Now I'm up to date on why/why not well rotted. So here comes an elementary question! How long does it take to rot well, and does it depend on the time of year? Covered or not.......or what?
Quote from: mormor on November 14, 2013, 14:41:15
Now I'm up to date on why/why not well rotted. So here comes an elementary question! How long does it take to rot well, and does it depend on the time of year? Covered or not.......or what?
It needs to be kept damp so don't cover it while it's rotting and let the rain get to it. Dry manure takes an age to decompose. Once it's rotted you can then cover it to stop it being washed out. I reckon it needs a winter to rot properly as it's during the winter that you get the wet conditions it needs to decompose properly but you might be surprised at how much it reduces in volume during the rotting process.
Pile it up and cover it, then dig it in in the spring. Its main value is as a soil conditioner, not as a fetilizer.
You are quite right to doubt some of the adjectives routinely trotted out; "Well rotted", "last years seed". There are many more, in my cynical opinion that are frequently used, with little or no evidence that they are true.
This spring, for example, I sowed a row of 2 year old parsnip seed and a row of fresh seed... resulting plant stand, no difference. But people will still quote "must use fresh seed", because everyone else says it!
Manure rots quicker in the summer than in the winter. It rots quicker if there's a bit of air in it, if you turn it over.
I don't turn a compost heap over much anymore. It's less work if, when you put it in the heap, you put in some sticks, twigs, branches with bits in, in layers, to make air pockets.
Then I just leave it alone, but bung something over the top about now to stop too much rain getting to it in winter.
If it has a lot of straw in it then additional of nitrogen will speed things up. Suggest peeing on it.
Poke a stick regularly into it to allow air to penetrate and water to drain.
Uncovered, a minimum of six months, but if you can spare the time the langer the better.