Spring manure applications

[Ed Thayer]

We spread 2 dumptruck loads of green cow manure this week and I wonder what kind of weeds we may be introducing to the pasture. Has this been an issue for others? We chain harrow the manure after spreading to break it up and hope the rain soaks it in.

Ed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r570sZyif4o

[jac]

Hi Ed .. over here the big dairy outfits seem to be polluted with docks. I personally think the switch from solid manure stored for a year to slurry is to blame ??..
John

[mitchmaine]

hey ed,
we had a load once we dumped a couple buckets in a new garden, and ended up with bind weed (morningglory?) and have never got rid of it.
its probably ok in a pasture, but if you piled it and composted it. turned it every couple weeks and spread it in the fall, might be a better use of it.

mitch

[karl t pfister]

Yes I have over the years taken a lot of manure from other farms , but I don’t believe too many imported weeds . What i have gotten is lots of round bale twine, ropes ,halters, dead calves etc.,none of which are to useful ,oh and rocks !
Last year was a banner year for red clover which I think was imported by some canada geese ,because it is in fields that were never seeded to it ,and we do have a flock of geese that visit for periods of time in spring and fall . Good luck keeping the aliens out .
We do have a Yellow Dock weed problem that is getting worse , don’t know where that came from ? karl

[Marshall]

I hope it is not too much of a problem. Next week I am supposed to get a few truck loads from an Amish fellow that raises calves for one of the big farmers. They don’t want to handle it twice since they can’t spread it now. I don’t mind handling it again since it is free and I can use the excercise.

[near horse]

Ed

IMO – it depends on what weeds were growing and gone to seed near the manure pile at the dairy. Since it’s green and I assume not very old, it shouldn’t have had the opportunity to get loaded with weed seeds.

I think Karl might have named the bigger culprits – twine, plastic etc. But nothing you can’t deal with.

Also, you’re applying it to pasture, not tilled ground so whatever weeds you do get will have to try and compete with your already established grass.

[Ed Thayer]

Thanks for the replies. I was more thinking that seeds that had been eaten by the cattle and survived the cows digestion process might be the problem.

Bottom line is I will have to deal with it as I can’t afford or want chemical fertilizer on the field anyway.

Glad I was able to get it all harrowed in before the rain today.

Ed

[Author]

Posts