Has anyone used composted manure (Black Cow) as the base to grow plants? If so, would you let me know how it went and any problems that you may have encountered? And looking back now, any information that may be of relevance to this general subject. My thoughts are to switch from a composted plant base over to a composted manure and add same vermiculite and peat moss? 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3. May not need anything to retain moisture, just more vermiculite, I don’t know? Physical liabilities are the main reason. Loading, unloading, hauling and SIFTING compost (FR*CKING) Blows Donkeys or Goats which ever are on hand (That’s just my Personal Thoughts On The Subject). What are yours, let me know.
I do something like this as an amendment to outdoor soil each year.
For us, the ratio is quite a bit less on the manure and vermiculite. Probably something like 1/5 + 1/5 + 3/5 peat. Not as a direct media but all tilled together into the topsoil. Very healthy growth through the season with the occasional addition of innoculents + fertilizer.
The only downside iv every heard about manure is possibly the accumulation of salts over time with use probably from what they are fed, back in the day I started with well aged horse that was weathered really well. Wonder what the process is before they bag such stuff . I’m currently trying to get my hands on rabbit poo which is a cold manure and can be applied directly to plants. Sheep, goat, deer poo my guess would be quite similar.
need to start herding sheep, goats, or deer I suppose. I could just wait till this Christmas and ambush Santa’s gang when they come round and start my own compost brand (Reindeer Droppings).
i just get some composted cow manure from a local farmer that is a few years old,
add some leftovers from my wood stove. mix that into last years outdoor soil with the
rototiller and let it sit for a month before planting. seems to work well.
Black Cow is extremely dense. More than 1/3 perlite is needed to lighten it up. Fungus gnats love it too. Add Mosquito Bits to your soil mix as a preventative if you choose to use it.
I’d say top dress those pots with manure with an active worm bin mix and those pesky fuggers don’t have a chance ! Noticed my new starts on my thread had some gnats in them several days back looked around and noticed a few soil mites weaving in and out of my rapid rooters fast forward yesterday didn’t notice and flyers at all!
I have had good results using mushroom compost for some things. Not for this particular plant though. Not sure the same pests would be an issue but really it’s hard to beat EWC
Is that the same as gnat dunks, that float on the water surface with a bacteria in it? I have been using that in my water for the last 3 months, haven’t noticed any benefit but I have a bad gnat infestation so it could have been worse if I didn’t use it.
Yes basically the same thing. Same bacteria. Different infused material. I found out it’s better to grind them up to a powder first and then mix mosquito bits in the water and water in for best results. Mix in the media itself as is also. It’ll settle to the bottom though with time, so I’d try it ground up as a powder in general regardless of method. It’ll feed the plants with the decomposed corn over time as long as it’s in the media still.
Yeah I started doing that 6 weeks ago, the stuff I have is mixed with cork bits to keep it floating. I would break them into quarters then grind it up in my hands in the water.
They can work for temporary aeration material before they sink to the bottom with each watering, but I wouldn’t rely on them for that. Just a thought about what I’ve noticed