Can you over-treat with Chicken pellets?

[Lotsaveg]

For the past 3 years I've been adding chicken poo pellets to my raised vegetable beds at the recommended rate. However, I haven't really noticed much improvement in plant growth. This year I've covered the top in about a 1cm layer then turned it into the soil. I realise this is about 10 times more than recommended, but hopefully it'll be OK.

[Two_Sheds]

I've never used chicken pellets, or farmyard manure

You could save yourself some money, and do without for at least a year or two?

[Lotsaveg]

The problem is my veg beds are surrounded by mature trees which must sap a lot of nutrients out of the ground. I still get around 60% of the day in direct sunlight though. I never seem to get my veg to what I would call normal sizes before they're finished. Cauli's for example only grow to a 4-5 inch diameter head before they break open and Stutgartter onions are never more than a tennis ball size before the leaves go yellow.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Part of the benefit of using FYM is that it improves moisture rentention and adds humus thereby improving the soil structure. The table below(I did try to show that as a table, honest, it looked ok on the preview) shows the average NPK of various animal manures extracted from elsewhere and the comment made was that this will vary from animal to animal depending on diet and the length of time the manure has had to rot down will also have an effect

N Nitrogen % P Phosphorus % K Potassium (Potash) %
Cow Manure 0.6 0.4 0.5
Horse Manure 0.7 0.3 0.6
Pig Manure 0.8 0.7 0.5
Chicken Manure 1.1 0.8 0.5
Sheep Manure 0.7 0.3 0.9
Rabbit Manure 2.4 1.4 0.6

It can be seen that Chicken manure is higher in nitrogen which will encourage soft leaf growth and cost apart, I think you may yet regret applying such a high concentration of pellets to your beds. Do let us know later how you get on.

It is important to remember that growing vegetables does deplete the ground of nutrients and if these nutrients are not replaced, then there will over time be a reduction in achievable yield. I personally use a combination of fym, the contents of my compost bins (and I wish I had more of this but there is never enough), growmore granular and occasionally I will use a foliar spray if something needs a boost. Not all together, just where it is needed for a particular crop and importantly, never in excess of manufacturer's recommendations.

[StephenH]

A more experienced grape informed me some time ago that poultry manure pellets are alkaline. In my case that was a good thing, because I'd added some to the bed I was sowing broad beans in, and had forgotten to lime it. It turned out that I'd killed two birds with one stone by adding poultry manure pellets. However, if you add loads, you might, I suppose, end up with soil that's too alkaline. Depends how naturally acidic or alkaline your soil is in the first place, and what you're growing, I suppose.

[Two_Sheds]

Cauli's for example only grow to a 4-5 inch diameter head before they break open and Stutgartter onions are never more than a tennis ball size

I can't grow caulis anyway and I'd be pleased if my onions got to tennis ball size

My sweetcorn, pumpkins, courgettes and beans are superb, every year.

I don't use FYM or chicken poo, but I do use my own homemade compost which includes bedding from parrots & guinea pigs. I also use a lot of comfrey tea - I have comfrey edging two sides of my plot (soon to be 3)

[chris]

For the past 3 years I've been adding chicken poo pellets to my raised vegetable beds at the recommended rate. However, I haven't really noticed much improvement in plant growth. This year I've covered the top in about a 1cm layer then turned it into the soil. I realise this is about 10 times more than recommended, but hopefully it'll be OK.

If you live near me I have a 330L compost bin full of fresh chicken manure fueled compost. Needs some more green waste adding to it - you're welcome to it to try it if you can get it to rot down in time.

[Lotsaveg]

If you live near me I have a 330L compost bin full of fresh chicken manure fueled compost. Needs some more green waste adding to it - you're welcome to it to try it if you can get it to rot down in time.

Thanks for the offer A bit of a long trek to Norfolk though

[chris]

Ah, indeed

Planning on offering it to the local allotment site (I can't use it this year, removing my veg beds from the garden and have enough for my pots/fruit mulch needs)... unless anyone local wants it?!

[Kristen]

I can't grow caulis anyway

I've read that on other forums too ... although there are always folk who say "I never had any problem" (very helpful and reassuring!) on that forum there was a consensus that Candid Charm was a variety "easier than most" to grow.

I can send you a few seeds to try (if you send me a PM). Probably best to raise them in pots and then plant out - but up to you

[solway cropper]

There is plenty of research to show that over manuring/fertilizing can lock up certain nutrients and can be harmful. I do hope that Lotsaveg hasn't overdone it as it may take a while to recover. As StephenH says, chicken pellets are alkaline so it may be that the pH balance is wrong. Might be worth checking before deciding on the next course of action.

[Two_Sheds]

Candid Charm was a variety "easier than most" to grow.

I can send you a few seeds

Very kind offer, but I shall graciously decline (I don't like cauli all that much)

[Kristen]

I don't like cauli all that much

Seems like a sensible reason for not growing them to me

My Veg Seed List is a bit like my Christmas Card List - rather a lot of things have been crossed off over the years!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Cauliflower like a slightly alkaline soil and some fym dug in early in the season is beneficial. The fym feeds and also helps maintains moisture. Really firm the ground after planting. As a brassica, it is prone to club root disease so if this is a problem in your vegetable patch try using a resistant variety such as Clapton. Do not allow to dry out during the season or you will stress the plant and encourage it to throw a small tennis ball sized curd rather than a football sized one. Be on the constant look out for slugs and snails, caterpillars and also woolie aphids.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Whoops forgot, the cabbage root fly can also be disastrous. I use 4" squares of carpet underlay with a slot cut into the centre. Place around the stem, foam side down and this should give protection. The idea is that the fly will lay it's eggs on the square and they then dry out and fail to hatch. Otherwise, the soil keeps the eggs moist and the hatching maggots burrow into the centre of the stem and kill the plant.