best manures

has anyone used goat manure? i have a source that is really cheap. they have plenty of well aged manure for $25per load. They load for you. I prefer horse or cow but dont know much about goat.

I raise goats and sheep and I've used it for a long time and really like it. It puts a lot of nitrogen in the soil and here thats a good thing, I also use it as a light mulch on all of my plants and they do really good. I have a soil ph that runs from 7 to 7.5 or higher in some places in my yard so I have found that using the natural furtilizer is better then the store bought. I also have chicken and horse which I put in a pile for about six months mixed together and any goat/sheep I have left over and it is good then. I use that to fill up my raised beds and then just put a little cheep potting soil on top to mix in. I hope this helps. Susan

Careful of overdoing nitrogen--causes iris plants to go to leaves. I bit rather than a great amount would be a good trial.

This may sound crazy to you, but I use my Dog's poo in the compost pile. I thought, why not? Everything that I mixed the compost pile with really took off and saved me money on soil. I mix grass clippings, compost from the kitchen, ammonia powder, and dog poo. It keeps my yard clean too!

Nitrogen can also cause rot in the Rz's. Dog poo not for me I've heard too many bad things about using it, parasites, disease etc.

I think Cooley's recommends horse. No matter which kind you use, make sure it is well rotted. My broth-in-law burnt his garden once with sheep manure.

learn about dog poo http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf985919.tip.html , http://www.poopreport.com/intellectual/pick_up_that_poop.html

Well thank God I do not grow veggies! I didn't think our dog's poo was any different than any other animal poo. She is a mostly inside doggie in good health, but, after reading those links; I won't be putting her poo in the compost pile anymore. Thanks for the info.

Well, it is true that dog poop can transmit all those diseases, but there are ways it can be used. As the second article mentioned, dog poop -- and pig and human, can be used if properly composted. I hang out on the Rocky Mt. Forum where we have a vet who is a regular poster. He composts his dog and cat poop with grass leaves and horse poop and garden trimmings.
Another article I read once in a gardening magazine reported that the author had collected some astronomical number of pounds of tomatoes from a single plant which had been fertilized with the output of the family cocker spaniel.
I would think dog poop could be safely used to fertilize plants which don't grow in or close to the soil -- like fruit trees and tomatoes that are caged or staked.
If you are interested in this subject, consider Dmailing Soferdig on DG. He doesn't know that I have suggested this, but he is a vet and does use dog poop in his garden -- even vegetables.
Actually, if possible, it is good to use up as much of the waste of our homes as possible rather than sending it to the landfill -- given some elementary precautions.
And by the way, I did purchase one of those Doggy Dooley containers sold in many catalogs. The lid on it is plastic and a kid walked through my yard and stepped on it and broke it on the way to the school yard. If you get one, by all means replace the lid with a metal one and put it near a tree. (even a fruit tree).

A couple times a year I'll make what I call poop soup.I'll take a 5 gallon bucket and put some horse or cow manure in ,like a fourth of the bucket and then fill with water and stir and then pour on my garden.The plants seem to like it.

I have done that. It works very well if you don't put too much on the plant. The only time I succeeded in burning a plant was with something like your poop soup. I poured a bunch of it on a young nectarine tree and that tree proceded to die quickly.

Frankly, I would too!!! LOL!!!

Yeah, me too, but I have never burned anything with horse manure, no matter how fresh, but the juice -- wow! It was powerful.

We used aged pony manure on our garden for some years. Kids grew up & we no longer have the animals.

In early Spring, when new growth is appearing, we always throw out some ColorBurst.
To this we add crushed eggshells that we accumulated over the winter.

After blooming season is finished, we get alfalfa pellets from the farmers co-op here in town, and spread that around throughout the beds.
Alfalfa is great as a fertilizer/soil supplement. Its concentration of tricontanol, a hormone which stimulates root development seems to keep our TB Iris happy.

Throughout the Summer, we always toss our used coffee grounds in all the flowerbeds.
The earthworms love the coffee grounds...(happy worms....happy flowers!!)

Then, ususally the beginning of October, we'll put down some Bone Meal.

That's about it.......it might sound like alot...but it's really not. Just kind of spread out thru the growing months.

Pretty much I just buy the Black Cow brand from Home Depot or Lowes or I like using mushroom compost from Home Depot. I have a rabbit but don't know what I'd have to do to make his doodles safe to use in the garden (as far as aging it or whatever). I work with a guy that has goats and chickens but I don't know if he cures their stuff for aged manure or not.
I'm an apartment gardener so I don't have outdoor space/storage for some of the bagged goods so I store them in lidded 5 gal. paint buckets on the back patio.

grannyh--your method sound very do-able for me:)

You don't have to do anything to make bunny poop save for your plants, but if you want you could put it in a small container with worms and keep it moist. Worms love bunny poop and would make it finer for the plants. Nevertheless, it is very mild and doesn't have to be composted. Chicken definitely has to be composted.

Oh, I wish I had access to bunny poop! I read somewhere there are the added benefits of alfalfa that is in bunny pellets food. A lot of Rose enthusiasts sing the praises of alfalfa tea or just as an amendment. I think manure from any vegetarian animal works well. I've used cow, horse, and goat manure with good results, however the nature of goats to eat everything does bring weed seeds with it. Even composted, seems there are seeds hanging around in there. Maybe I just need to build a bigger pile so more heat is produced to kill the seeds?

Yes, it is the heat -- and dampness over time, that kills the weed seed. Bunny poop is very good -- but most bunny owners use up theirs.

pls. do not asssume, rabbit's poop are the only source to alfalfa pellets. do not forget horses and other farm animals are fed with pellets made from alfalfa. i have done my homework way, way back from the year 2004, maybe yrs before that.

modesty aside, before everyone spread words about alfalfa pellet, i had mentioned it so many times. as always, people never listen words, they have to see something before their eyes, before they caught on. took me while to show and prove my case http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/433894/ it is a lengthy thread, but i guarantee the thread is well worth reading cause i post links to support my research, that will be also worth while to learn. took me few yrs to established the plants on that link. see and prove to myself that alfalfa does work wonders!

btw... i no longer use Miracle grow cause i learned some of chemicals use were harmful to the environment. since then, if i foliar feed, i use food coloring as my signal, what i am spraying is water and all the nutrients in the concoction, had been consumed on earlier foliar feeding. u will understand as u read the thread i post above.

in the past, i have been known to post so many links worth while reading, unfortunately was never given credit for my hard work but that is fine, what matters is thru my hard work i know others learned.

yes, once upon a time i had all kinds of healthy brugmansia and so many plant. sad to say, due to severe health problems, i lost my plants due to thieves and the elements. i have recently bought another house, i have to start my new garden from scratch again.

Thanks for letting me know that Rabbit's doodles aren't toxic=) Well, just when I'm cleaning the cage:lol:

MaVie, I think I remember having read your posts before addressing alfalfa pellets. I thought it was some special agricultural grade type product sold only at feed stores. I buy Small World rabbit feed pellets at WalMart in the Pet Dept. Is that the same type of product that could be used for garden ammending? The first item on the ingredient list is suncured alfalfa meal.

I'm sorry to hear about your plant/garden situation. I've had thieves hit mine in the past too and it is very unsettling and there are so many who don't even realize that it happens. Who would steal a plant? You'd be surprised.

hi Donna, if not mistaken, the only difference is what u buy does not have the molasses -help break down the alfalfa cuz molasses' attraction to the worms help break down the alfalfa.. where alfalfa supplies the much needed nitrogen by the plants.

if u make alfalfa tea, u can use the regular molasses u use for cooking to add to the alfalfa tea to water ur plants.

i do not think thieves really took my plants. before i started with brugs, i was the only one in the area who have tropical plants. besides, i see my plants in the "covered" areas of my neighbors houses. i used to be taken by the paramedics 2 or 3 times a week for chest problems. sometimes, i am hospitalized for 3-6 days depending on what test or procedures i have to be examined. sometimes, during cooler months, mother nature takes over tropical plants.

i have lots of friends on DG, i am sure some will help me start. otherwise, i will begins with seeds or plants from local nurseries. i am determined, so there is no stopping me.

Wish I had some tropicals to help you out with:) I'll keep you in mind and leave a note on my pc if you are interested in TB iris when I divide in July or Aug. I may have some other stuff too. I'm babying some brug cuttings but I'm really a newbie with them so I'm not sure what will survive my TLC:lol:

Thanks for the advice re the alfalfa tea and molasses! I'm going to give that a try this season. Not a huge fan of MG so it will be nice to try some more organic options.

Cats & dogs go potty all over the place & I really don't think many people have been adversely affected by it. We have so much fear mongering going on nowadays about any and every thing that is animal related. Red meat will kill you via HA & clogged arteries, cat or dog poo will give you worms & other diseases & on thru the night. They can only pass on what they have. If they don't have the worms or disease it won't be in their feces or urine. Many diseases and parasites die after so many hours in contact with air. I throw the cleanings from our litter boxes in the compost pile or even just on the ground in really cold temps like we are having now. What did the pioneers do? They had to make use of everything. Someday we will too so get ready for it.

I had the bird house cleaned last summer & the wood shavings, droppings, & shredded paper were all put in a pile. I noticed weeds coming up & doing well so I weeded the area & planted some squash seeds. Those were some very healthy plants that bore well.

I will admit to tossing a whole tub of strawberry plants in the dumpster because one of my neighbors' dogs took a dump in the middle of the container several times. I was grossed out and couldn't even imagine eating one of those strawberries:lol:

That would gross me out, too. But composted dog manure on an apple tree seems okay to me.

TMI...too much info before we have dinner...Good Grief! LOL

I'm interested to see how Rabbit's droppings work in the garden. I've had him for 5 years and he has a nice diet (rabbit alfalfa pellet feed, kale, carrots, apples, banana, strawberries, celery, broccoli, sugar snap peas and berry yogurt drops and dehydrated papaya bits) so he should have some good poo:lol:

LOL--we cross posted but you may be right but it's not as bad as the infomercial guy talking about his "cleanse" product and all that:lol:

No more poo talk from me!

This message was edited Mar 2, 2009 9:22 PM

I would have dumped the soil & washed the plants well before replanting them and then putting a wire ring around them so the dog couldn't get too them. Maybe a cloth soaked in bleach & tied to the wire will repel the dog. I've heard to pour bleach in trash bags to keep dogs from getting into them. Then I would have a firm talk with the neighbor about keeping the dog in his own yard. If that doesn't work I would start getting very unfriendly with that dog. I know in the country there are no laws except that you can kill any dog or cat that you feel is putting any of your animals or you in danger or even harrassing them. I don't know if that would extend to plants or not. I can certainly understand your feelings.

If the dog continues to be a problem because you can't kill it and the neighbor won't keep it at home, try scooping up every dump it leaves on your property every week in a container and dump it in their flower pots if they have them or on the base of their front house exit. That should get their attention. lol

Actually leaflady, I agree with you. I had misread the post. If the dog had dumped in a bunch of plants I would simply have removed the poo by whatever means necessary, then planted the plants -- perhaps wearing gloves. The sun and water would eventually totally cleansed the plants and I would have enjoyed their berries.
I had read her post as saying that the dog had dumped in a box of strawberries ( meaning the fruit not the plants.) Those, I would have dumped in the garbage or the compost or somewhere.

It was in the container of plants but I'm a wuss and was grossed out:lol: Wish I could have pinned it on a particular neighbor's dog but I'm in an apt with an open back patio that opens to a community yard so it could have been from any of the 4 buildings or just a random stray. I will most likely try again in a traditional strawberry pot rather than the big washtub I used last year. It would have to be a fairly tall dog to pull that same stunt:lol:

Leash laws? Odd poo has improved since one passed. Now feces apt to be coyotes, but I doubt if it is in flower pots.

Llama manure is a particularly good source if you can get it, and it doesn't burn plants.

This link also has a chart comparing the NPK values of chicken, llama, sheep, horse, cow and pig manures. Goat is similar to sheep.

http://www.hidog.info/LlamaManure.html

We use the manure from our llamas, rabbits, sheep & goats on our gardens. We compost our chicken manure.

Thanks, CMoxon. I had never seen that chart. Very handy. Unbelievable that 1% nitrogen in chicken poop creates so much heat! But I have seen it do so myself.

I never use manure on iris, seems like a bad idea in the South because of our warmer soil temperatures.

I only use compost made of manure on iris, even here in the cold high mountains. I use it when I plant them.

2ndChance, what problems would arise from warm soil temps? I thought that would just speed the composting process. Too dry there?

For me the big problem I see with putting manure on iris is that it is generally applied on top of the soil and that would interfere with the rhizome seeing the light of day, which it likes. Also, iris don't really need much nitrogen -- rather more phosphorus and potassium.

Good info here! For anybody grossed out by poo talk before supper... what else would you expect to read about on a thread about manures? LOL

Bunnies around here do there own fertilizing, at random spots all around my garden. I figure it's the least they can do in return for all they eat!

Hope they leave some food for you, too -- not just poo!