What is better to fertilize the garden - black soil or humus? How to distinguish high-quality manure What is better - humus or compost.

A whole list of organic fertilizers sometimes puts an inexperienced farmer in a difficult position, it is difficult for him to understand the issue: humus or manure as a fertilizer, which better fit for plants? It is especially interesting to establish the truth for those gardeners who have firmly decided to switch to safe way cultivating garden products for his family.

Is there a difference between manure and humus?

In fact, the action of two organic masses is the same - to fertilize the earth and improve its structure, but the effect is different:

humus as a decomposed product acts gently, delicately increases soil fertility, is non-aggressive for plants;
manure - its fresh, concentrated, heterogeneous nutritional composition is mainly used on depleted lands for winter digging.

When deciding what is better to apply: humus or manure as a fertilizer, it is required to take into account that the first product has undergone fermentation, decomposed, while losing some of the substances during overheating, and begins to act immediately after it enters the soil; the second composition only has to go through all the chemical processes in order to become a fertilizer readily available to plants.

Features of manure as a fertilizer

The biological mass effective for increasing fertility differs in quality, depending on which animals it is provided with:

the best humus -;
the second in importance and the first in frequency of use is cow;
the worst is pork.

The quality is affected by the litter used: manure on peat litter, sawdust is more suitable and convenient for embedding into the ground than on straw.

The degree of decomposition plays an important role:

the most useful is manure that has rotted to the level of a loose red mass;
the second in value is considered to be half-ripened, with big amount nutrients;
the least useful for plants and the most concentrated is fresh manure.

The disadvantage of the product is considered to be a large number of not rotted seeds in its composition. weeds. Once in the ground, they quickly germinate and give the gardener a lot of additional trouble. Although they are also present in humus, horse manure is the purest in this regard, it is not a breeding ground for weeds.

Features of humus as a fertilizer

Humus is animal waste that has decomposed for a long time to the state of black earth, mixed with bedding, food residues, hay, and other biological substances.

Analyzing what to use: humus or manure as a fertilizer, one can come to the conclusion that it has no drawbacks, it is considered homogeneous in composition, does not have the characteristic smell of manure, but smells of earth, is an ideal fertilizer for all crops.

Types in demand agriculture humus:

There are other types of organic fertilizers that are not so often used: rotted sawdust from hardwood trees, seed or rice husks, which have recently attracted interest as an alternative to manure. Alternatively, it is also possible to use .

Scope of organic fertilizers in vegetable gardens

The farmer, choosing raw materials for a personal plot and deciding which is better: humus or manure as a fertilizer, must know where this or that type of organic matter will bring the greatest benefit.

Fresh manure (especially horse manure) has a high heat transfer, it is used for natural heating of beds in greenhouses or used in depleted areas before winter. Filled in the ground, under a layer of snow, it rots, fertilizing and structuring the soil, by spring a valuable layer of aerated nutrient humus ripens, in which many insects and arthropods settle, further improving the composition and porosity of the soil.

Fresh manure is used to prepare a liquid concentrated infusion, then the seedlings are watered in a diluted form.

Humus has a wider application:

In order for manure to turn into a universal nutrient mixture, it needs to be overheated for at least two years, it is quite possible to prepare a valuable organic fertilizer on your own, laying organic product into piles and pouring layers of soil. Above, you also need a layer of earth to prevent nitrogen volatilization. Periodically, several times per season, the pile is mixed, allowing the substrate to fill with air.

Knowing the purpose of two types of organic matter, the gardener chooses: which fertilizer is better: manure or humus, guided by the needs of personal subsidiary plots. The applied fertilizer is enough for 3-4 years, after which the next filling of the soil with nutrients will be required.

Manure and humus - comparison from gardeners

In this video, gardeners discuss manure and humus, their advantages and disadvantages:

Where does it start household plot? Of course, with soil rich in macro and micro elements. After all, it is she who is the key to the future abundant harvest. Unfortunately, homestead land does not always contain all the nutrients necessary for the life of plants. It happens that plots, gardeners and gardeners, are distributed on virgin, poor soil. What to do in this case?

Of course, the land can be fertilized. But what is pure fertilizer applied to soil poor in active substances? This is a concentrated nutrition for plants, actively consumed by them, moreover, washed out and weathered from the soil by natural environment. As a result, the fertilizer applied to the garden or garden will have its short-term effect, without affecting the fertility of the soil.

The best option, which is followed by almost everyone experienced gardeners, will be the delivery of fertile soil to the plot. There are currently many specialized companies providing services for the sale of garden and garden soil. But what kind of land to choose, humus or black soil, how to determine its quality and not miscalculate, more on that below.

The main characteristics of humus and chernozem

Everyone knows what chernozem is, but mostly from funds mass media who made this soil a sort of standard of quality and fertility. In general, the media are right, the black soil is really a standard, saturated with an incredible amount of calcium (up to 70%) and humus, is most common in middle lane Russia. And it also has a very important difference - it is impossible to create black soil by any artificial methods.

Humus, on the contrary, almost always has an artificial origin. In most cases, these are the waste products of domestic animals (dung) mixed with grass and garden soil, and aged for 11-12 months in special conditions, that is, rotted. Buy humus and use everywhere as the main fertile layer for vegetable gardens and orchards.

As such, humus can be divided into two main types, that which is dominated by the waste products of domestic animals is called dung humus, and that which is prepared on a vegetable basis is called herbal humus. in Krasnoyarsk it is more fertile than grassy, but if organic fertilizers are periodically applied to it, then these two species will be almost identical.

Advantages and disadvantages of humus

The main disadvantage of humus, if you can call it that, is that it must lie in the garden or in the garden for autumn and winter, that is, to meet spring already with the necessary microflora, incl. and earthworms, which will complete the main stage of preparation for normal plant growth. Another disadvantage is the excessive contamination of humus soil with weed seeds.

Advantages of humus

First, in his affordable price, and indeed in general availability, it is much easier to acquire it than black soil.
Secondly, properly prepared and aged humus has a very loose structure that is convenient for the development of the root system of plants. In terms of nutrients, humus is not much inferior to chernozem.

Advantages and disadvantages of black soil

As mentioned above, there are simply no shortcomings. Rather, there is one significant, but this is not a lack of black soil, but rather the desire of sellers to profit from the poor knowledge of the buyer. Very often, ordinary earth taken out of greenhouses is given out as chernozem, which once may have been called that, but has long lost all active fertile substances. So the only drawback can be considered the dishonesty of sellers. And of course the cost, the price of black soil for one cubic meter can reach up to 1000 rubles.

You can order both humus of high-quality and natural composition at the Samosvalov company. It is here that a quality guarantee is given for each batch, in addition, depending on the volume of purchased chernozem, free shipping in Krasnoyarsk.

Increase soil fertility by garden plot or a vegetable garden different ways. This is the introduction mineral fertilizers, manure, humus or black soil. The use of humus and black soil is considered the most environmentally friendly way, which is suitable for almost all types of agricultural and garden plants.

What's the difference between humus and black soil

Before you purchase organic fertilizers for your garden or garden, you need to understand the difference between humus and black soil in order to choose the most suitable option for this area.

Humus. This is an organic substrate obtained as a result of the biological decomposition of animal waste products (cow dung, bird droppings) or plant residues (leaves, mowed grass). In humus obtained from manure or litter, a very high concentration of mineral and organic substances. Therefore, such fertilizer must be applied in doses. Its excess (especially during dry periods) can lead to a delay in the development and even death of plants. Leaf humus is characterized by a natural balance of organic and minerals. It can be applied to the beds in any quantity. Leaf humus not only enriches the soil with organic matter, but also improves soil structure.
Chernozem. Chernozem is fertile soil natural origin with great content humus and minerals. It is also valuable because it contains beneficial soil bacteria that process plant residues into organic and mineral elements necessary for plant development. Imported chernozem is used as fertilizer for beds, and also brought into planting pits when planting trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials. If it is intended to use black soil as a substrate for growing seedlings, it must be mixed with peat, sand or perlite granules.

What's better - humus or black soil?

It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer which is better - humus or black soil. Every kind organic fertilizer has its own merits and demerits. The advantages of humus include its versatility (it is equally well suited for all types of soil), ease of use, relatively low cost. Among the disadvantages is a high infection with weed seeds. In addition, humus cannot be used as an independent substrate for creating beds, lawns or flower beds. It is always applied in a mixture with soil.

Chernozem can be used both as a fertilizer and to create a fertile layer on beds and flower beds (filling it over infertile soil). This substrate can be applied to the soil in any quantity without fear of overdose. The disadvantages of chernozem include a high price and a high probability of acquiring counterfeit. Unscrupulous suppliers often pass off inexpensive soil mixtures consisting of peat, sand and floodplain soil as black soil, or even old earth taken out of greenhouses. Such a substrate will not benefit the plants. In addition, it can be infected with spores of putrefactive fungi and bacteria, insect pests.

Despite the clear progress in the agricultural sector and the development of the latest additives, humus, manure and their subspecies are still considered the best. Each of them has a unique composition and properties, so understanding animal organic matter for a novice gardener is a whole science.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the main types of manure dressings. I will talk about the difference between them, how to properly use them to fertilize the garden.

Manure is animal excrement, often mixed with various bedding (hay, sawdust, straw). According to the stage of decay, it is divided into four categories:

Fresh (bedless, bedding) - thick, but not dry, holds its shape. In its pure form, it is undesirable to introduce it into the ground, since there is a risk of oversaturating garden products with nitrates or burning the roots of plants.
Semi-rotted manure is partially rotted manure that has lain for about 3 months. Used as a base fertilizer during autumn digging, can be applied as an aqueous solution.
Well rotted - having lost about half of its original weight, crumbles in the hands. It is used during autumn digging or in an aqueous solution with a double concentration compared to the previous type.
Humus is the last stage of manure overheating. It is a completely rotted loose mass without large components and inclusions.

Note! The basis of humus and manure is the same raw material, but their qualitative characteristics and methods of use differ markedly.

Types of manure: sources of origin, composition, application rates

The properties of fertilizers of organic origin differ and depend on the animals from which they are obtained.

Horse dung

One of the most effective, characterized by friability and porosity. Overheats quickly, heating up to +50-+70º C. Used for open ground, greenhouses, greenhouses, for fertilizing arable land with heavy infertile soils. 1 kg of horse manure contains:

nitrogen, 4.7 g;
phosphorus - 3.8 g;
calcium - 3.8 g;
potassium - 2.0 g.

Top dressing is effective for 2-4 years, the period depends on the depletion of the land.

When using the product as a biofuel, it is mixed with sawdust, laid out in a layer of about 30 cm. Fertile soil is laid out on it at least 20 cm thick.

Cow dung is a common fertilizer

Cattle organic matter has a more watery structure, warms up the soil worse, decomposes at temperatures from +15 to +25º C. At the same time, its effect is longer than that of horse manure: 4-6 years on heavy alumina and 2-3 years on sandy and sandy sandy fields.

The chemical composition of manure and the humus obtained from it depends on the age of the animal. In the biological waste of calves and one-year-old bulls, nutrients are 15% less. In general, 1 kg of mullein contains:

nitrogen - 3.5 g;
phosphorus - 3.0 g;
calcium - 2.9 g;
potassium - 1.4 g.

As a fertilizer, such manure is applied at the rate of 7-10 kg per 1 m 2 of land. Mullein is suitable for all garden crops.

When creating heating beds, heat release may not be enough. To increase the overheating temperature to + 30 ... + 35º C, 1 part of sawdust is added to 3 parts of the fertilizer.

bird droppings

It is considered the fastest acting fertilizer - it works almost like mineral supplements. It decomposes for no more than a year with the release a large number heat, valid after making from 2 to 3 years.

Due to the high concentration of substances and the content of uric acid, this fertilizer is not suitable for direct application. Therefore, before feeding it is specially prepared:

Fresh litter is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 or 1:10, but then when used, 5 parts of water are added to a part of the finished infusion. Infusion lasts an average of 10 days. Fertilizer is shed between the rows, avoiding falling under the roots.
Poultry manure is composted, laid on a substrate consisting of plant remains, mixed with the ground. Fermentation takes place quickly - the autumn bookmark will be ready by spring.
To reduce the effect of uric acid, manure is mixed with straw, sawdust, peat in the proportion of 1 part fertilizer to 3 parts of the additive. In this form, they are laid out along the aisles.

General fertilizer application rates: under autumn digging– 2 kg/sq.m. fresh litter, landing pit- 10 kg of well-rotted manure.

Pig manure as fertilizer

The most caustic type of animal organic matter. Due to the peculiarities of digestion, pig feces contain a significant percentage of ammonia and other compounds. IN fresh manure are present:

nitrogen - 8.13 g;
phosphorus (in the form of oxide) - 7.9 g;
calcium - 7.4 g;
potassium - 4.5.

If you use freshly harvested organic matter, acidification of the soil and the death of the root system are possible. The same can happen even when fresh substrate is introduced during autumn digging.

The exception is alkaline (carbonate) soils. Fertilizer acid neutralizes the alkalis of the earth, improves its fertility. In all other cases, fertilizer is used after pre-training. the best way to improve the quality of pig manure is considered to be overdrying.

Due to the slow decomposition into fractions, pig manure applied as a fertilizer can only show its beneficial properties for the next year.

Rules for applying manure:

humus as fertilizer

The finally rotted substrate nourishes the earth with microelements, forms a layer of humus, and improves the soil structure. Humus is much easier to digest by plants than other animal organic matter.

What you need to know about the properties of humus

Properly prepared fertilizer does not smell of ammonia and rot, has a slight earthy smell, is a loose loose mass without large inclusions. It differs from other types of organic top dressing in the following properties:

Humus is a ready-to-use fertilizer that is added to the soil without treatment.
Due to looseness and porosity, the mass of a cubic meter of substrate is 600-800 kg. A standard bucket will hold 6-7 kg.
The humus is not compressed, it holds moisture well - air channels remain between the particles.
Improves the quality of any type of soil - loosens, nourishes loams, clay, prevents heavy soils from swimming, retains moisture with useful compounds in sandy soil.
Creates an ideal mulching layer - prevents the formation of a crust, promotes a smooth change in temperature, the development of beneficial microflora in the thickness of the earth.
Humus is indispensable for the cultivation of seedlings, potted plants with increased nutritional needs.

Note! Using humus as a fertilizer greatly improves the taste vegetable crops. Potatoes grow large, crumbly. Parsley and dill become more juicy and fragrant, radish and onion - gently spicy, without excessive pungency and bitterness.

In pure humus, it is advisable to grow crops of the pumpkin family: melon, cucumbers, watermelons, pumpkin. In other cases, fertilizer is poured into the hole before planting, a mulch layer is created or the soil is enriched during plowing (digging).

Two ways to get high-quality humus

Method number 1.

For maturation, manure is placed in a compost box. If the side walls have slots for ventilation, the top is covered with a dark film. So that the rains do not wash out the substrate, and air access is maintained, the container with deaf sidewalls is covered with shields or slate.

If the winters are frosty, sprinkle the humus on top with earth, with a layer of 15 cm to save useful properties. A full cycle of overheating lasts about 2 years.

Humus is considered ripe if its volume has decreased by 60-75%, the mass has become free-flowing and homogeneous.

Method number 2 (accelerated)

Prepare the ingredients: fresh manure, semi-rotted, straw or cuttings, leaves, grass.
Lay all the ingredients in layers in a compost bin with slots for ventilation.
Spill the layers thoroughly with water, diluted mullein or slurry.
Protect the top of the box from precipitation with a film or lid.
Future compost should be periodically turned up, spilled with water in hot weather. The recommended moisture content of the mixture is 50-60%.
To accelerate maturation, it is recommended to shed the layers with bacterial agents (“Siyanie-3”, “Baikal”, “Economy Harvest”), which accelerate fermentation.

Subject to all conditions, the humus will ripen in a few months.

How to avoid harm when fertilizing with humus and manure

When using animal organics, always consider the type and dosage of the additive, the type of soil, and the type of plants that will be cultivated. If the proportions of fertilizing are not observed, even universal humus can harm.

With an excess of it, root crops will receive less starch, grow tough and not sweet. If you overdo it with manure, there is a risk that the plants will become oversaturated with nitrates or even die.

enjoy organic top dressing need skillfully. Then the manure biomass will eventually turn into fertile humus, which is necessary for rich harvests.

Usually, the following types of substrates are offered for sale by machines:
- Soil garden universal;
- Peat-;
- Peat-land mses;
- Chernozem;
- Vegetable soil;

Let's briefly analyze how these soils should look and what is included in the composition.

1. Soil garden universal.
Composition: lowland peat - 40-50%; compost - 30-40%; biohumus - 5%, sand - 10-20%.

It is a dark brown mass with a homogeneous loose structure, a pleasant smell of forest litter, inclusions from unripe plant residues, sand. This substrate is optimal in terms of the selection of elements useful for plants; it can be immediately used in beds, greenhouses, flower beds, when laying lawns.

2. Peat-sand mixture.
Composition: peat - 70-80%, sand - 20-30%
It is a loose mass of black color interspersed with sand. Sand grains must be available.

Such a substrate can be used immediately when laying lawns and flower beds, and is also an excellent improver of clay soil with which it must be mixed.

3. Peat-earth mixture.
Composition: vegetable soil - 60%, peat - 20%, sand - 10%, compost - 10%

This is a denser soil than the previous substrate, since it contains 60% of the local soil (meaning the Central region, where clay soils). Usually it is bought to improve overly drained and quickly drying soils (sandy, sandy loam), since the clay included in the composition retains moisture well.

4. Chernozem.
Composition: black soil 100%

It looks like a substrate of a very dark color with a granular-lumpy structure.

Can be used to improve any kind of soil. Regarding black soil, the following can be added. The northernmost part, where it is filmed, is for Muscovites Tulskaya and Ryazan Oblast. The southern suburbs of Moscow can still count on the fact that real black soil will fall to it, and then the cost of delivery here is 4000 rubles). To the north - you are unlikely to buy real black soil, it will be either local clay soil, blackened with waste from a thermal power plant, or grassroots peat (which also has a rich black color). Don't be naive, you can't buy black earth cheaper than 20 thousand rubles (per 10 cubic meters) in the north of Moscow!

And does it make sense to buy it? After all, chernozem in our climatic conditions loses all its properties for which it is acquired. After all, the soil is not only the composition, it is also the structure. And the structure of chernozem is formed only when evaporation exceeds precipitation (moisture coefficient is less than 1). In the Central region, this coefficient is greater than one, and after a couple of months, the chernozem loses its structure, "floats", a crust forms on the surface. In our country, this soil can only be used as an additive (no more than 10% by volume) to different kind earth mixtures, including peat. Why go after him with such fanaticism?

5. Vegetable soil.
Composition: 100% upper layer local soil.

Be sure to carefully consider the content. The structure should be loose, dark in color. Large conglomerates of clay and various debris are excluded. Such soil, if good quality, can be used to raise the level of the soil in the area or as a filler for ridges, subject to the application of fertilizers.

Keep in mind, often under the name "Vegetable Soil" you will try to "fuse" "Construction Soil", which is a mixture of clay clods with construction debris.

To avoid cheating, you should follow the following research algorithm.

Take:
- a long smooth pointed stick-probe from 1.5 meters ("stick - checker");
- determinant of soil acidity "Soil Control", sold in the garden departments;
- some clean water.

a) We take a "testing stick" and with a sharp end we pierce a pile of land that you are acquiring. If the probe effortlessly makes its way through the ground into different places, then there are no large pieces of clay and debris.

b) An acidity test will show you what to expect from the soil. If the acidity is increased, then there is a lot of high-moor peat in the mixture, it cannot be used on its own, only mixed with other components. If the soil is strongly alkaline, then this is another extreme, obviously it was taken out from some industrial waste dump.

C) We check for structuredness: we moisten a handful of soil with water to the consistency of dough, roll it into a cord with a diameter of about 3 mm in the palm of our hand, and fold it into a ring. At the same time, we get the following results: it is impossible to form a cord, it crumbles - a lot of sand; the cord is covered with cracks when rolling - light loam; the cord is solid, but the ring breaks up when folded - medium loam; the cord is solid, the whole ring is clay (you can do pottery).

d) In addition, it is advisable to check the substrate for radioactivity with a household counter. Now very often they sell cheap outwardly high-quality, but with increased radiation activity substrate.

Be carefull! Take care of your health and your relatives, try to purchase the substrate from old trusted companies that provide quality certificates for all components, even if it comes out a little more expensive.