bellas@ttidcb.UUCP (Pete Bellas) (10/18/85)
With all this talk about what to put (and not put!) in a compost
pile (heap, bin?), I am encouraged to ask some questions. I am
building a house on a about 3 1/2 acres of sandy soil. I have two
horses which produce about a ton of manure/year each. Is horse
manure usable? What else should I add to it when ammending my
very poor soil? Should this vary according to use (would it be
different for say planting tries that for my vegatable garden).
Any info would be a great help. Thanks in advance.
-Pete-
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\<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>/nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (10/21/85)
> ... I am > building a house on a about 3 1/2 acres of sandy soil. I have two > horses which produce about a ton of manure/year each. Is horse > manure usable? What else should I add to it when ammending my > very poor soil? Should this vary according to use (would it be > different for say planting tries that for my vegatable garden). > Pete Bella Horse manure is great stuff, provided that it is not applied uncomposted to the tender plants. Its nitrogen content is too high and it will "burn" them. So start a compost bin or two, (one old, one new) and layer plant matter, horse manure, and dirt in one for a couple of months, then start on the other one. You should be turning the compost at least once a month, and let it cook for a couple or three months after you have made your last con- tribution. It should be hot for a while, then turn into a dark, crumbly compost. In the meanwhile, you should have pretty well filled up the other bin, so clean the compost out of the old one and start a new batch. Compost needs both air and water, so make the sides of the bin let in air (by using wire mesh or spaced slats to build the bin) and turn the compost periodically (see the ads in a _Rodale's_Organic_Gardening_ for some ideas for bins that turn with a crank so you don't have to use a fork and your back!) to get the air, and water once a week or so if it doesn't get suficient rain. With horse manure you probably won't need it, but there are commercially available pills that you dissolve and add to the compost to get it started composting. It is a good idea to either collect the compost "tea" that percolates through the bin by putting a pan underneath it, and using this as liquid fertilizer; or make the bins movable, so the enriched soil beneath the bin can be used by some lucky plants after you move the bin. Finally, if you don't like the idea of all this work, just pick an out of the way spot and pile your manure, plant matter, etc. up there. It will take longer to compost without the air and water treatment, but it should be usable in about a year. Unless you use funky sprays, lawn clippings make great compost, and leaves are pretty good. As far as sandy soils go, the best thing you can do is to add organic matter to the soil. It will help retain water a bit, which can make a great difference. It will also help to release nutrients more slowly and slow down the leaching of nutrients from the soil, which are related problems. Finally, mulching over a sandy soil will help keep it from drying out so quickly or so completely when it goes without water, as well as discourage weeds. If you have an idle season, (like winter, say) plant a cover crop as "green manure" that you can turn under when you till the soil later in the year. It will both add organic matter to the soil, keep the water content up, and if you use a legume, it will increase the nitrogen content of the soil. Good luck! Nemo -- Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 school 232-4690 home USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608 School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester; Rochester, NY 14627
jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (10/25/85)
> With all this talk about what to put (and not put!) in a compost > pile (heap, bin?), I am encouraged to ask some questions. I am > building a house on a about 3 1/2 acres of sandy soil. I have two > horses which produce about a ton of manure/year each. Is horse > manure usable? What else should I add to it when ammending my > very poor soil? Should this vary according to use (would it be > different for say planting tries that for my vegatable garden). > > Any info would be a great help. Thanks in advance. > > -Pete- Horse manure makes good compost but lousy fertilizer. It doesn't have enough nutrients in it. All manure should be well composted before putting it in the garden. What sandy soil needs is something to make it more loamy and help its water retention. Rotted horse manure should be very good for this. Another approach you might take is to use plants that like sandy soil. Strawberries love sand. -- Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.) "Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent..." {amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff {ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff