I had a large tub full of chicken manure (litter) that I had saved for top-dressing the ryegrass that we planted a couple of weeks ago. This will give the young ryegrass a "jump-start." Unfortunately, the lid had blown off of the tub during a thunderstorm we had in September and the tub filled with rainwater. In order to broadcast it, I needed to dry it out so I spread the smelly stuff out on some sheets of tin to dry.
Drying it out to spread |
"Tea" time |
Once it was completely dry, I shoveled the manure into my little fertilizer spreader and began to broadcast it over the newly planted ryegrass. Once we catch a little rain, the manure will provide a beneficial boost to the ryegrass, enabling it to grow with vigor. The last several years, we simply haven't had a good stand of ryegrass. Hopefully this extra chicken litter will provide the nutrients that the ryegrass needs to really take off and grow.
Broadcasting the chicken manure |
The manual spreader has a gate that opens on the bottom. As the manure drops out of the bottom, it falls on a spinning wheel that slings it out evenly as I push the spreader across the pasture. I made sure that I overlapped it and spread it on good and thick so that the grass gets good fertilizer coverage.
Fertilizer spreading in action |
Ryegrass sprouts |
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