Discover the Best Manure: Alpaca's Ultimate Benefits
Alpaca manure (aka beans, because that is exactly what they look like!) are truly the magic behind growing beautiful and healthy plants. Of all the livestock manures available, alpaca has the highest NPK. But before we get into the nitty-gritty of what makes alpaca manure so amazing, let's talk about what NPK is and why it is an important factor in choosing a fertilizer for your plants.
NPK stands for the relative amount of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) found in fertilizer. These three primary nutrients are essential for plant growth. Nitrogen promotes lush, green, leafy growth. Phosphorus supports strong root development, flowering, and fruiting. Potassium is important for overall plant health, improves disease resistance and aids in energy transfer. The numbers represent the percentage of each nutrient by weight.
Both natural and commercial produced fertilizers contain varying NPK levels, but do not be misled into thinking that natural manures are any less powerful than their commercial produced chemical counterparts. Not only are commercially produced plant foods filled with harsh chemicals harmful to you and your family, but are detrimental to the environment as well. Have we convinced you yet? Let's talk now about what makes alpaca manure superior!
Alpaca Manure (1.7 - 0.69 - 1.2) has the highest overall natural levels of NPK out of all livestock manures. Additionally it is low in sodium, has little to no odor, and is a "cold" fertilizer. Unlike most other manures, which are considered "hot" it does not need to be aged or composted in order for it to be safely applied to plants; it can be applied directly from the animal without burning.
Due to the extremely efficient digestive system of the alpacas, it is also lower in organic matter content than the manure from most other barnyard livestock. This not only reduces the chance of seeding weeds, but also produces a higher concentration of nutrients, improves soil texture, and water-holding capacity. It can be used directly as beans, turned into Alpaca Brew for liquid fertilizer, or used to inoculate existing compost piles.
Cattle Manure (0.6 - 0.2 - 0.5) one of the old standbys, but it's not the most beloved because it often contains unwanted salts and weed seeds.
Chicken/Poultry Manure (1.1 - 1.4 - 0.6) tend to be "hotter", where the plants can be burned easily if overused. They do tend to be richer in some nutrients, especially nitrogen. One potential concern is the large amount of antibiotics fed to domestic fowl in large production facilities. It is also suggested that some caution should be used when handling chicken droppings, whether fresh or dried.
Goat Manure (0.7 - 0.3 - 0.9) can be treated in a similar fashion to sheep dung or horse manure. It is usually fairly dry and rich and is a "hot" manure (therefore best composted before use).
Horse Manure (0.7 - 0.3 - 0.6) is about half as rich as chicken manure, but richer in nitrogen than cow manure. And, like chicken droppings, it's considered "hot". Horse manure often contains a lot of weed seeds, which means it's a good idea to compost it using a hot composting method.
Sheep Manure (0.7 - 0.3 - 0.9) is another "hot" manure. It is somewhat dry and very rich. Manure from sheep fed hay and grain will be more potent than manure from animals that live on pasture.
Pig Manure (0.5-0.3-0.5) is a highly concentrated or "hot" manure. It is less rich in nitrogen than horse or bird manure. Pig manure is best used when mixed and composted with other manures and/or large quantities of vegetable matter.
Fish Manure (5 - 1 - 1) is also a common and offers a balanced, burn-free nitrogen source for plants, but it is significantly more expensive per unit of nitrogen, has a strong odor that can last several days (making it unsuitable for indoor use), and can attract pets like raccoons.