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January 06, 2009, 03:19:19 AM

Permaculture Forums | substance | lawn care | Topic: manure application

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manure application

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Leah Sattler
Administrator
Posts: 784

oklahoma

August 02, 2008, 05:29:28 AM

I figure this is the best place to post this because my end goal is a thick healthy grassy area just like people want for thieer lawns. I have relatively newly cleared from brush) area for grazing. The turf hasn't had time to cyle and build the soil on the surface. iIunwittingly created a portion of it to be exactly what I want by having a load of stall cleanings delivered. Most of it went to other areas but of course there was a goodly layer left where the original pile was. This area has the thickest healthiest grass for my goats to graze now butit had nothing the first year after teh load was brought in liekly due to the manure being too heavily applied. Most of the other area has hard and silty surface or the remains from burn piles left from the ice storm and the original dozing of the property that even the bermuda is having a hard time getting a hold in. My question is how much stall cleanings would be appropriate to spread over the barren areas to encourage some earth worms and vegetation but not inhibit growth of next years bermuda.


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Put a bit of sunshine in each day;
Others need its cheer and so do you-
Need it most when outer sky's dull gray
Leaves the sunshine-making yours to do.
-"scatter sunshine" Jaunita Stafford

paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1471

western WA

August 02, 2008, 09:42:20 AM

Is there grass there right now?

How fresh are the stall cleanings? What all is in the stall cleaning? Does it smell like poop?


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Leah Sattler
Administrator
Posts: 784

oklahoma

August 06, 2008, 05:55:45 AM

the is bermuda grass trying to creep in but the soil is so barren even it is having trouble there is just no ability to hold moisture in the soil. There is some has sparse bermuda. In contrast my front pasture had alot of the grass destroyed due to the installation of a septic system. Just these few short summer months it has almost all filled back in real thick without my doing anything. The formerly wooded area has had over two years and the only spots that have filled in well are the areas where I had dumped the stall cleanings. One area is especially bad. There was a mobile home there at one time and gravel from a drive and base still lingers and works to the surface.

The manure would be a mix of composted and not. Most of it would be real close to finished but inevitably the front loader is going to scoop some of the fresh stuff too while digging through to get to the bottom of the pile so that needs to be taken into consideration. It originally is horse manure, shavings and hay. The bottom of the pile is always crumbly black super soil. Even the fresh stuff doesn't smell real "poopy" it burns up so fast in the giant pile and I would guess is originally only about 20% actual manure and that is a high guess. Most of it is wet (from urine) shavings pulled from the stalls,mostly pine. This is daily stall cleanings from a barn with 50-60 horses.


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Put a bit of sunshine in each day;
Others need its cheer and so do you-
Need it most when outer sky's dull gray
Leaves the sunshine-making yours to do.
-"scatter sunshine" Jaunita Stafford

paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1471

western WA

August 07, 2008, 02:53:32 PM

I think you can put it on an inch at a time. If you have any turf that is thick and more than six inches tall, you can put down two inches (it will be able to take it up better).


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Leah Sattler
Administrator
Posts: 784

oklahoma

August 08, 2008, 05:20:13 AM

thanks. any ideas out there for keeping it in place without buying sod? some of it is on a slope.


	Logged

Put a bit of sunshine in each day;
Others need its cheer and so do you-
Need it most when outer sky's dull gray
Leaves the sunshine-making yours to do.
-"scatter sunshine" Jaunita Stafford

paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1471

western WA

August 08, 2008, 08:50:47 AM

Can you send a pic that might have somebody standing there so we can get an idea of how much slope there is an how bare the soil is?


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Leah Sattler
Administrator
Posts: 784

oklahoma

August 09, 2008, 06:11:08 AM

Here is a pic that shows the slope somewhat. Near the back burn pile to the right you can see the rich green grass that filled in where a manure pile was and where we spread the remains out a little. I want the whole place like that!


	Logged

Put a bit of sunshine in each day;
Others need its cheer and so do you-
Need it most when outer sky's dull gray
Leaves the sunshine-making yours to do.
-"scatter sunshine" Jaunita Stafford

paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1471

western WA

August 09, 2008, 10:31:17 AM

Outside of a gulleywasher, I think you'll be just fine.

Further - I see you're burning that wood. I'd be mighty tempted to use that wood for hugelkulture.


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Leah Sattler
Administrator
Posts: 784

oklahoma

August 10, 2008, 06:34:56 AM

had a gully washer last night! we do tend to get our rain all at once. but it isn't a really steep slope and there is a bit of vegetation.

I'm not real familiar with hugelkulture. I know that it involves composting wood but that is about it. I might could designate and area to try it with some more details.

we certainly have plenty of wood. We have another pile to burn like you see in the picture and have already burned 3. This is all from the icestorm last year. If I had more room I would just leave them for wildlife but almost the whole place was covered in limbs and downed trees but thankfully we only lost smaller trees (although the top fell off a big one and it will probably die). We still have "hangers". The last big one fell a few days ago. Thankfully they have all come down without injuring people or animals. Several people have been killed around here from falling branches and we have had to be careful where we walked for months to prevent walking under deadly, barely holding on branches. We trimmed up as best we could but need a lift to get to alot of the trees. we still have alot of ig 2.5' diameter logs from when the power company came through and trimmed from the lines, and I have been looking at those for a while thinking I would make a raised bed with them. I can't imagine what this place would have looked like if they hadn't trimmed the trees prior to the ice storm. I'm sure we would have been trapped in the house with lines down.


	Logged

Put a bit of sunshine in each day;
Others need its cheer and so do you-
Need it most when outer sky's dull gray
Leaves the sunshine-making yours to do.
-"scatter sunshine" Jaunita Stafford

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