Otherwise it should be handled like fresh manure. The value of manure depends on its ability to supply those plant foods which quickly disappear from the soil under cultivation and heavy cropping. Compounds of nitrogen, potash and phosphorus are the first to become exhausted, and of these nitrogen is hardest to replace. The soil content of organic matter or humus, though less accurately measurable, is even more important to maintain. All these needs are supplied by ordinary manure.
Manure tea is used to give plants a boost just before they start to bloom.
You can save labor if you apply the manure just before a good rain. Many gardeners give plants three applications a year in the proportion of one gallon to five square feet of plant bed. For shrub groups use the same proportion. Manure Tea, made by steeping manure in water is useful in establishing transplants and in fertilizing older plants just before they bloom. Contents Copyright 1996 by Bearville Sheep Farm.