Cow manure

Dirtmechanic

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What fertilizer do you use. A neighbor is going to give us two big piles of cow manure and I want to spread it on pastures. More for the humus to help with the soil than anything else. So if the grass will need fertilizer what do you recommend? Thanks!
Starter or blooming fertilizers will have a higher phosphorus portion for root establishment. Fish blood bone if you wish and can afford it. For an established pasture they use 30-0-30 here and spread it thin. The manure is a lot of composted plant material, but suprisingly high proteins, which is in effect an amino acid based fertilizer. The biodome uses the proteins (aminos) to build their little bodies and hyphae.
 

Gardening with Rabbits

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It is organic cow manure from grass fed cattle farm, no pesticides. It was piled up and rain and snow on it. Thank all of you for the advice. I am going to be side dressing a lot of the garden because it is already planted. I I have a section of garden that has not had anything really added to it for awhile and I may just weed that section really well and add some of this on that section and plant a few squash plants and try to get the weeds under control in that area and build the soil back up. I love the worm casting idea. I only have a couple of rabbits left, so the rabbit manure huge supply has ended, but I can have a small compost bin I can turn and take care of.
 

baymule

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Starter or blooming fertilizers will have a higher phosphorus portion for root establishment. Fish blood bone if you wish and can afford it. For an established pasture they use 30-0-30 here and spread it thin. The manure is a lot of composted plant material, but suprisingly high proteins, which is in effect an amino acid based fertilizer. The biodome uses the proteins (aminos) to build their little bodies and hyphae.
Thank you. I’ve never used commercial fertilizer here, relying on clovers for nitrogen, mowing after they go to seed for the humus.
 

Gardening with Rabbits

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It has arrived. More than I remember getting before. It does not smell too strong, but I see lots of straw, so going to side dress most things and fill my compost bins and spread this in the fall. I have to turn all the ground by shovel, no tiller, so after I get the weeds out, would you put this in or plant and side dress new plants?
IMG_9395.JPG
 

Dirtmechanic

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It has arrived. More than I remember getting before. It does not smell too strong, but I see lots of straw, so going to side dress most things and fill my compost bins and spread this in the fall. I have to turn all the ground by shovel, no tiller, so after I get the weeds out, would you put this in or plant and side dress new plants?View attachment 40530
Happy Poo Day!
 

flowerbug

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if you can mow the weeds down, put the manure in a few inch layer over it and then cover it all with cardboard you can then plant through the cardboard for squash. then you won't have to turn it at all.

it looks ok to me. :) have fun!
 
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