Amending soil with composted manure for flowerbed...............?

17 years ago

So...I have this section of soil that is encased by a stone wall. We haven't tended to it in years. No idea what will grow there. The soil is probably not to clay-filled, but isn't really filled with organic stuff either. Just normal meteoker dirt, I suppose. I would like to prepare it for plants and am going to get a bunch of compost and till it in, along with added topsoil tilled in because i need to build it up a little.

There will be shrubs, herbs, a couple grass bushes, and then what will be the main eyecatcher will be colorful flowers of all sorts. All of this is in moderate sun. Probably 3-5 hours of filtered sun.

So this is the question:

My local farm person has composted manure. I was wondering if this will be too much nitrogen for my flowers? Or will this be ok?

(I also plan on amending the soil with either rock phosphate, bone meal, or both, in the areas that the flowers will be. For the shrubs/herbs I will go easier on the phosphorus.)

Thanks

This is in Massachusetts on the east coast.

Comments (7)

byron
17 years ago
The use of manure has been around for over 3,000 years ,
I've only used it for 50 something years

I have some 30 something year old peonies and hollyhocks that all they get is a little composted manure every year
it_better_be_organic
Original Author
17 years ago
Awesome, thanks.

This makes gardening seem so damn easy ;)
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i claim to be no expert as to what comes out the other end of an animal.. though i have been accused of shoveling it around a bit.. lol ... but it depends what goes in the front end .... over your multiple posts.. it SEEMS ...you always talk of ONLY spreading it around ... though that is one way of doing it.. you might want to consider using a garden fork to work it in a bit .... throwing down what you call a gob ... and then forking the soil a bit to loosen it... and work it in .... frankly .. if it smells to rich .. it probably isnt aged well enough to use in the garden ... aged 'nure is more of a compost .. rather than just a pile of poop ... or what you call.. a GOB ... sooo .. in summation your honor .. if your olfactory senses are over-whelmed.. it is probably not aged enough ... [of course.. since you own the stinkee animal.. perhaps you wouldnt be offended by the smell as much as us.. lol ...] i would say at least over-winter.. and probably a year ... all that said... you could start building a bed for next fall ... and work it into the soil ... letting it lay fallow .. rather than simply making a pile so as to age ... and then.. next fall.. you move everything in a current bed.. into the new bed.. and renovate the old bed ... there are many ways to do it all .. if you dont duct tape yourself into a box and not look outside of it ... ken
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Kimmsr
17 years ago
Manure is one soil amendment but it should not be used alone. Manure should be used with other vegetative types of organic matter so it will work better in the soil. Most likely you soil in Massachussets will be clay and you will need more than manure to make it workable. Start you project by contacting your local office of the UMASS Cooeprative Extension Service about a soil test for base nutrient and soil pH levels and then dig in to that soil with these simple tests to see what you have there:

1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy

These will help you know what you need to do to make that soil into something good and healthy that will grow strong and healthy plants.
it_better_be_organic
Original Author
17 years ago
how can adding organic matter both add water retention and detract from water retention AT THE SAME TIME!? I would think that if you want more drainage, add SAND. if you want more water retention, add organic matter. Why am I wrong?

I do not want to go through the hassle of sending soil tests in, unfortunatly. I'll try the jar method though.

And can you explain more about tilth - like what I should do if the soil clumps together and doesn't fall apart? and what to do if it falls apart way too easily?

thanks
it_better_be_organic
Original Author
17 years ago
maybe ill do a soil test but im going to till in compost and plant my plants before the results get back because time is of the essence as of now.
byron
17 years ago
>how can adding organic matter both add water retention and detract from water retention AT THE SAME TIME!?

Good tilth, holds some water but is pourus enough so that there isn't any puddling Like a sponge, after you add too much water, it just passes thru.
Kimmsr
17 years ago
What happens when you add organic matter to soil depends on which soil you have.
Sufficient OM added to clay soils will seperate the soil particles opening pore spaces so water flows through that clay more easily. Clay has the property to hold onto both nutrients and moisture and OM causes change that allows both to move around more freely. Because OM tends to hold onto water it will while giving that clay a more free flowing characteristic.
Sufficient OM in sandy soils will close the pore spaces holding moisture and nutrients in the roots zone that otherwise would simply flow out because of the large spaces between the sand particles.
There is a whole lot more to the process than I have described and 1,000 page text books have been written trying to explain it.

Amending soil with composted manure for flowerbed...............?

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byron

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Amending soil with composted manure for flowerbed...............?

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byron

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