Why can't I just use chicken or rabbit or cow manure as the sole fertilizer to grow my marijuana as a top dress for the whole grow?

Let's say I have my basic soil of compost (from vermicompost) mixed with peat moss/coco coir in and perlite or vermiculite, instead of using dry amendments like blood meal or bone meal or kelp meal or the likes, couldn't I just top dress composted chicken manure or composted cow manure or rabbit manure as the only and sole fertilizer to grow my autoflower during veg and flowering?

I know that dry amendments would probably help make the buds much bigger and more yields, but surely manure like rabbit or composted chicken or cow manure would help in adding nutrients for the plant to grow during veg and flowering to give me decent yields if potent buds right?
 

Snoopy808

Well-Known Member
Ive seen great quality herb grown in homemade soil with conposted and fresh rabbit manure used. But the soil was young naturally highly mineralized volcanic soil. Not a peat based/coco (of which the coco is 100% lacking any minerals! )Your hand made basic soil would be really low in minerals needed for yeild or quality. Especially phos and potassium. Just my opinion.
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Let's say I have my basic soil of compost (from vermicompost) mixed with peat moss/coco coir in and perlite or vermiculite, instead of using dry amendments like blood meal or bone meal or kelp meal or the likes, couldn't I just top dress composted chicken manure or composted cow manure or rabbit manure as the only and sole fertilizer to grow my autoflower during veg and flowering?

I know that dry amendments would probably help make the buds much bigger and more yields, but surely manure like rabbit or composted chicken or cow manure would help in adding nutrients for the plant to grow during veg and flowering to give me decent yields if potent buds right?
I'd use a balanced fertilizer mixed with the compost.
 

bam0813

Well-Known Member
I can say though that I use rabbit manure,dry,but not really composted regularly and haven't had any issues.
I won't use the chicken it's good stuff but real hot and I cant stand the smell.
 

DrOgkush

Well-Known Member
It's just a huge difference in everything for me explosive growth in the entire area I use. Before only 1/3 would take off to my liking. The rest would kinda struggle. The last 3 years I'v let my chickens pick thru it I. The winter. Then move them back by their big coop during spring summer and fall.
 

ComfortCreator

Well-Known Member
Anything is possible, but the main reason is balance. The planta are limited in nutrition by whatever there is the least of in the mix.

Rabbits and chickens are high N ferts (ratio-wise), while cows and horses are more balanced. The plant needs a certain balance so a mix of several things helps insure that.

With that said I think it could be done, but few would do it with the intention of getting the "best" possible mix.
 

MICHI-CAN

Well-Known Member
Manure is to high in nitrogen unless composted

Fresh is no good, but a pile in your yard under a tarp will be ready in a month or two
I use chicken poop for my acid loving plants. I get fresh crap and straw from a hen house. Iget to clean them for it. LOL. It must be "cooked off" or composted for a year at least. And then very diluted by mixing with a soil or compost before using.

Shit will burn your shit! Spectacular results once seasoned right. And chicken poo is a no no for top dress or amending weed plants here. Too hot and too acidic.

Use composted cow crap if anything. And in moderation.
 

DrOgkush

Well-Known Member
Yeah. I could only imagine my actual chickens pin. Nothing grows in that dirt lmao. And that's close to 150 square feet.
10 years ago before I got into chickens at home every year that side yard would have 6 foot tall weeds. About 3 years ago. That's ended. Even if something sprouts. The birds get to it fast.
 

Southernontariogrower

Well-Known Member
Let's say I have my basic soil of compost (from vermicompost) mixed with peat moss/coco coir in and perlite or vermiculite, instead of using dry amendments like blood meal or bone meal or kelp meal or the likes, couldn't I just top dress composted chicken manure or composted cow manure or rabbit manure as the only and sole fertilizer to grow my autoflower during veg and flowering?

I know that dry amendments would probably help make the buds much bigger and more yields, but surely manure like rabbit or composted chicken or cow manure would help in adding nutrients for the plant to grow during veg and flowering to give me decent yields if potent buds right?
Id try three different pots all same size and do l of each then a few mixes, but only do in start, no topdress, mix in well, or dig holes would be best. Lots of nitrogen p and k and other things in poo. Carbs everything, it would be a good start, eggshells teabags etc, can be used too, coffee grinds etc.
 

Snoopy808

Well-Known Member
Agree rabbit is better, used it a few xs myself, microbes galore! Will lifen up any plant party.
Rabbit manures are my fave too. I put 6 full feed sacks of rabbutmanure in my dep 42x8x2 bed every year. Super healthy. Takes care of all nitrogen needs for the season, since plants dont veg in there.

Now not all Nitrogen is the same. Hot, strong, composted etc? You guys sound like bro scientists!

The strongest manure by traditional fertilizer numbers that I can find is sea bird 12 12 0 or 11 0 0. Cow might top out at 6 sumthing sumthing followed by chx around 3-4 for fresh "hot". Rabbit is low numbers.

The factors to consider include plant size cause the nitrogen burn is really an extreme dehydration from a concentration gradient pulling water out of the plant.
Next is the actual types of molecular nitrogen compounds. Urea, ammonia or nitrate. They stimulate plants in different ways. Urea is hard to burn plants with, and there is organic sources of it too. Ammonia is the one to watch out for with younger plants. I stumbled upon a wet bag of bird guano, smelled like smelling salts. In the AACT it was more active, than using dry pellets. So I now activate the sea bird pellets before putting in the tea.

Nitrate usually doesn't cause burn. It will cause othet nutrient deficiency and is easy to build up in a season to toxic levels. Usually from going way overboard with cow or even horse. Nitrate isn't as easily made in the beginning of a fertilizer being used, nor the first form of nitrogen a plant would prefer. But it sticks well, adsorbs well to OM via CEC mode displacing fert cations. Microbes, especially bacteria grow and grow, the carbon rich fiber in cow or horse finally degraded to a point for mass consumption of microbes, who utilize the extra nitrate causing a massive population growth and a massive nitrate dump from their wastes.

So the best advice is know the size of your plant and its needs. Dont over do it. You can a lil more easier than dig out too much from your hole or pot.
 

bam0813

Well-Known Member
Rabbit manure wont fry your plant like chicken can though. Do any of you guys worry about pesticide or herbicides in cow manure. I was reading some areas of the country wont or possibly even are not allowed to use cattle manure.they had a name for a particular contaminant but I cant remember it. I've never heard about this around here
 
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