But, while artificial fertilizer often releases its nutrients too quickly, manure releases its nutrients too slowly. If the crop is not to starve, the dung needs to be spread long before the maximum growth spurt. Even then, the plants are unlikely to receive all the nutrients they need to reach their full potential. This is especially true of modern, high-yielding crops, whose growth phase is particularly fast. Long after the plant has matured and been harvested, manure continues to release its minerals. If minerals are delivered when plants aren’t growing, they tend to leach away, either into
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