You can compost cow manure without equipment in six (6) months if you choose to do so. The composting period can be reduced to 20 days if you use manure composting equipment. It will take 7-10 days for an aerobic fermentation pot to complete the composting process.
Hot manure refers to certain varieties of manure that are so high in ammonia and nitrogen that, when used fresh, they may burn plant tissue. Hot manures include cow, horse and chicken manure, which should always be aged at least 4 to 5 months prior to use.
It can take anything from a few weeks to as much as a year. The speed depends on many factors. But, as a rule of thumb, the hotter the heap of manure gets the faster it will rot down.
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles.
Cow manure has low values of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It is ideal as a top dressing and a compost IF IT IS ROTTED. If it is not composted and is still fresh, you might burn your plants. NEVER put fresh manure on a plant unless you want to kill the plant.
The manure may be spread atop the soil or incorporated into the garden soil. Pig, dog, cat, and human waste should never be used in a vegetable garden. Cow, horse, chicken/poultry, sheep, goat, and llama manure are acceptable types of manure appropriate for use in vegetable gardens.
Dehydrated Cow Manure Uses:
Mix 1 part dehydrated cow manure with 3 parts of top soil. With poor quality top soil, use a 50/50 ratio.
Proper use of manure in the garden can supply your plants with nutrients and help improve soil structure. Adding too much manure can lead to nitrate leaching, nutrient runoff, excessive vegetative growth and, for some manures, salt damage.
Manure that is piled and left alone will decompose slowly. This can take three to four months if conditions are ideal. It can take a year or more if the starting material contains a wide carbon:nitrogen ratio (as is the case when manure contains wood chips).
However, cow manure is also rich in ammonia and, sometimes, can contain dangerous pathogens and bacteria, such as E Coli. So, an aging or decomposition process is necessary to break down the organic matter and eliminate the harmful substances before the manure gets to the fields.
Fresh manures are rich in soluble nutrients and are best composted before use but if applied fresh best done in spring so the soluble nutrients are not washed out into ground water, ditches or drains where they can be a pollution hazard - see Problems below.
Manure contamination can increase nitrate levels in ground water and cause bacterial contamination and fish kills in surface waters. Excess phosphorus can be contained in erosion or runoff from fields and accumulate in surface water impoundments such as ponds and lakes.
What to use? There is no “best” top-dressing material for your lawn. Some people use mushroom compost, some people use peat moss, some use composted cow manure, some use their own compost. Depending on what kind of soil you already have, you may want to mix it with bagged topsoil or sand.
So how much manure should you apply? Well, a general rule of thumb that many organic gardens use is to apply a 2-3 inch layer of well-rotted or composted manure over the garden and then till it into the soil.
Disadvantages of Manure
The manures are reported to provide fewer nutrients to plants, and they are unable to provide high-yielding crops. Manures are slowly absorbed by the plants, and they add a lot of humus to the soil. They are made in fields, so transportation is difficult for manures.
If you are growing produce where the edible portion is in contact with the soil such as carrots, or potatoes, you should apply manure at least three months prior to harvest. With just a four month growing season, this means you should only apply manure in the late autumn or winter.
To get the best value from the pure cow manure, use it on high-demand vegie crops such as tomatoes, or leafy greens such as cabbage. The one mixed with composted pine bark might be more suitable for a flower bed or planting a fruit tree, where the immediate demand for nutrients isn't as high.
Cow manure compost can be used as a soil amendment and fertilizer. It can also replace soil entirely, but we recommend just mixing it. Because of its balanced pH, it can be used for just about any plant. Mix a 2-3” layer of your fertilizer into the soil until it has the desired consistency for your plants.
Always use composted manure
Fresh or raw manures are more concentrated in nutrients and will burn your plants. Sheep and especially poultry manure are considered “hot” and may burn seedlings and transplants, inhibit seed germination, or make your perennials grow so fast and thin that they fall over.
To efficiently compost manure, turn the windrow when the internal temperature drops below 120 degrees F. After five to six turns, the manure should be composted. Temperatures should be taken at various locations and depths. According to Michel (2009), compost windrows can be turned every 10 days or two weeks.
The best way to improve clay soil is by adding organic matter that will help break the soil down so you don't have a swampy mess. The manure helps to improve aeration, so that the water has somewhere to go and doesn't just sit there.
Whatever fresh cow manure is available now should be mixed with phosphorus granules and worked into the top six inches of soil. In late March, a supply of well-rotted cow manure should be obtained from the dairy farm, phosphorus added, then the manure should be strewn on the soil as a mulch and left to decay.