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Manure ??
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Posted by KerryQN VIC Aust (My Page) on Wed, Feb 11, 04 at 0:15
| I have recently re dug a garden bed,removed a load of clay to about the depth of a garden fork. I added some gypsum and then I emptied a compost bin into the trench,I then topped it up with rotted cow manure. It wasn't solid manure, the people I get it from scrape it up from around pine trees where the cows gather, so it is mixed with soil and pine needles as well. My problem is that this was going to be my new Lilium garden bed next season and I read somewhere in the Forums that Liliums don't like manure. It appears to be well aged, very dry and mostly crumbly. I now have visions of planting my new bulbs with a protective barrier of potting mix so the manure doesn't directly touch them. Sorry about the length of this posting but can anyone give me a bit of advice please? I am sure other Lilium growers would be interested as well.
Kerry |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Manure ??
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| Oh dear! I wish I had known that liliums didn't like manure! I planted all mine in manure and they are growing just fine... I even planted some tiny bulblets which have shot up and are doing splendidly. If liliums don't like acid conditions (?) I would sprinkle a bit of lime over the bed. Otherwise, the manure is just organic matter by now, and will only do good. |
RE: Manure ??
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Hello Robyn6041,
I am glad someone else has planted in manure.
What kind did you use? I am sure that I could be worried for no reason because the cow manure I put in looks well aged. But I thought I'd ask anyway.
Cheers KerryQN |
RE: Manure ??
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Hi Kerry,
It depends on when you plant the lilies in the manure. If you plant them in there straight away they may not like it. What I do every year with my lilies, in pots, I mix the manure in with the potting mix and whatever and leave the pots outside to get the first rains of the season to wash out some of the harmful salts and let the manure decompose slightly. It is then safe to be planted in. You can simulate this also by putting a sprinkler on it for a while, but I don't know if you can do that with the water restrictions. Most lilies like acidic conditions, even to the point where a little bit of lime can kill them like the Oriental species from Japan (like L. Speciosum) so I think to be safe you should keep it on the slightly acidic side. I bought an Azalea today and I'm going to get some pine needles from a local tree and use it as a mulch. I think Azaleas are even fussier about pH then lilies! Kerry your new book should give you an idea about which lilies are lime-tolerant and which ones aren't. Hope this helps, Lauren |
RE: Manure ??
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Most liliums like acid conditions as Lauren said. The lilium people will tell you not to have rich organic material too close to the bulb. This will encourage bulb rot, if they get too moist. given the cost of bulbs, I think it is worth making the effort to follow the instructions. You can dig the manure in below the planting hole, and put a bit of sand or light soil above it, for the bulbs to sit on. The rest should be rich friable soil, but not manure, even if well rotted.
Cheers, Jan |
RE: Manure ??
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| The manure I used was a fairly fresh mix of cow, sheep, horse and pig. (mostly cow and sheep, with a tiny amount of pug and horse) I will let you know if my lilliums die or not. The beds are raised, so they are not constantly wet. I plant everything in this mix, and so far have not had a single plant die or get sick - they all have thrived. |
RE: Manure ??
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- Posted by Liatris FraserCoast,Qld (My Page) on
Wed, Feb 25, 04 at 15:01
| Robyn, I didn't think we were supposed to use pug manure in our gardens?! ;) |
RE: Manure ??
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