Yep, horse manure and pine shavings really slowed my early garden this year. I had to keep adding nitrogen rich mulches and composts all summer to offset the nitrogen depletion from the wood shavings. It has finally rotted away and I should be okay next spring. On well, lesson learned.
Ted
-
gixxerific
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5889
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
- Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B
You all are worrying me now.
I just added approx. 2 - 2 1/2 yards of horse manure plus shavings, hay whatever to a little over half of my bigger garden (probably 2 -3 inches deep or more. Some of it was very well composted (years old) while other parts were more fresh.
I have been adding grass like mad all year so maybe that will outweigh the high carbon of the shavings. I just added a ton of grass today after mixing in my manure. I have been doing this for years but not in such quantities so I hope I'm good for next year. I know that possibly a part of this years problems could have been from adding too much compost.
But all in all even if next year is a bust the following will be great because it is finally getting to where I want it.
I just added approx. 2 - 2 1/2 yards of horse manure plus shavings, hay whatever to a little over half of my bigger garden (probably 2 -3 inches deep or more. Some of it was very well composted (years old) while other parts were more fresh.
I have been adding grass like mad all year so maybe that will outweigh the high carbon of the shavings. I just added a ton of grass today after mixing in my manure. I have been doing this for years but not in such quantities so I hope I'm good for next year. I know that possibly a part of this years problems could have been from adding too much compost.
But all in all even if next year is a bust the following will be great because it is finally getting to where I want it.
Gixx,gixxerific wrote:You all are worrying me now.
I just added approx. 2 - 2 1/2 yards of horse manure plus shavings, hay whatever to a little over half of my bigger garden (probably 2 -3 inches deep or more. Some of it was very well composted (years old) while other parts were more fresh.
I have been adding grass like mad all year so maybe that will outweigh the high carbon of the shavings. I just added a ton of grass today after mixing in my manure. I have been doing this for years but not in such quantities so I hope I'm good for next year. I know that possibly a part of this years problems could have been from adding too much compost.
But all in all even if next year is a bust the following will be great because it is finally getting to where I want it.
I wouldn't worry about it. If it is well composted, it should be fine. I bought a dump truck load of the stuff last year and the guy told me it had composted for more than a year. The pile I was looking at was well composted. I think when he delivered it, he didn't get it from the well composted pile. I could see some pretty fresh looking saw dust and shavings in the pile when he delivered it. I used about 1/2 of the pile. The remaining pile is now well composted and usable. On my pile, some kind of mold grows on the surface and sends the mycelium or filaments deep into the pile. It causes the wood particles to decompose rapidly.
Ted