The wide variety of manures accessible, cattle and horse manure, such as poultry, means you can find one to make your garden flourish. Some manures that sound as though they’re similar might be different, for example, cow and steer manure differ in some key, but sometimes subtle, ways, such as salinity levels.
Dairy Cow Manure Nutrients
Dairy cow manure is one of the very best choices as an organic fertilizer. The lower levels of nutrients make it tricky to over-fertilize, and the feel helps it serve as a soil amendment to improve drainage. The exact nutrient breakdown varies based on factors such as age the cow’s food and bedding, but in general, dairy cow manure provides a ratio. Cow manure comes from milk cows, but if you find a few from beef cows rather, the ratio is most likely around 11-7-10.
Steer Manure Nutrients
Although steer manure contains similar levels of nutrients using an N-P-K ratio of 14-5-8, it’s a slightly higher nitrogen content. The difference lies in the salt content. Steer manure contains more salt than cow manure, and the salinity of the soil cans change. Where many plants won’t rise high can lead to stunted plants or regions. Also, steer manure is more likely to include weed seeds.
Feeding stinks
They’re fed, although steers and dairy cows are cows with the potential to create manure with the same composition. The diet means their manure is different. Cows tend to eat more forage, or grassy foods, such as hay and alfalfa, while steers frequently eat in feedlots that offer food rich in grains such as corn and grain sorghum.
Utilizing Cow and Prevent Manure
Cow and steer manure — if you’re not worried about salt levels in the dirt — serve as all-purpose fertilizers and soil amendments. Low nitrogen levels mean off the tender roots of young plants won’t burn. Weed seeds are killed by composting the manure, or manure aged for at least six months, makes the nutrients more readily available to crops and assists. Work 40 lbs of manure per 100 feet into the top 6 to 9 inches of dirt to improve the soil’s composition and distribute the nutrients.
