Pig feed & alfalfa pellets.......

[kabuti]

I'm not waiting for the cotton seed meal I think I can utilize pig feed as it has a lot of finely ground corn for phosphorus @ 7.00/50lb & alfalfa pellets soaked for nitro etc. tilled into beds with a bit of blood meal & bone meal also have wood ash, soil ph @ 6.0 & lacking Nit/Phos. (BTW I have figured out my garden spot used to be a driveway.) I want to do it before April & plant some stuff by the end of April. Supposed to be 75 deg. here this week. What say you, oh, garden Gurus?

[Talks With Beagles]

I was hoping that someone who knows what they're talking about would answer your post, but it looks like I will have to do. I have never heard of anyone using livestock feed as a soil amendment, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work. I mean, a lot of guys would run it through the pig first, but what do they know?

Anything organic is good for your soil in the long run, but you seem to be working in the short run here. Some organic substances actually suck nutrients out of the soil while they are decomposing, which is why people usually let them compost for awhile before applying them. In general, succulent green stuff decomposes more quickly than wood, straw, or dry hay. I'm not sure where pelletized feed falls on this scale. It might depend on what kind of process it went through in manufacturing. Also, you might want to check on what kind of additives, if any, have been mixed in .

You also might want to think twice about locating your garden over an old driveway. The soil will be compacted and rocky, which might prevent water percolation and root development. If you must use this site, consider busting it up with a jackhammer or something first.

[Pharmer Phil]

TWB, is correct in what he says.
Very close attention should be paid to what exactly has been added to the feed.
Use this type of ammendment, Yes, I have, and have heard of it from others, But DO BEWARE, anti-biotics, for sure, and...
Some types are treated with growth inhibitors, not to keep the piggies from growing, to keep the GRAIN FROM SPROUTING! you can see the problem there!

TWB, The folks who "run it through the pig first" DON'T Know What they are talking about
Maybe I should post the Personal message that I sent to one of our members.....

Alfalfa pellets are good, I use them in my Compost, my compost tea, and they are a valuable source of goodies.

As far as the driveway, I feel that TWB is also on target, it's going to take alot of work.
Last December, 4 degrees outside, they came and dug up our entire leach field, then clear to the septic tank, The Construction King Backhoe, tore easily through the earth, till they reached the driveway! Bang..Bang, It was a No Go! There, they opted to leave the section of pipe that was under the drive, and hook onto it from both sides with the new.

[crazy1]

Pharmer, I do belive you should post that PM. (I would if I could ever figure that stuff out) There are more oph us thinkin bout hogs than was origanaly thought.

[kabuti]

I havebeen adding compost, topsoil here basically good, but the soil here is depleted of phos/ Nit. I remove the topsoil breakup the hard layer & add compost to that Then replace topsoil. I will try to post pics sometime. Have that system down. Was going to till in with annual rye growing . Alfalfa pellets ingedients; Alfalfa meal. Pig feed is mostly ground corn & a couple other grains. Cant find label right now. Nothing like hormones etc. Do you think it would take over a month to break this stuff down? I was going to soak the pellets to soften then first & put a small amount like 10lb alf. & same amount pig feed per 100sf along with some nitrogen to counter deficiency if necessary. I feel like my 'smart' idea is being shot down.

[Pharmer Phil]

No intention of making you feel your idea was being "shot down", just advice, after all, it wouldn't be good to have sumpin in the feed, keep your seed from sprouting. It sounds like you are doing and Have the energy and the right approach to the soil conditioning. Sorry, No harm intended

[flowerpower]

If you buy Potbelly Pig food, it will not have any antibiotics or growth hormones.It is twice the price though. Some brands contain alot of meat by-products since pigs are omnivores. The pig's digestive system is very inefficient. Most of what goes in one end, comes out the other.


Phil, would it be possible for you to add "goat manure" to the composition chart? I've noticed alot more people keeping them these days.

[crazy1]

Pharmer Phil replied to my question as follows:
Well everything I learned years ago, told me Never use cat, dog,human or pig manure. Now, with the onset of modern hog production, and the application of hog Slurry to row crops, I wanted an answer. I got one. When I was little, we used to pick field corn to eat, like sweetcorn, fact, I never even heard of sweetcorn till I was 12, this practice, with farmers using hog slurry, could prove fatal these days.
The fact is, hogs and humans have very similiar systems, Can hog and even human manure be used?
YES; however, It takes a very long, and a very watchful eye to get it properly composted. The risk of pathogens is so much greater than other manures.
I could advise Pholks that it was OK, to use, But does everyone really make sure that there compost is kept at optimum heat levels, and maintained, in the case of hog, or again human, for well over a year.
I practice the same caution with some organic preperations, In the knowledgeable hands, They are fine, in the hands of a novice, injuries or worse could happen, I just try to walk the line, and decide what should be shared, and try to consider the fact that no matter what you tell someone, they will still assume that if a little is good, then three times as much should be better! In this case, It's been 8 months, that compost should be ok...I hope this makes sense.

[strongtower9]

Just wanted to let you know, something I read here last year ( was it last year)? I told my mom and uncle to put the alfalfa on their gardens. My uncle bought rabbit food (?) and tilled it in last fall, (plus a truck load of chicken manure), I was worried that he over done things a bit. But this year his garden looked like something out of a magazine. He was sooooo proud. All his phriends wanted to know what he had done.

We were awash in tomatoes and stuff. But it was wonderful. He has gone organic !!!

[Pharmer Phil]

Great Strongtower!
Organics win another!

[Compost Pharmer]

Way to go. You shure know how to put a smile on my face. One less that needs to be converted from the dark side..

[jack]

Gidday

Well down here is all I can talk about really because I don't know what growth hormones or anti biotics go into you animal meals. But as long as your garden is kept in a good aerobic state the use of any poos should be O.K. Pathogens are almost exclusively anearobic so they are normally destroys by oxegen. Look at the Chineese, they drop their poos straight into their gardens and enough of them survive.

As for diggin in fresh manurers I suggest not to do that but instead just purt it on the soil surface and let the soil micros do the work for you.

[Compost Pharmer]

Good tip Jack. Never use fresh manure in the garden. It is to hot and will burn the plants roots. Manure should be composted for 6 - 12 months first. A very good ingredient for the compost heap.

[jack]

Gidday

Well Greg I beg to differ. I always use my animal manure straight away. It is the natural way, an animal just drops it. I have never seen any sign of burning from fresh animal droppings. As long as you don't have it touching the leaves or green stems, or where rain or water will splash concentrated stuff on it will not burn anything. Don't dig it into the soil as that then may burn roots but let the soil microbes do that for you. Then anything that leaches out will go straight into the soil too. That is the way nature works.

[crazy1]

Jack, I agree with you that that is the way nature works. But some people will belive" if a little is good then more must be better." There are some things in manure _{especially hog} that can be detrimental to your health by useing it straight out the end. Now I'm not disagreeing with you, but it is MUCH SAFER to compost all manure before useing it in your garden or flower beds.

[strongtower9]

We usually put that stuff in in the fall, and let it sit all winter, them till again in spring. But I have sprinkled chicken poop between my rows before. and left on top .