My friend and I have just cleared an allotment and have started to lay some horse manure on the ground. The manure is half rotted. Should we cover it with black plastic to help it rot down? Or dig it in?
Looking forward to your thoughts.
welcome to A4A, and good luck with your plot.
I have just clear our plots and taken delivery of 2ton of half rotted horse manure as well. Mine was quite light and on the dry side, though steaming when he delivered. A good sign that it was decomposing well. By the time I shifted it to my plot, all day in this heat, phew. It had dried a little so I gave it a quick spinkling of water as I built the stack up. we covered it with black plastic, to help it rot, as we our geting all the rubbish and weed root out of the plot. Once a area has been dug, sifted, we our going to mix a little manure, taken from the centre of the stack, into the soil, and then a 4-6 inch layer on top and cover it with black plastic, to help it decompose and stop any seed drifing over from nearby unused plots.
so to answer your qusetion, if you lay it on thick and wait till feb to dig it over, is ok, just slower. if you cover it, it helps it rot slightly quicker as it keeps the moisture levels constant as well as heat.
we dont know the best method but are going to try this as we have till jan/feb next year to get our layout and beds ready. leaving one bed not manured for carrots/ parsnips, etc.
best of luck
CG
I'm hoping to do a similar thing CG - as we clear each bed in the autumn cover it with manure until the spring. But I read recently that you shouldn't spread manure in autumn and then leave it as the nutrients get washed out. Have you heard this? Anyone know if its true? ???
I believ this is true, this is why we are recovering each bed with the plastic, got 65 metres by 4m roll . this should help with the 'leeching' of the good stuff. but normally, ie years to come. digging in the late autumn is usual. as the manure is under the soil the top clods take the moisture ad break up with the frosts, wel thats the theory.
CG
Thanks for all of your advice. We are going to try and get hold of a large amount of black plastic so that we can cover one section of the allotment (in preparation for planting next Spring.
I'm sure that I'll be back with lots more questions!! :)
Went to get some manure off my stack yesterday, pulled back the plastic covers and disturbed a wasp's nest :o :o :o
We couldn't get near it after that to cover it back up. The wasps were very angry >:( So, that's it for manure for a while until they decide to vacate the premises :) Oh well, chicken manure it is then :)
Cover it up after dark, when they're not flying. You might be able to get manure off the other end of the heap, if you can get at it without disturbing the plastic over the nest. They're not aggressive as long as the nest isn't threatened; I shared my shed with them all last summer with no incidents.
I'll attempt to get the manure stack cover back on but I won't be trying to get any off until waspies have vacated. There were so many of them and all in a bad temper that I don't want to upset them again :)
Gonna try green manure later...........
They won't fly in the dark, so don't worry, just do it in the evening. If you're reasonably fit you can outrun them anyway!
Andy Did it taste nice?
RB I'm not fit but FAT !!! Mind you if I had wasps up my backside I think I would find a sudden turn of speed ;D
I pulled the plastic down a bit more last night without incident but it's still not down. Do you know I'm so daft. I have a large roll of chicken wire and I thought that would weigh it down. I actually had it in my hands to throw it on the pile :o :o :o I think would have got them riled ;D
Dare you...
My compost/manure bin is full of horse flies. They've taken to biting me in punishment for taking them away from their hosts, I reckon.
Not sure I would swap them for wasps though.
I have this picture in my head of Wardy running for his life, trampling down plants, and going into a water butt head first.
Sorry, but I do
Trenchboy
He is a she ;D
Glad you're getting bit by horseflies after what you said abour your mental picture of yours truly ;D ;D
Head bowed in shame.
Any chance of forgiveness?
As a newbie, where should I look for black plastic? any special type?
Forgiven TB ;D
Marmite go for some black fabric mulch and you can find it at www.alplas.co.uk (or similar) I think it is plastic but they call it fabric. This is not the cheapo stuff like from B & Q. Not that there is anything wrong with cheapo stuff from B & Q (before I get innundated with angry threads) ;D I think it's called Formycil or Phormycil?
I bought my 'plastic' from N.A.Kays Horticultural. It's strong, woven, not the thin fabric stuff. Type is Tenax Redstripe I think. Cost about £95 for 100 metres, in width 2 metres. I got it mail order and it's good quality.
the redstripe stuff is very good and strong. I've got a piece but my daft OH lit a bonfire and all the ash blew on it and now it looks more like net curtain >:( >:(