Fertiliser for field

cava14una

cava14una

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Posting this for a friend. It has been suggested to her that she spread horse manure on her field to fertilise it. We both think this isn't a good idea as horses don't eat long grass/ weeds round droppings are we right?
 
We spread horse muck but from manure heaps that have been rotted for a minimum of a year. imo it's good practice - farmers generally don't like to do it because of spreading what they call weeds, but the weeds are grass seeds from the hay the horses eat, so good for horse grazing, but not farm crops. This is where people get misinformation and believe manure spreads actual weeds. The rotted manure is almost peat like and a good soil enhancer. They say you should always put back what you take off the land.
 
What about if you don't have a muck heap. Mine was cleared in march. What's the best sort of fertiliser to use in this instance?
 
Potato! said:
What about if you don't have a muck heap. Mine was cleared in march. What's the best sort of fertiliser to use in this instance?
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You could either buy chemical fertiliser (VERY expensive) which comes in varying proportions of nitrogen, potassium, phosphate etc, or you could find out whether there are any livestock farmers with any cattle or poultry manure you can help them lose (last time I did it I paid for the transport and spreading). Poultry manure is high in nitrogen so will give the grass a real boost.
I do my hay aftermath (just had it done) then leave it until the October rains leave my track too poached to use - they then graze the spread part, so a couple of months, more if you can.
 
The best thing to do is have your soil tested. I use Mole Valley its free and they will tell you what if anything you need.
 
In theory, the heat in a muck heap due to bacterial action should kill worm eggs and weed seeds.

There is no doubt that dung has magical properties, at least on my impoverished sandy soil. Artificial fertilisers do a job but there's nothing like muck for stimulating the soil micro fauna and flora.

I had a muck heap here that must have been at least 12 years old. True, it was mostly dog muck. Then I invested in a muck spreader and put the lot on nine acres. It was impossible to walk down the field without treadding on the stuff. For good measure I put on 1cwt/acre of a general purpose artificial (20:10:10). Then I got a visit from a self styled "expert" who ventured the opinion that "that doesn't sound like much". So muggins sticks on another cwt. (1cwt=50kgs. 2.4 acres = 1 hectare. You go work it out. I can't even SEE a millimetre!). 2cwt is my usual application for hay.

Well, I got quite a crop! My wee baler just could not manage and I could barely turn it. The swathes were HUGE! So I got the local contractor in to wrap it for haylage. Yes, muck works! Don't waste it. My neighbour has cattle and always has better grass that I do on poorer land, but then he has cattle and sheep.
 
You probably need to leave it for at least a couple of months, maybe more depending on how much rain there has been to wash it in. And bear in mind that as good as it is it isn't fast acting - it builds the soil fertility over time, but as above, chemical fertilisers are horrendously expensive and also artificially alter the balance of the soil. That is why most soil has certain mineral deficiencies now - too much nitrogen forcing growth depleting the natural minerals over decades.
 
Dry Rot said:
In theory, the heat in a muck heap due to bacterial action should kill worm eggs and weed seeds.

There is no doubt that dung has magical properties, at least on my impoverished sandy soil. Artificial fertilisers do a job but there's nothing like muck for stimulating the soil micro fauna and flora.
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It does as it also adds humus to the soil which adds structure and retains water especially on sandy soils.

I believe you can get various artificial fertilizers, even a nitrogen free one if soil testing shows it isn't required.
Testing soil Ph is easy, cheap and if needed liming is very beneficial.
 
Dry Rot said:
In theory, the heat in a muck heap due to bacterial action should kill worm eggs and weed seeds.

There is no doubt that dung has magical properties, at least on my impoverished sandy soil. Artificial fertilisers do a job but there's nothing like muck for stimulating the soil micro fauna and flora.

I had a muck heap here that must have been at least 12 years old. True, it was mostly dog muck. Then I invested in a muck spreader and put the lot on nine acres. It was impossible to walk down the field without treadding on the stuff. For good measure I put on 1cwt/acre of a general purpose artificial (20:10:10). Then I got a visit from a self styled "expert" who ventured the opinion that "that doesn't sound like much". So muggins sticks on another cwt. (1cwt=50kgs. 2.4 acres = 1 hectare. You go work it out. I can't even SEE a millimetre!). 2cwt is my usual application for hay.

Well, I got quite a crop! My wee baler just could not manage and I could barely turn it. The swathes were HUGE! So I got the local contractor in to wrap it for haylage. Yes, muck works! Don't waste it. My neighbour has cattle and always has better grass that I do on poorer land, but then he has cattle and sheep.
Click to expand...

Great post! We use just the muck spread from the muck heap on ours (this includes rotted straw and shavings). It's spread late October and by March the grass is flush. Good enough to convince the YO not to put nitrogen on it this year,
 
Using well rotted muck is a great fertiliser, but the trouble is, you never know what is in it unless you have it tested beforehand! I tend to always get rid of my muck via a local farmer and then he puts 1-2 25kg bags of 20-10-10 on per acre and it seems to do the trick! And I didn't pay that much for the fert this year either, 20 bags delivered the next day for just over £300 from agrigem!
 
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