[hubballi]

I was thinking of giving my already growing and about to be planted out Chard, Beet, Broccoli, Sprouts, Kale, Courgette, raspberrys,Toms a sprinkling of Bllod fish and Bone mixed with chicken manure pellets. In fact, the whole garden.

Will this help things and how often should I feed ?

[Goosegirl]

I would just give them bonemeal or blood, fish and bone - but someone on here may say different. You don't want too much nitrogen which you may get with chicken manure pellets. or they will get "soft" and succumb to disease. Wiinter veg need to be kept hardy and not coddled.

[Trillium]

If you're growing these veg as winter crops, be aware that BFB meal all take about 3 months to start breaking down and becoming useful to the plants, so decide how long these crops will be in for before you spread as this item can cost. On the manure front, don't overdo it this time of year or as said you'll get a burst of soft greens which won't cope with the oncoming bad weather. The crops you mention will do okay on leftover manure from this summer.

[viettaclark]

Gosh! I didn't realise that it took that long to break down!! If it's very rainy...(like recently) does it break down more quickly?
I've just planted out a load of lettuce and liberally scattered on the stuff to get them going strong before the frosts.

[Trillium]

It's not a rain factor that breaks it down, it's an age factor. That said, I do apply BFB now with all my fall planted spring bulbs as my winters will freeze the ground solid, so about the time the soil thaws, it's a long enough period for the BFB to become plant accessible. A good rule of thumb is to apply a bit more over desired areas about every 3 months so that there'll always be some ready to absorb in the soil. If the soil freezes solid, then there's little point.

[Jamie Butterworth]

Sorry to hijak this thread, but is it ok to manure other winter crops like my garlic?

[fatcat1955]

Bit late for courgettes

[Trillium]

Yes, Jamie, you should manure your garlic if you're doing fall planting. I always do if I expect to get a good crop. It's the only crop I plant for winter over here and it gets only old manure. The rest of my gardens get fresh manure to break down over winter but I never add any fresh to the garlic area. A good idea is to set up a few sticks to mark off the planted area so you don't have to later play 'now where did I plant that garlic?'  Trust me 

[lacewing]

If you're growing these veg as winter crops, be aware that BFB meal all take about 3 months to start breaking down and becoming useful to the plants, so decide how long these crops will be in for before you spread as this item can cost. On the manure front, don't overdo it this time of year or as said you'll get a burst of soft greens which won't cope with the oncoming bad weather. The crops you mention will do okay on leftover manure from this summer.

I am a big fan of BFB and use it all the time prior to planting. I always understood that the formula contained a healthy balance of fast acting slow release nutrients.

[JayG]

Of the commonly used dry fertilisers Growmore is the fastest-acting and most "balanced" because it is basically pelleted chemical salts which dissolve quite quickly (depending on how much they are wetted, of course!)

Pelleted chicken manure provides all 3 main nutrients (NPK) but tends to be somewhat higher in nitrogen but because it is an organic product (organic in the chemistry sense; not necessarily from "organic" sources!) it takes longer to break down in the soil and release its nutrients.

BFB again provides all 3 main nutrients but usually has a higher proportion of potassium; the nitrogen from the "blood" component is released quite quickly, the other nutrients much more slowly.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all of these properties (without taking into account any "eco-type" considerations) but for good balance and a fast-fix go for Growmore, a slower-release which is better for leafy crops PCM, and BFB a slow-release product ideal for root vegetables.)

As ever this is not something to get too hung-up about; any fertiliser on poor soil is much better than nothing!

[Zippy]

I was put off BFB when I realised that the blood and bone comes from discarded male chicks which are thrown into a gas bin and then put through a mincer. I became vegan shortly after but that's another story and another soap box.

I use manures from a local guy who is the farmer of the organic agricultural college so they have more than they can use. At least I know his alpacas and horse have a great long life and not part of the battery system.

Would a serving of well rotted compost break down much quicker, give the plants you have a slightly warmer growing bed and act as a mulch? Quicker than BFB.

[JayG]

Well-rotted manure from a sustainable and organic source no doubt ticks all the boxes, including the organic/eco-friendly/ethical ones!
Not all of us are so lucky though......................


("Quick" isn't necessarily what you are looking for; although the organic material in manure helps the soil to retain moisture you don't want all your precious nutrients to be quickly leached away - a particular problem on light sandy soils like mine!)