Today at Meadow Valley we are talking poop! Yes that’s right, a lot of animals seem to do it, but some animals poo is more useful than others!
You will probably be most familiar with the idea of people using horse manure as a fertiliser on their plants; however have you considered the difference and benefits of using alpaca poo instead?
Horse manure is often used on allotments and vegetable patches. This is because horse manure is Nitrogen rich and therefore acts as a great fertiliser for those nitrogen thirsty plants. However the horse manure used as a fertiliser is not the fresh off the field stuff, it has to be well-aged and left to rot, often for years. If it was put on plants straight off the field it would burn and damage the plant roots as the nutrients are too concentrated when fresh. Instead, mounds of manure are created and often covered and added too overtime. The moisture at the bottom and in the middle gets chance to heat up and creates good compost, this in turn makes a great fertiliser. The rotting process also allows weeds to be killed off, as this is a cause for concern for gardeners too.
However, and it really is quite a big however, have you considered Alpaca poo?
It appears that Alpaca poo is the new and improved way of fertilising. Often referred to as Magic beans, the best feature of alpaca poo is that it can be used straight off the field. No large pile of rotting waste, and no waiting long amounts of time for it break down. Plus the added bonus of no weeds as the Alpacas three stomachs deal with this when digesting.
Alpaca poo is dense and in “bean” like form making it easy to use and spread, and its form allows it to retain water well providing a slow release of its nutrients.
The collection process for alpaca poo is less laborious too as Alpacas tend to create their own pile in one place (no training required!). The small pellet like poo is much easier to collect meaning less organic matters are being scooped up with it, and therefore increasing the nutrient levels to be higher than horse manure.
Extra Bonus: It doesn’t smell like manure so you don’t have to worry as much if picking it up in your car too!
Overall Alpaca poo is far simpler to use, and has higher nutritional benefits. Here at Meadow Valley we’re happy for people to come and collect it for free straight off the field, and then people can pick it, and bag as much of it as they like.
