- This topic has 3 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 10 months ago by .
-
Posts
-
Dear Charles,
I hope your well
I have been wandering about yet again going to the same munure suppy that I have been to for the last two years. A stables which has well rotted horse munure. But I have not put much else on my 2 plots (Theres not much of my own compost). The results are great I have had great harvests both years. However there is quite a lot of wood chip in with the munure. It is quite visable. I am using someone elses land for one of my plots, Reciently they have said they are really worried about the woodchip and thinks I have ruined the fertility of that area as the wood will take away nitrogen from the soil to break down. I am going to have to sorce another munure supply to keep them happy. But do I really need to worry that much about wood chip in the munure?
All the best
Bessie
The comment is not true, you are enriching their soil, only the wood takes time to break down and is more visible when on the surface, its best place!
Hi Bessie, good you have fine harvests. The comment about ‘wood taking nitrogen’ is true only when it is incorporated in soil and thus in contact with soil organisms at rooting level, leading to competition for nutrients. On the surface, it may be awkward for sowing carrots for example, and you don’t want too thick a layer because of that, but it takes only a few nutrients where in cantact with the soil surface, and also has access to air bacteria (azotobacter) which help bring nitrogen from the air..
Still tricky for you to handle the owner’s comments, hope it works out. They should be happy when they can see good crops there.
Yes more green on the wood wil help it break down over winter.
However the wood used for bedding is slow to decompose because of being kiln dried: green wood is quicker.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.