Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic materials, and it is a type of manure. The key difference between manure and compost is that manure is typically animal dung and is a byproduct of livestock farming, whereas compost is a mixture of various components and is a collection of different waste materials.
If, for example, your main goal is to increase your soil's organic matter, compost is likely the right pick, whereas if you're looking to boost your soil's nutrient content, manure is your better bet.
Manure may smell, but as a source of fertility for your soil, it's hard to beat. It's also one of the best compost materials you can use.
Mixed into the soils, manure adds nutrients and helps bind sandy soils, while increasing drainage in clay soils. Some of you may be wondering if adding manure directly to compost is simply an added benefit, and to answer that question: yes, it most certainly is.
Livestock manure can be spread right away after livestock leave an area, however, the volume of manure might exceed what a producer is able to handle and spread at one time. Composting manure reduces the volume and produces a lighter, easier to handle, product.
Blending manure into the top layer of topsoil will help encourage root growth and health because the manure is packed full of nutrients. The main nutrient released is nitrogen which is needed for plants and vegetables to grow in a sustainable manner.
Manure has some potential disadvantages when used as fertilizer. It can contain weed and pest seeds, rodents and other pests, and pathogens such as E. coli. It can also cause pollution if not managed properly, as the manure may flow into the surface or groundwater.
Vegetable root crops such as beets, carrots, radishes, and potatoes are particularly sensitive to adding horse manure. Salad greens are another vegetable type that can be damaged or burned by applying horse muck to the soil.
Adding too much manure can lead to nitrate leaching, nutrient runoff, excessive vegetative growth and, for some manures, salt damage. And using fresh manure where food crops are grown poses risks for contamination with disease-causing pathogens.
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.
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).
Adding too much compost may be harmful, especially in vegetable gardens. You can apply too much compost at one time or over several years. Too much compost in soil stunts plant growth. It also may create water pollution.
Apply nutrients in the spring just before growth starts. Avoid using manures and fertilisers in late summer or autumn where they may be lost over winter and pollute water bodies.
To Minimize the Health Risks Associated with Using Manures in Home Gardens. Wait at least 120 days after applying raw or aged manure to harvest crops that grow in or near the soil (root crops, leafy greens, strawberries). Wait at least 90 days for other crops.
Farmers have been using cow manure as compost for many years, thanks to its ability to fertilize the soil and improve crop quality. By continuing this practice, you can boost your garden while reducing the environmental impact of cow waste.
How Often Should Manure Be Applied to The Garden? At the very minimum, a garden should be fed with fertiliser twice a year: Once at the start of spring (September in the southern hemisphere, March in the northern hemisphere) for the warm season crops.
Don't Use Fresh Manure
If the manure is from a plant-eating animal, it is probably also full of weed seeds, which will not be inhibited from sprouting. If you still want to make use of fresh manure, don't apply it after your garden has been planted.
Use rotted manure as you would compost. Plan on amending your beds with it annually. The strongest smelling manures are chicken and rabbit, while the mildest is from sheep. Sheep manure is also drier and easier to spread.
Not all manure provides nutrients to plants. As it breaks down, manure containing lots of bedding takes nitrogen from the soil. This reduces the amount of nitrogen available to plants.
Alone, compost may not adequately supply sufficient nutrients—particularly nitrogen during rapid growth phases of crops with high nutrient demands (e.g., watermelon, tomato, and pepper at fruiting) (Tyson and Cabrera, 1993). In addition, composted manure typically is more expensive than fresh or partially aged manure.
Compost rich in animal manure is particularly dangerous for plants if it has not aged for sufficient time. This is because animal manure can produce ammonia as it breaks down, which can burn the plant roots or be toxic to the plants.
Manure adds nutrients to the soil without affecting its fertility. It does not damage crops and produces healthy plants. Fertilizers are chemicals which lower the fertility of the soil if used regularly. They also damage the crops and make them unhealthy for consumption.