great info thanks guys. I like to second chicken poop for fast growing tall things like corn. I dont like using poop for root veg or ground types like low beans, most greens and such.
This year i am doing an experiment with corn (and pepper). I am using beds (on top of concrete on my roof so no other things can crawl in easy). I am using 9x4x1' tall beds. i used black fabric for the bed bottoms to keep dirt off my roof. inside i used 100% coco powder (ground and sifted coco coir). this stuff is thought to be "hydroponic medium as its not soil). I have used only organic chicken pellet poop form bags to see how far the corn gets, and i am planting very dense, about 30cm spacing!! what i see so far is 1-2 ears per plant, plants are about half the height as in ground standard heavily fertilized plants...but they are still jsut showing ears/flowers. I will know better once they finsih. but chicken poo on our farm with in ground plants works wonder, and is a complete replacement for that "blue stuff".
Though do try and compost. We use black fabric even on our farm as it helps with weeds which eliminates any need for any kind of spray...which is too common here
when harvests are over, just cut up the stalks, and throw them under your black plastic. i dont advise it if crop rotation is your thing and you plane low growing veg liek lettuce next. just for bugs. but if its beans/peas, more corn, tomatoes/peppers etc that are going in next, i thrown all plant matter under the black fabric, except anything from the solanaceae. I know composting is a lot of work, and is well worth it by the way, but doing htis is liek a lazy mans compost. its not idea, but at least this way you still support good life down in the dirt by the roots, adn it composts relatively fast as iss. Do i finds that adding chicken poop on top of this under fabric "composting" provides everything needed and there is no need for extras. we have no mag/pot deficiencies, yet. We willbe doing another corn round in a couple months ourselves, using this method right nwo i am redigging the entire farm, so no pics yet.
good luck!
This year i am doing an experiment with corn (and pepper). I am using beds (on top of concrete on my roof so no other things can crawl in easy). I am using 9x4x1' tall beds. i used black fabric for the bed bottoms to keep dirt off my roof. inside i used 100% coco powder (ground and sifted coco coir). this stuff is thought to be "hydroponic medium as its not soil). I have used only organic chicken pellet poop form bags to see how far the corn gets, and i am planting very dense, about 30cm spacing!! what i see so far is 1-2 ears per plant, plants are about half the height as in ground standard heavily fertilized plants...but they are still jsut showing ears/flowers. I will know better once they finsih. but chicken poo on our farm with in ground plants works wonder, and is a complete replacement for that "blue stuff".
Though do try and compost. We use black fabric even on our farm as it helps with weeds which eliminates any need for any kind of spray...which is too common here
when harvests are over, just cut up the stalks, and throw them under your black plastic. i dont advise it if crop rotation is your thing and you plane low growing veg liek lettuce next. just for bugs. but if its beans/peas, more corn, tomatoes/peppers etc that are going in next, i thrown all plant matter under the black fabric, except anything from the solanaceae. I know composting is a lot of work, and is well worth it by the way, but doing htis is liek a lazy mans compost. its not idea, but at least this way you still support good life down in the dirt by the roots, adn it composts relatively fast as iss. Do i finds that adding chicken poop on top of this under fabric "composting" provides everything needed and there is no need for extras. we have no mag/pot deficiencies, yet. We willbe doing another corn round in a couple months ourselves, using this method right nwo i am redigging the entire farm, so no pics yet.good luck!
