h e droppings of other domesticated birds, including ducks, pigeons, and turkeys. Poultry manure can easily burn plants unless it is composted first. Cattle manure (0.6-0.2-0.5): Steer manure is one of the old standbys, but it often contains unwanted salts and weed seeds. It’s usually a cold manure. Goat manure (0.7-0.3-0.9): It can be treated in a similar fashion to sheep dung or horse manure. It is usually fairly dry and rich and is a “hot” manure (best composted before use). Horse manure (0.7-0.3-0.6): It's about half as rich as chicken manure, but richer in nitrogen than cow manure. And, like chicken droppings, it’s considered “hot.” Sheep manure (0.7-0.3-0.9): It is another “hot” manure. It is somewhat dry and very rich. Manure from sheep fed hay and grain will be more potent than manure from animals that live on pasture. Pig manure (0.5-0.3-0.5): This is a highly concentrated or “hot” manure. It is less rich in nitrogen than horse or bird crap, but stronger than many of the other animal manures. Rabbit manure (2.4-1.4-0.6): It is the “hottest” of the animal manures. It may even be higher in nitrogen than some poultry manures. In the end, the best manure for your garden is what you can easily get your hands on. After all, if you can’t find rabbit manure, it doesn’t matter how good for your soil it might be! Dirty fingernails and all, Sioux Rogers littlemuddyred@gmail.com Our Name Says It All Why Choose Team Tollefson? ► We have 18 years’ experience selling ● WE DELIVER ● YOU LOAD ● WE PICK UP Yep, it’s that easy! 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