Manure and lime... hmmmmm

[JimmerG]

Hi all,

I'm in the midst of preparing the ground for this year's onslaught, and its time for the brassica patch to to get some treatment. Trouble is, I'd like to give it a good dose of lime and manure. I understand one is acid and one is alkaline, and that they shouldn't be mixed. I GYO this month it was mentioned that they can be applied to the same patch - but leave a month between applications.

However - which should go on first? The manure is lovely and well rotted... and I probably won't plant anything in this patch for a good 4 - 5 months.

What do you reckon?

Thanks

J

[HeyWayne]

I'd go with the manure first if it was me as it's a soil conditioner as well as feed, but I'm far from an expert.

I'm just glad you're not talking about some foul sounding cocktail!

[Nicos]

I originally got really confused about this!
so - I tried to work it out.
Yes it is certainly better to do one in the autumn and one in the spring to lessen the cancelling out effect. ( but remember there are 2 types of lime- the quick release and the slow release)
Now then- that's the ideal ?
OK- so when you have crops in most of the year , it gets a bit difficult to do that doesn't it?
My last two sites have had high water tables- so autumn mucking was a waste of nutrients as they would be leached away as the table falls.
so- the answer was to do both in the Spring- but several weeks apart.
Spring muck tends to need digging in ( the Autumn muck can be left on the surface for the worms to pull down)and lime sprinkled on the surface so it can be dissolved and washed down.
So- bearing all that in mind, I'd dig in the muck as soon as the soil was dry enough to be workable and sprinkle on the lime a few weeks later- but at least a couple of weeks before planting out of young plants. Some years the Springs have been so wet thatthey have been done only a couple of weeks apart.

To be honest, bearing all that in mind- I'm still not sure what the right thing to do was- no how long after limin you can plant out!!!
I've sort of kept an eye on the local fields- and when they've been limed I think it's time I did it too!

Having said all that- whether I've done the right or wrong thing over the years, it seems to work for me- and we always have more fruit and eg than we need!

If anything I've said sounds daft- please point this out - cos I'm ready to do things differently cos now I have a new 'site' and all the traditions change!

[TEB]

I usually manure late Autumn and lime early spring, in your case I would manure as soon as able and then lime as late as possible or even apply some lime to the plant holes.

[JimmerG]

Well it very much sounds like you're all agreeing that manure goes on first, then lime later.

Incredibly I've got time on my side at the moment (doesn't happen very often) I'll be off to the stables this weekend.

Thanks for your help

J

[Nicos]

I'll be off to the stables this weekend.

Thanks for your help

J

..needs to be well rotted manure- at least a year old!!!

[Pies]

Have you done a soil test to see if it needs lime ?

[Nicos]

Have you done a soil test to see if it needs lime ?

Good thinking bat person!! (..urmm..male/female??)

[OllieMartin]

As I understand it, mushroom compost is a good soil conditioner AND it contains lime. I just used a bag of that on the brassica patch.
No use if you don't have any MC, just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

[JimmerG]

Good points....

The manure is at least 2 years so its proper horticultural gold.

And no, I haven't actually done a Ph test on the soil. I just assumed that being an old allotment - years of compost and manure will probably have turned it a little acid, and that a bit of lime every few years is probably a good thing - and it helps break up my heavy clay soil. But I do have a test kit kit - so maybe I best give it a go.

J

[Two_Sheds]

I never use lime ... but then I have a slightly alkaline soil over here (we can't grow azaleas, rhododendrons etc)

How, When and Why to Add Lime

[JimmerG]

Just remembered something - I fight a constant battle with maretails on my allotment, and I'm pretty sure this means the soil could be a little acidic. I'll get that test kit out.

Also - spent mushroom compost, this gets mentioned a lot, might this be something that mushroom farms hand out for free - or does one have to buy it from garden centres?

[Sanjo]

.
Also - spent mushroom compost, this gets mentioned a lot, might this be something that mushroom farms hand out for free - or does one have to buy it from garden centres?

Be brilliant if they did. I have looked online but can never see any other than that which costs BIG money!!
Would love it if another grape could suggest where!!!!

[OllieMartin]

Be brilliant if they did. I have looked online but can never see any other than that which costs BIG money!!
Would love it if another grape could suggest where!!!!

I pinch it off my mum, that's fairly cheap
She bought 75 bags of it a while ago. Not sure how much she paid though. She does know every farmer, gardener and shop owner locally though so will no-doubt have got some kind of deal.

[Flummery]

I never use lime ... but then I have a slightly alkaline soil over here (we can't grow azaleas, rhododendrons etc)

How, When and Why to Add Lime

Same here Two Sheds.