Manure?
 

Has anyone ever tried using steer or horse manure as a method of generating heat during cold snaps? I was thinking of trying it this winter.

Re: Manure?
 

dont know how practical that is because ive never tried it.
i have read about a lot of people using fresh/or hot manure to get bananas to growing in early spring . a lot of people use manure as fertilizer but it can be dangerous i would only put well composed manure because a lot of pathogens that are in the manure can mix with the plants you are growing. 1 example: E. Coli has been known to spread to plants from fresh cow manure.

Re: Manure?
 

I wouldnt use maure in the winter. You would be much better off using leaves or mulch. I live in St Louis MO and cover my basjoos with leaves and plastic in the winter and it works great.

Another thing you could try to warm the soil is pipe heating cables. I use them on my windmill palms and they work great. they dont seem to use much electricity.

Re: Manure?
 

Pipe heating cables? Where would I find those?

Re: Manure?
 

They are called heat-tapes :^) I used them last year.. they do work great keep everything between 38-45F and has auto shutoff. I didn't notice a cost associated with running them so can't be much, maybe a couple bucks here & there. :^)

Re: Manure?
 

You can buy them in the plumbing section at any hardware store. They might be a seasonal item so you might not find them now. You can also buy them online and on e-bay. Make sure you get at least 9 feet, 15 feet is better. Also, when you use them make sure the temp sensor is outside and exposed to the cold (do not cover the sensor with leaves or anything else). I would also cover with plastic to keep the cables and your insulating material dry in the winter, wet is not good for bananas in the winter.

Re: Manure?
 

So would it not be good to use the manure they sal at Home Depot to mix in a planting bed ?

Greg

Re: Manure?
 

Manure is great (dehyrated chicken manure is best) but I would not use it in the winter. I use epsoma plant tone which is contains dehydrated chicken manure, I also use fruit tree fertilizer and water soluble plant food as well during the growing season - from march through October. I back off on the amount of fertilizer in the fall.

Re: Manure?
 

Commercial bagged cow manure has been composted--that kills the pathogens and weed seeds. The real question of adding composted cow manure to a planting bed depends on the soil. If you have a good draining soil like the sand we have here, there will be no problem--you are simply adding organic matter with a little fertilizer, but if you have a clay soil that does not drain, you will be creating a "pot without a hole"--unless you do that as a raised bed.

Re: Manure?
 

Thanks so much my soil is sandy it used to be grape vinyards. I always have added the store bought manure. I have never had a problem. Great thanks. Im in the process of taking out grass and adding more planting space ! Thanks

Re: Manure?
 

All Clay soil here in St Louis. I have removed over half of it from my raised planting beds and added planting mix, sand and pea gravel to help with drainage. It was hard work to get rid of the clay. I actually gave it to my neighboor so they could fill in a low spot in their yard.

Re: Manure?
 

You'll find a good discussion of this subject in: Plant Propagation, ed. A. Toogood, publ. American Horticultural Society, ISBN 0789441160. This book is valuable reference on many other plant topics as well.