Hello everyone and welcome to this article, where we will be discussing everything about cow dung and converting it into a nutrient-rich composition. I have always felt cow manure to be an amazing fertilizer, however; when the dung is fresh it has an odor that is foul along with high levels of ammonia. When directly applied to the plants it will burn the roots due to the excess salt in it. If you compost the cow dung, it will create amazing fertilizer or even top dressing. You don’t have to deal with the hassle of toxic levels of ammonia, increased salt concentration, and foul odor. It must be well mixed with browns as they are high in carbon resulting in quick aerobic composting. The pile will heat up naturally and kill seed weeds and microbes.
- Choose an area in your yard where you can begin the pile. You would need room for a three to four feet pile
- We begin by layering dry organic matter. It should be at least three inches. Now lay the manure over it, keep it two inches thick. Repeat this process until it reaches a height of four feet.
- Make sure you add water to the pile while building it. This will keep it damp through the process. Layer the top part of the pile finally with soil.
- Be sure to mix the pile once in three days. You must always add sufficient water but make, sure it is not soggy.
- Get a compost thermometer, which will help you to keep a track of the temperature of that pile.
- The middle of the heap must have temperatures between 130- and 150-degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the process is completed, the pile will stop heating. On examining you will receive a crumbly texture. The compost will have a deep brown color with an earthy smell.
Tips for Cow manure compost
If you feel that the compost is not heating up, that means it is dry or maybe it just doesn’t have sufficient nitrogen. Examine the pile and if you feel it is dry you will need to add water. You can also add some manure, if the pile is cool and damp.
If it is stinking with a very unpleasant strong odor, that means it is soggy and has excessive manure. In such a situation, you can add carbon enriched materials like dried leaves etc. You do not require a bin for this process however; it will be extremely handy to hold all the compost as the process of decomposition completes.
Warning for Cow manure compost
Avoid utilizing incomplete compost or fresh cow manure to crops.
If you feel that the heap is very hot, increase the frequency of mixing the pile. If the temperature increases to over 160 degrees, then it will destroy the microorganisms which are present in the fresh matter.
Benefits of Cow manure compost
Cow manure compost has numerous benefits. It helps to get rid of pathogens, ammonia gas, weed feeds, etc. When you add a generous amount to the soil, it will enrich your soil and better the capacity of the soil to hold water. This makes it easy for you, as you need not water the plants often. The roots of the plant have sufficient water, as well as nutrients at their disposal. It also improves the aviation because it breaks compacted soil.
Overall cow manure compost, has plenty of benefits and is utilized by many gardeners. Do let us know your experience with using cow manure compost. Thanks, take care!