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Old December 26, 2009   #1
organicbaby
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Default Rabbit manure and fertilizer?

Hi y'all! First post...been lurking, reading and enjoying the site. Lots of good information and maybe I'm not doing something right with the search function, but I've not been able to find the answer to a question I have.

I've had access this fall/winter to beaucoup rabbit manure. I've spread quite a bit around on the beds that are fallow and covered with straw. These beds will have melons, squash and tomatoes planted in the spring and I'll be digging in the manure and straw before planting.

I'm not concerned with the melon/squash beds but I was wondering about the ones that will be home to my tomatoes. I will have some (not a lot)homemade compost on hand to dig in as well but I was wondering about additional fertilizer for my tomatoes in this setting (was thinking of Tomato-tone) I know rabbit manure is kinda high in N (as manures go) and I don't want to have too much N in my tomato beds.

Having no experience with the rabbit manure as a fertilizer, I'm kinda at a loss to know where to go from here. Thought? Experiences?

TIA,
OB
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Old December 26, 2009   #2
Blueaussi
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I occasionally have access to rabbit manure and happily dig it into all my gardens, both flower and vegetable. The only problem I can remember having with it was in a shade garden in yard where I used to live. The shade bed was in a low spot, and I had just dug some rabbit poo in. Then we had torrential rains for about a week, the kind that has folks talking about seeing animals going two by two. Water was standing in the shade garden, and all the little bunny coco puffs floated to the top and drifted around until the water finally drained off.
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Old December 26, 2009   #3
mensplace
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueaussi View Post
I occasionally have access to rabbit manure and happily dig it into all my gardens, both flower and vegetable. The only problem I can remember having with it was in a shade garden in yard where I used to live. The shade bed was in a low spot, and I had just dug some rabbit poo in. Then we had torrential rains for about a week, the kind that has folks talking about seeing animals going two by two. Water was standing in the shade garden, and all the little bunny coco puffs floated to the top and drifted around until the water finally drained off.
I'm remained of the year where I really socked the cow manure to my plants. They were gorgeous, lush and green...so green they must have thought they would live forever and had no need to reproduce...NO FRUIT. Rabbit manure and chicken manure are both great sources of nitrogen, but how much do you need?
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Old December 26, 2009   #4
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sounds like you have done well, i'd be hesitant to get too crazy with fertilizing. i add leaves to the garden in the fall, this year manure but that's only every 4 or 5 years and compost when i plant. i'll spray them with neptune's harvest every 2 weeks but that's about it. i do fine.
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Old December 26, 2009   #5
Mischka
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Darrel Jones aka Fusion_Power, is a big fan of using rabbit manure as fertilizer for his tomatoes. I do know that it doesn't have to be aged and won't "burn" your plants, like high nitrogen ("hot") poultry manures.

I use sheep and goat manure here, since I own the source as pets. These two manures can also be added directly to the garden without aging, too.
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Old December 26, 2009   #6
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The manures that come as pellets, naturally, (sheep, goats, rabbits, llamas, etc) are basically 'ready to use' as they are dry, not too 'hot' and slow release.
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Old December 26, 2009   #7
mensplace
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I could be wrong, but had thought that adding fresh, uncomposted manures of any kind presents the possibility of also introducing things such as animal worms, e.coli, etc..
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Old December 26, 2009   #8
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For thousands of years, that wasn't a problem...but now it is?

Well, partially, because we know have resistant (to antibiotics) strains of bacteria running around but for the most part, if your manure is not coming from a feedlot then there is not too much to worry about (especially if it is from your own critters).

And no, it isn't a good idea to use any kind of manure close to harvest time on leafy greens...but in the hole or side dressing pepper/tomato/etc...definitely no problem.
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Old December 26, 2009   #9
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Thanks to all for taking the time to reply.

I really just want to get this as 'right' as I can at the outset so as not to waste tomato growing time trying to figure out what would be the best mix. Perhaps adding a little bone meal and kelp meal to the rabbit manured beds to get some more P and K into the mix?
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Old December 26, 2009   #10
mensplace
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I need some educating...
Most fertilizers offer figures regarding the percentage of N,P, K. Are there any figures as to how much is actually necessary, i.e., utilized by tomato plants whether weekly, monthly, or over the course of a growing season. Obviously, soil tests are one tool, but is there any indicator by weight of how much fertilizer would actually be beneficially utilized by our plants so as to produce the most fruit versus foliage? I have seen discussions here re the perfect balanced fertilizer blend, but assuming you have a soil test indicating "X" amount of each nutrient in the soil, how do you then correctly extrapolate what additional is needed each week. Seems that just using another fertilizer when you already have those essential nutrients could throw off what exactly is needed. When the soil warms and dries, I will be tilling the amendments that I have already added into the top foot of soil and adding compost on the top. It may well be that I have already added enough for the season that will be released as the various meals, etc. break down. I have access to manures of all types here, but can't help but think there must be a better way than my just adding more...i.e., a bit more precision and control of what I add and when.
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Old December 26, 2009   #11
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That's part of the beauty of using things like rabbit manure...it breaks down slowly and releases nutrients fairly close to the rate they are needed. Hard to do 'too much' that way. Just like the 'meals' (seaweed, cottonseed, etc, right?).

The overall strategy should be not really to feed the plants but to feed the soil. If there are adequate nutrients available then the plants will be fine and use what they need. Using rock dusts, meal and manure provide those over time, unlike chemical fertilizers which usually provide a blast all at once (and usually not all that is needed, either...just the 'big three'). If they are all 'slow' release, then the chance of one being overused is also lower. With synthetic fertilizers, the nutrients are often in a very easily usable form and even if 'balanced' aren't really...just because it is 10% each of N-P-K doesn't mean that that is what is needed.

Compost by itself, while a great amendment, isn't all that balanced, either. And the bulk of manure isn't nutrients...it's organic matter, just like compost, which is never a bad idea. But if you are into amending the entire plot and improving all the soil in the garden, every season, spot fertilization and side dressing may not be needed.
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Old December 27, 2009   #12
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I've used rabbit manure many times over the years when I could get it and always with excellent results. The very best roses I ever had were when I put a layer of rabbit manure 4 inches deep over the entire rose garden.

Tomatoes thrive in rabbit manure. A few years ago, I had unloaded about 4 or 5 yards of rabbit manure at the end of my garden. it made a pile about 4 feet high by nearly 20 ft diameter. The next spring, it had shrunk down to about 2 feet high and a volunteer cherry tomato sprouted in the edge of the pile. The tiny plant started to grow and sprawled across the top of the manure pile putting down roots everywhere it touched. It got bigger and bigger.... and bigger.... and bigger and I was starting to think 'little house of horrors' and it got bigger until it was over 6 feet tall, I could stand in the middle of it and could not be seen, it was taking over my garden, crawlilng over the cabbage, smothering the beans, and attacking the corn. Birds were nesting in the middle. Finally in desperation I used my tractor with a chisel plow to pull the thing out by the roots. It left a layer of cherry tomatoes 2 inches deep and about 25 feet diameter.

The advice above is correct that rabbit manure does not burn plants, is nearly always ph neutral, is an excellent source of nutrients, and is loved by tomatoes. However, never apply any manure of any kind to growing plants. Either put it on the garden several weeks or months before planting or else side dress with it in a trench beside the plants. Be sure to cover the manure over with soil if you use it to side dress.

Darrel Jones
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Old December 27, 2009   #13
Blueaussi
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjc View Post
The overall strategy should be not really to feed the plants but to feed the soil.

That. That right there, that's the most important thing to keep in mind.
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Old December 27, 2009   #14
organicbaby
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fusion_power View Post
I've used rabbit manure many times over the years when I could get it and always with excellent results. The very best roses I ever had were when I put a layer of rabbit manure 4 inches deep over the entire rose garden.

Tomatoes thrive in rabbit manure. A few years ago, I had unloaded about 4 or 5 yards of rabbit manure at the end of my garden. it made a pile about 4 feet high by nearly 20 ft diameter. The next spring, it had shrunk down to about 2 feet high and a volunteer cherry tomato sprouted in the edge of the pile. The tiny plant started to grow and sprawled across the top of the manure pile putting down roots everywhere it touched. It got bigger and bigger.... and bigger.... and bigger and I was starting to think 'little house of horrors' and it got bigger until it was over 6 feet tall, I could stand in the middle of it and could not be seen, it was taking over my garden, crawlilng over the cabbage, smothering the beans, and attacking the corn. Birds were nesting in the middle. Finally in desperation I used my tractor with a chisel plow to pull the thing out by the roots. It left a layer of cherry tomatoes 2 inches deep and about 25 feet diameter.

The advice above is correct that rabbit manure does not burn plants, is nearly always ph neutral, is an excellent source of nutrients, and is loved by tomatoes. However, never apply any manure of any kind to growing plants. Either put it on the garden several weeks or months before planting or else side dress with it in a trench beside the plants. Be sure to cover the manure over with soil if you use it to side dress.

Darrel Jones
Thank you. I loved the story of the 'little shop of horrors' tomato..."FEED ME, SEYMOUR!"

So when you have access to rabbit manure, that's all you use?
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Old December 27, 2009   #15
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This fall I acquired a pick-up truck load of alpaca manure....nothing but nuggets ! It is said that these small-nugget types of poo are supreme and ready for (almost) immediate use in the garden. Alpaca have multiple stomachs and more internal processing before 'delivery'. Nothing, however, can be more wisely stated than to let any manure sit in the open for a while and get watered, turned, aerated and sprinkled with some of the well-known natural supplements so that the composting of this manure begins to activate the availbility of these supplements (elements !) by the microbial populations.

Cow, steer, horse and chicken poo definitely need more time to age and break down before being tilled in or placed near any growing plants. Chicken can be super-hot stuff and might require two full years of aging before use.
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