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chicken compost problem
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Posted by LazyGardener z8 OR ,Bverton (My Page) on Mon, Jul 25, 05 at 9:58
I hade purchased 3 bagged chicken compost from Lowes back in
April. They were lying in my backyard until recently when I applied them to my shrubs and young perennials - some were planted this year. The young perennials have been showing burnt leaves and lots of dead leaves. What should I do now.
Rake the compost out ? Or leave them there and keep watering.
Please advice.
Thanks, |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: chicken compost problem
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| you might try spreading the stuff out more, and water heavily - sounds like too much nitrogen Bill |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| If the bags said "Composted Chicken Manure" it probably was simply chicken manure that was left on its own for a time and then bagged and sold and was whay too rich to use in the garden without further real composting. Add lots more carbon, but since that Nitrogen is so soluble I would not water it in since that will be moving the N into the root zone where it will do even more damage. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| It has been 6 six weeks, since my unfortunate decision of adding Lowes chicken compost to plants. 2 of the newely planted young plants were in critical condition, one - a fuschia has survided since then and doing okay. The other a very young variegated honeysuckle has barely surived till recently with just few leaves. Last week I removed 1 inch the top soil of chicken compost, since I did that, it has ven dropped the remaining few leaves it had. I have been watering it every other day. Will it survive. Has chicken compost known to kill young plants ? I hope this young vine survives. -L |
RE: chicken compost problem
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I meant to ask, if should dig it out and put it in a pot.
Or simply keep watering it. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| Lazy: You've got somewhat of a sticky situation on your hands. In the beginning, removing all the manure you could possibly remove would have been the best way to go. Manure breaks down unevenly, depending on particle size--sort of time release, by nature--so evidently, rain (or other water) has carried excess N to the roots at various times during the six-week period, and the problem has been ongoing. In trying to dilute it with water, you've probably aided in this, as Kimmsr mentioned--but rain would have done the same. Now, you're in a "see what happens next" pattern, but I can't see a lot you can do. Digging your plants, in leaf, and particularly in a weakened condition is iffy, at best. Plants in leaf, even when healthy, are chancey to dig--you have to get a whole lot of soil to keep from damaging small feeder roots; they're almost always STILL set back, and many die from shock. I guess as a last resort, I would try a "flood", or sorts; just let the hose run in that area for a LONG time, hoping to dilute and wash away remaining N; I certainly wouldn't bet on the outcome, though. I will say one thing--every time I've ever tried to sidedress with manure (and I've done it many times) I've had a bad experience. Even aged manure, that I considered safe, does weird things when just dumped on the soil surface beside living plants--particularly in any quantity, and chicken manure is famous for "burning" plants. I think manure should only be incorporated into the soil, and I also have had the best success doing it in Fall, for the following Spring. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| Ouch!!! raptor droppings have a way of giving the old nitrogen burn to even the most mature plants,, easy does it when dealing with duck, turkey, chicken, or even wild game poop.. It can be tamed with a little gypsom, but not enough to negate a big over-load.. I'd say flood the area.. wash it through, and hope for the best.. cochise |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| One of the things organic gardeners need to do is consider, not only the short term results of their actions, but those long term affects also. Flooding the area will simply move the problem from LazyGardeners garden down into the ground water and pollute the drinking water of millions of people dependant on that ground water for survival. A good organic gardener would try to utilize the excess nitrogen in their own garden rather than move the problem downstream someplace. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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- Posted by Tyrell Zone 9, CA (My Page) on
Tue, Aug 30, 05 at 10:22
Using grass clippings to fertilize plants, which I've done for 34 years now, has the following advantages:
1. You simply can never get "fertilizer burn." Grass clippings break down slowly, but provide more than enough of any nutrient plants need on a daily basis.
2. The clippings are free. There are many other things I prefer to do with my money than buy fertilizer, especially when a "waste product" is better than any of them!
3. The clippings also permanently eliminate weeding, tilling, and conserve water. Chicken manure, as well as other commercial products, do none of those. Seems like a "no brainer" to me? |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| I second the suggestion of digging in more carbon. We see lots of posts here warning of mixing browns such as sawdust, wood chips, etc into the soil because it "robs nitrogen" from the soil. Here's a chance to use that idea to your benefit. The nitrogen will eventually leach out but flooding your soil will simply add it into the groundwater at a faster pace, as Kimmsr said. It will also leach out other nutrients from your soil. Wayne in the Adks. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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Oh, the rain, we must stop the rain from washing the shovel-full of hen manure downstream. I certainly wouldn't worry about a shovel-full of hen manure
contaminating civilization's ground water, when 10 gazillion
cow/horse/sheep/goat/chicken/duck plops strike the ground every few seconds--let's get real, here. And Tyrell's suggestion about using grass clippings is nice, but not very apropos--unless we can turn back time a month, or so. Like someone said, when you're up to your arse in alligators, it's hardly the time to initiate a study on the feasibility of draining the swamp. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| Yeah, one person adding some nitrogen into the groundwater unnecessarily seems like no big deal. Just like why bother to stop stuffing one extra Big Mac into your kid because there's a whole obese, unhealthy next-generation to deal with? Better to do nothing that helps if you can't cure the whole problem? Maybe I'm a little touchy about manure and water. A dairy farm near here had a wall of their liquid manure pit give out and soon there was 3 million gallons of raw manure floating down the Black River, killing thousands of fish and contaminting drinking water. But, you might ask, whats the big deal with only 3 meazly million gallons when there's 10 gazillion...? Wayne in the Adks. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| Well, I must say, I prefer today's overzealous organic faction to the organic-bashing nut faction that existed here six months ago; I guess things have come full circle (or more). Never thought I'd hear "shades" of my kindergarten teacher, though: "What if everybody dropped a piece of paper in the schoolyard??..we'd be up to our arses in trash". People, get it together--3 bags of hen manure (removed, along with an inch of topsoil) is not 3 million gallons of raw manure floating down the river (nor does it remotely warrant a comparison to kids eating Big Macs), it will not pollute the drinking water of millions of people, and the only "no-brainer" about using grass clippings, is that it's too late for that--hen manure was used. |
RE: chicken compost problem
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RE: chicken compost problem
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- Posted by vstech z7 Charlotte (My Page) on
Fri, Sep 2, 05 at 8:37
prevention is no longer an option, saving the plant was the question. instead of trying to wash away the manure, why not put in some wood chips or LOTS of crushed oak leaves and amend the manured soil this way.
comparing one kid eating an extra big mac to the rest of teh world being obese is not the same as one pile of manure leaching in to current ground water. comparing one FAT kid eating another big mac because he just ate one and he is fat already is closer.
man wayne, I would hate to have been anywhere near that gullywasher PEEEEEYYYYOU! |
RE: chicken compost problem
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| Thanks everyone. I have enjoyed reading these posts. At the moment, I simply hope to keep this young
plant alive.
I have to confess that I did move it a pot very carefully
just before I read Marylandmojo's posting. During the transition
I did carefully remove the top soil around the root. While in the pot last few days, after reading the posts I have watered heavily twice, watering daily. Today I have seen faint microscopic green trace and they look new - let's hope for the best. If it survives, then I will consider about putting
it back to the ground when the weather is cooler
in October, with some lawn clippings for the next year. I firmly swear never to buy, use or dream about
chicken compost ever again. At least that will
take care of ground water contamination...
for this planet. -L |
RE: chicken compost problem
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"I firmly swear never to buy, use or dream about
chicken compost ever again. At least that will
take care of ground water contamination...
for this planet." whew. i can't tell you how relieved i am that you have finally seen the light. though i am in massachusetts & you are in oregon, i was getting terribly worried that i'd end up inadvertently drinking your chicken poo. seriously, though, best wishes to you & your variegated honeysuckle & thanks for this hilarious thread. |
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