fertiliser or manure

[george356]

Well of course if you've already got it, use it, but I would'nt go out of my way to buy it, bag it, transport it etc. Apparently our local zoo sells Lion poo, that would get your plants off to a roaring start.

that's the "mane" thing, Bill

[Snadger]

Well of course if you've already got it, use it, but I would'nt go out of my way to buy it, bag it, transport it etc. Apparently our local zoo sells Lion poo, that would get your plants off to a roaring start.

Keeps the local cats away as well......

[Snadger]

Humus is the way to go!

Humus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[veggiechicken]

First grow some chickpeas ^^^^ Hummus, Hommos, Humus Recipe - Greek.Food.com - 116906

[Two_Sheds]

I was wondering if applying well rotted horse manure is essential?

No, it's not essential. It's just one tool in the gardener's arsenal. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...uck_75789.html

could I fertilize with say blood fish and bone instead?

what would the differences be please?

BFB is a slow release, organic (not synthetic) fertiliser (plant food).

Horsemuck is not a feed, it is a soil conditioner. Like all humus, it adds bulky goodness to the soil, improving its texture & ability to conserve moisture.

[chilli_grower]

thank you for the great explanation two sheds

[lizzyf]

Hi 007
What do you mean by manure tea

Regards

Lizzy

[dim]

manure and compost is mainly used to aerate and improve the quality of the soil ....

if your soil is good, and free draining then IMHO, I would rather add a few bags of volcanic rock dust ... this adds over 75 important minerals to the soil, and is slow release

B&Q sell 10kg bags of Verve volcanic rock dust for approx £6 per bag, but it can be bought cheaper online (Seers rockdust)

[Bigmallly]

Hi 007
What do you mean by manure tea

Regards

Lizzy

You can make manure tea by seeping a hession bag of manure in a bucket/barrel of water for a few weeks then the resulting liquid can be added to your plants. It can also be made with comfrey or nettles............Beware as it can reek............

[alldigging]

manure and compost is mainly used to aerate and improve the quality of the soil ....

if your soil is good, and free draining then IMHO, I would rather add a few bags of volcanic rock dust ... this adds over 75 important minerals to the soil, and is slow release

B&Q sell 10kg bags of Verve volcanic rock dust for approx £6 per bag, but it can be bought cheaper online (Seers rockdust)

ASA Adjudication on The SEER Centre Trust - Advertising Standards Authority

[Kristen]

ASA Adjudication on The SEER Centre Trust - Advertising Standards Authority

Interesting. I'm trying Rock Dust for the first time this year. I have seen plenty of reports of its effectiveness from old-timer growers who's views and opinions I respect ... probably a bit like homoeopathy in that regard. The ASA's rulling wording does seem to raad, to me, as "could be true, but the advert looks like a panacea and it probably isn't that" - what do you think? or do you read it differently?

Anyways, cheap enough to try, and I'll let you know how it has gone in the autumn. Might do some half-and-half if I have a big enough crop of anything to constitute a fair trial. Onions or Garlic I have large areas of.

[Mikey]

Now I see horse manure as a double bonus really, one it improves my more heavy clay structure and two its full of nettle seeds giving me liquid fertiliser. As long as you are prepared to hoe off the weeds as there will be plenty because as Bill says they only have one stomach, unlike a cow which has four compartments to its stomach.

Some things about animals turn my stomach, and the thought of regurgitating my food to chew it again is pretty high up there. Cow manure is not as good a fertiliser as horse, because more nutrients have been removed in the digestive process. The plus side though is you don't get as many seeds surviving a cows stomach, unlike horses.

[dim]

ASA Adjudication on The SEER Centre Trust - Advertising Standards Authority

as they say .... the proof is in the 'pudding'

luckily, I am in a position where I can try 'alternative' gardening practises at no cost to me (My clients buy what I tell them with no quibbles, and I experement at their cost and buy imported nutrients such as Advanced Nutrients, Biobizz and imported composts etc from hydroponic stores and online)

In the 'old days', cow and horse manure was the 'bee's knees' as there was nothing else (cheaply) available ... so your grandfather's grandfather (who was a competent gardener), swore by using cow and horse muck .... you in turn learned these practices from them and your father .... there are still may old geezers who own allotments that use nothing else

nothing wrong with that, but outdated as far as fertilization is concerned but the 'science of growing' has progressed immensly

then, after the great war, someone realized that fertilizer could be made from 'by-products' from petrolium .... thats when they started manufacturing chemical fertilizers

so now we have large monopoly companies manufacturing and selling products such as miracle gro (that grow plants twice as big .... LOL)

now .... guys who grow competition vegetables such as pumpkins as big as VW Golfs, and marrows larger than wheelbarrows use products such as actively aerated compost teas (brewed with powerfull airpumps and heaters), bat guanos, volcanic rock dusts, worm humis etc

the guys who grow cannabis have tested various techniques and products at no expense spared .... volcanic rock dust is a key ingredient in their soil mix for best results (read their forums such as 420 ... you will learn a lot about growing, and many there know more about fertilization than many commercial farmers)

As said, I have been fortunate to be able to test various products at the cost of others, and am always eager to learn new things .... and when you use a brix meter to test the brix values of vegetables that have been grown using rock dust as a key ingredient in your fertilization methods, the brix values/nutritional values are way higher on the scale that using conventional methods ...

thats why many farmers are switching to 'High Brix gardening' .... lots of info on google about this

many top chefs (especially in the USA and France) now go to farmers markets on a daily basis armed with a brix meter (they only cost approx £80 and are a handy item) ... they check the brix values of the veg on offer and buy accordingly (there are charts on google that give you the values) ... they opt for the veg that have high brix values (nutrient dense) ...

ever wondered why marks and Spencer's finest tomatoes taste sweeter tan Tesco's finest? ... because M&S buyers check the Brix values before ordering

so read into what you may (but I use volcanic rockdust on all my own plants including vegetables and normal garden plants)... some of the world's most fertile growing regions are at the bases of volcanoes