I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Since chicken manure gets really warm as it decomposes, I was wondering if applying some during the end of the growing season (say, November) would warm the soil sufficiently to extend the active growth period of my plants. I also know it tends to get really slimy as it decomposes. Could this encourage rot? Is it too hot for my plants?

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

The manure needs oxygen to produce heat, so turning is necessary.

I would try a black garden hose and a cheap solar water pump.

Some of the hose would be buried near the roots and the hose on the surface

will collect heat from the sun.

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Fresh and slimy chicken manure is a really bad idea. Not only is it smelly and draws flies, it is too rich in nitrogen and generally it is recommended to compost it first. This takes a little time but can easily be done by mixing with wood shavings, grass clippings, kitchen waste, etc, either in a composter or open mound. I've seen mention of "burning" plants with fresh manure, but I think it has to do with oversupplying nutrients rather than actually being warm. After composting it is a great source of N-P-K. You'll want to supplement the K though.

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Are you worried about the corm or the leaves? At 40 degrees which part of the plant is effected enough to stop growth? Does the corm regulate the growth, and if so does it sense the that leaves and p-stem are cold or the corm??

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Composting in general should produce a good amount of heat. Not sure how high up the p-stem you can pile it on, but perhaps you could just compost on top of the mat?

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Grass clippings would work better than anything

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

I'm worried about it becoming too hot for the corm and the roots, and possibly becoming too moist and causing root in the cooler conditions. I have added it fresh to bananas before and they didn't seem to mind.

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Exactly.

One of my commercial customers in San Diego starts tomatoes now for production in Nov-Feb. His set-up is essentially outdoor hydroponic. He has some shelters with 4-foot high walls made of fence-board, and above that an A-frame with translucent plastic used for boat sails. The shelters are about 80 feet long. The produce are in 5 gallon buckets with perlite. It is a recirculating system: there is a holding tank with water and nutrients that are disbursed to the plants about once per day and then the filtered output is returned to the tank. This guy also has a real hen house and some goats. The manure is shoveled into the plant shelter daily. Notice that the plants are not in contact with it, but the temperature inside there in January at midnight is about 70F.

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Goat and bunny poo can be added directly to a garden area; horse and cow doodies should be composted for a few months. Chicken output is HOT so I suspect that accounts for the raised temps in the setup Richard mentioned. (You can bury that stuff in coldframes up north and get a lot of action.)

I tried making manure tea from somewhat older poultry leavings (5 months?); knowing it's power, I severely watered it down and used my mix gently. Why chicken stuff is so powerful I don't know but it is; I wouldn't use it fresh on any plant I wanted to keep.

Mulch the corm and wrap the stalk--advice from a banana newbie but an ancient gardener and old fig gal. Protect the roots!

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

Generally in my area we don't get below the 30s in the wintertime, so I just leave my plants out unprotected (we got to 31 last winter and had a few frosts, and that was cold for us). Frosts are rare here, and many years they don't even happen at all. What I'm trying to get at with this is simply to extend the active growth period of my plants for a few weeks to a month, because our winters are rather long.

Re: I have an interesting idea. Is it a good idea?
 

I guess I don't see how warming the roots/corm would extend the season; I assume the leaves being chilled is what slows down growth.

Up north I covered plants if there was an early or late unexpected frost. It made a huge difference in the spring but not so much in the fall.