The following are the key uses of organic manure:
- Organic manure helps to improve the soil, tilth and aeration.
- Increases the water holding capacity of the soil.
- Stimulate activity of micro organisms that makes plant food elements in the soil readily to crops
- Improves on the soil structure so that it holds more nutrients become more fertile.
- Animal manure encourages soil microbial activity which promotes the soil’s trace mineral supply improving plant nutrition.
- Organic manure contains some nitrogen and other nutrients that assist the growth of plants.
- Carbon dioxide released during decomposition of organic manure acts as fertilizer in the soil.
- They provide organic acids that help to dissolve soil nutrients and make them available for the plants.
Steps to prepare Compost Manure
- Make slurry of the cattle dung with water.
- Prepare 6 layers of organic wastes plant residues, sweepings from the cattle shed, waste fodder, dried plants stalks and leaves.
- Cover the layer with urine earth and cattle dung slurry.
- Add 5 to 10 kg of super phosphate for every 10 tons of organic wastes.
- Repeat the process of putting such layers till the pit is full.
- Close the pit with urine earth, waste fodder and then heap the soil till it gets convex shape (about 1 to 1.5 above the ground) so that the rainwater rolls away.
- After six months compost is ready to apply to the fields.