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market-farming - Re: Horse manure/sawdust

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  • From: Sojourner <sojournr AT missouri.org>
  • To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Horse manure/sawdust
  • Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 10:06:16 -0600


Robert Farr wrote:
>
> Elizabeth:
>
> Just made sure to compost your sawdust for a season, so it doesn't tie
> up the nitrogen in your soil while decomposing.
>
> And for the manure - rather than dumping it in one place, which can
> cause toxicity, why not spread it over your fields?

The belief that sawdust will "tie up the nitrogen" in your soil is a
myth based on studies done with sawdust that had been "worked in" to the
soil - e.g., was decomposing (or rather not) in anaerobic conditions.

Spreading sawdust on TOP of your soil will not cause a nitrogen
deficiency. Aerobic decomposition, taking place in the presence of
oxygen (which is what goes on when you surface spread) is a whole
'nother animal than anaerobic.

It makes excellent compost, is an excellent mulch. I have a friend who
uses it exclusively to "hill up" his potatoes. I can get all the free
sawdust I want out here in the Ozarks from local sawmills, so I plan on
using it for mulch in my gardens and for deep bedding in the chicken
house (assuming I ever finish MY house so I can start on one for the
chickens, that is).

The fact that its come from the stables means that in addition to the
horse manure, the horses, our friends, have also made sure of the
addition of lots and lots of nitrogen in the form of urea, so what
you've got here is actually a pretty well balanced mix of carbon and
nitrogen (chicken house bedding is even better in this regard).

There's no need to worry about a lack of nitrogen either in the material
itself or in the soil after you've applied it as mulch. Unless the
stable left cleaning way too long, its unlikely there's enough horse
manure in the stuff to cause problems either, though I still wouldn't
put it anywhere you're planning to grow carrots.

It's straight applications of piles of horse manure that tend to cause
problems; a little horse manure mixed into a lot of sawdust should be
sufficiently buffered by the sawdust to be OK. If you're unsure,
composting first wouldn't hurt, but if the stables clean often enough
you should be fine.

--
Holly ;-D
Contrary Peasant
sojournr AT missouri.org




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