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Location

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Salinas, Ca

I have an opportunity to get a sizable amount of composted manure. It’s a blend of various animal manures (steer, chicken, goat, etc) plus a lot of organic content from grapes and other goodies. It was put together for local farmers to use in their fields and the produce is sold nationally so I’m not worried about applying an application that was put together incorrectly.

My question is, is there ever too much of a good thing? Can I put in too much?

2/9/2006 2:36:16 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I would say that as long as it is fully composted then you are good to go. I had problems with manure that was not composted enough robbing nutrients (mainly Nitrogen)as it continued to break down.

A good 4 inches per year tilled in sounds like a good plan to me.

2/9/2006 4:25:20 PM

Montoursville, PA

I think the above is a good answer. You could maybe store a pile, for future use, if it must all be moved now. I would make the pile or piles, in such a manor, that they can be covered with a plastic tarp. There would be no offensive odor, from finished compost.

2/9/2006 4:31:31 PM

Utah

if it was me in a new patch i'd put it on a foot deep...
if it was a previously amended patch then I got 6 in.
just my opinion...

2/9/2006 4:36:20 PM

Saegertown Pa.

I'm going to disagree, you can put to much of anything on a patch. If it was me I would put two to three inches on now and get a soil test in the spring and make adjustments from there. That's if you have already done a soil test by now and every thing is in good shape to start with.

2/9/2006 5:09:43 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

make sure it's not so deep you can't till it in with the equipment you have.

2/10/2006 10:09:58 AM

Salinas, Ca

Thanks for the replies.

Would you suggest I till it all in immediately or let it sit until a couple weeks before planting and then till?

What are the benefits of one or the other?

2/10/2006 12:35:03 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

The sooner you till in, the faster it will break down, which is what you want. I have been advised to use a light molassas spray to accelerate the breakdown. I don't understand the benefits of molassas exactly but I am going to try it. -Jim

2/10/2006 12:57:45 PM

Sheridan . NY

I suggest 6in work it in 6-8 let it set 15 days--dig down 8-10 inchs in 4 spots take a slice from top to bottom and mix all 4 samples in bucket--send it out--

2/10/2006 4:51:07 PM

Norton, MA

In short: molasses has alot of sugar (and molasses is cheaper than sugar). Sugar feeds the microbes in the soil (including good and bad). The increased microbes eat organic matter and pooop it out, so it breaks down faster. AleX Noel.

2/10/2006 10:18:01 PM

Norton, MA

I'm not sure, but I believe they actually "poop" it out, not "pooop" it out.

2/10/2006 10:19:16 PM

Salinas, Ca

I spread out about 4 yards on my 900 sq. ft patch. I spread it thicker in the stump and growing areas. I sprayed with some fish/seaweed, tilled it in and sprayed with some water.

Come spring time I'll get a soil sample and see what it looks like.

Thanks for the help!

2/13/2006 4:41:36 PM

Ray, North Dakota

I am new to the game, but I spread five pickup loads of 15 year old cow manure on a 60 x 60 patch. It really made the soil nice and loose.

2/23/2006 1:09:11 PM

Puyallup, WA

That old manure will definitely improve the tilth of the soil.

2/23/2006 6:06:04 PM

Snoqualmie, Wash.

See if you can get ahold of Rodale's "Encylopedia of Organic Gardening". Check out what it says about the carbon - nitrogen ratio. If you add carbon to your soil- composted manure, you have to add nitrogen as well. For every 12 parts carbon, add 1 part nitrogen. The nitrogen will help breakdown the composted manure. The faster it breaks down, the faster your pumpkin plant will grow,. Jerri

3/2/2006 1:11:26 AM