"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
Dioclese wrote:

Chicken manure is okay if you leave it exposed to the weather for one
season, and use it where the soil is high on the alkaline side.

Some of the nutrients in fresh chicken manure are quite volatile and
others are very soluble in water. Leaving it out exposed will release
these into the environment, which will indeed reduce the chance of burning
plants due to excess. However these useful substances will be wasted,
unless you want the grass downhill from the heap to be nice and green. A
better solution is to mix it in with compost where at least some of the
nutrients will be absorbed, or dig it in when preparing a bed and leave it
a couple of weeks before planting.

I am not sure why you are saying to use it where the soil is too alkaline.
I cannot see that you would be adding enough to alter the pH of soil very
much (especially clay-based soil) and I would expect it to raise rather
than lower pH.

David

My parents turned virtually all-caliche soil to something viable for St.
Augustine grass that thrived on it by using the rotation method I mentioned.
Exposed to weather/sun chicken feces tends to stay put unless there's a
downpour from my own observations. The chickens tend to spread the fresher
stuff around as well while ranging. (ever get any animal poop between your
toes?). Beneath the soil surface, earthworms abound on the stuff and break
up the soil. Earthworms don't normally inhabit this type of caliche. The
type of caliche they had was the virtually bright while and color, and you
could draw on the sidewalk with it. At least that' what we saw.
Regardless, I can't argue the results with "science" as the results speak
for themselves.
--
Dave

CDOs are how we got here.
A modified version, new taxes in the future, is how Congress will get us
out?