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 Hime
Stranger
Registered: 02/16/13
Posts: 172
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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 composted steer manure 
#698471 - 12/11/13 02:51 PM (10 years, 10 months ago) |
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Can't find very much information on using composted steer manure for indoor potting mix but decided to give it a try on a couple of my plants. So far I've only read bad things about it... due to excess moisture retention/heavy salts etc. and I think I may have used a bit much comparing to some of the other mixes I've read.
I used 2 gallons of kelloggs patio plus, 4 cups of composted steer manure, 4 heaping handfuls(around 4 cups as well)of a 50% kelloggs/20%sand/30%perlite mix, 2 extra handfuls of sand, 1 extra handful of perlite.
My plants were rooted thoroughly to the bottom of a 1 gallon container containing just the 50% kelloggs/20%sand/30%perlite(dryed a bit fast for my liking). I transferred the 1 gallon into a 3 gallon and filled in the gaps with the manure mix above.
The first one I potted up and watered in drained through very slow. The second one with the same mix drained right through easily... I may have compacted the first container in more tightly.
Today the plants still look fine and the top few inches that I pull up don't seem to be holding to much moisture, but the bottom is definitely still soggy(though it hasn't been a full day yet.) If I remove a little soil from the bottom and squeeze, it releases a lot of water.
I'm thinking about going out and getting some more perlite and then adding some extra to the mix to help with the sogginess before the plants set in too much... or just scrapping the extras and just adding Kelloggs as is to fill in the 2 gallons.
What do you guys think, is this mix asking for trouble? the core of the plant should be aerated well in the 50kellogs/20sand/30perlite mix but the 2 surrounding gallons may prove to be heavy on the moisture retention... hard for me to say at this point.
I also wonder if the salts or other possible contams contained in steer manure should have been flushed before using... thinking if that is the case I may want to get them out before problems occur because I'm not sure if I want to continue adding moisture to these pots with a flush.
Probably best if I just keep things simple and stop playing around to much hehe, I would have added extra perlite but I ran out(no license and my containers were root bound so I made this silly mix without enough foreknowledge.
Thx again for any input
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Livin, learnin, takin it easy 
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Hime
Stranger
Registered: 02/16/13
Posts: 172
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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Re: composted steer manure [Re: Hime]
#698480 - 12/11/13 03:24 PM (10 years, 10 months ago) |
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maybe I'm thinking too much... went ahead and drilled 8 extra holes in the pots and have them levitating so now there is a 1/2inch gap below the pots.
I'll put a pic up of the soil and try to break down what the manure ratio is to make it a little easier to judge.
thinking I'll see if the bottoms dry up a bit by tomorrow and make a judgment then, and then possibly do a thorough flush soon if moisture seems to be fine.
39 parts other/ 4 parts composted steer manure. 39 divded by 4 = 9.75, perhaps not to much after all.
this is maybe 12-15 hours after watering.
 
prob hard to say from these.. I guess my main concern is about the possibility of to much salt content.. the bags are the $1.50 bags from lowes "gardeners composted steer manure." Anyone have experience with this stuff?
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Livin, learnin, takin it easy
Edited by Hime (12/11/13 03:43 PM)
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 Hawksresurrection
Registered: 12/04/08
Posts: 13,464
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Re: composted steer manure [Re: Hime]
#698486 - 12/11/13 03:41 PM (10 years, 10 months ago) |
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Well if you transplant, the roots aren't in the soil to absorb the water. So on that aspect, you are worrying way too much.
As far as the manure goes, you can only wait and see. Or take them out and put them in regular soil.
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Dude she isn't as young as she use to be.
-niteowl
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Hime
Stranger
Registered: 02/16/13
Posts: 172
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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Thanks for the reply hawk, ya I figured I was hehe. I transplanted the root bound 1 gallons, so the outside roots should be bathing in it now I think but the drainage may be better then I think, looking at the top few inches of soil in my containers(not whats pictured). The pictured soil is extra I had, that's what it looked like about 15hrs after pasteurization.
hopefully this particular steer manure isn't to salty... i'll keep a hawk like watch over them for now  Guess it will be a good experiment.
Edited by Hime (12/11/13 03:50 PM)
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Hime
Stranger
Registered: 02/16/13
Posts: 172
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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Re: composted steer manure [Re: Hime]
#698843 - 12/13/13 11:31 AM (10 years, 10 months ago) |
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yap they are doing beautifully since transplant... really perked up since. Bottoms dried out nicely too, not a bad mix so far.
I've read this manure may be from the confined steak cows, I guess a good possibility of antibiotics and other nasties... it's worked well outside on my tomatoes though, I guess it is possible during composting that a lot of that stuff had been flushed out or broken down already.
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Livin, learnin, takin it easy
Edited by Hime (12/13/13 11:33 AM)
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