Hi,

I am terracing a slope on our yard. I am unsure whether to put
in topsoil or just mix manure or compost into the existing soil.
Wouldn't the latter allow a higher concentration of plant
matter?

Also, I will need to temporarily move some plants while
terracing. What is best to do with those plants until
replanted?

Thanks,
Gary

On 8/3/10 4:27 PM, in article
, "Gary Brown"
wrote:

Hi,

I am terracing a slope on our yard. I am unsure whether to put
in topsoil or just mix manure or compost into the existing soil.
Wouldn't the latter allow a higher concentration of plant
matter?

Also, I will need to temporarily move some plants while
terracing. What is best to do with those plants until
replanted?

Thanks,
Gary




First - create a holding bed for the plants you are moving.

The second - it depends. Are the plants/grass growing there now healthy and
happen?


Honestly, I add compost, manure, shredded paper to every new planting area.
(The shredded paper is to deal with the huge volume we happen to be creating
dealing with old paperwork. )

Do you need volume or do you have enough soil to create the terrace


Cheryl

My soil has virtually no organic content, so I add compost or manure to
improve it. This is in addition to fertilizing. Chemical fertilizers
do nothing to improve inorganic soil.

It is important to remember that compost often is relatively deficient
in nitrogen. You may need to add nitrogen, perhaps by also adding the
freshest manure you can find. The fresher it is, the more nitrogen it
has.

What is your soil like?

Una

Gary Brown wrote:
Hi,

I am terracing a slope on our yard. I am unsure whether to put
in topsoil or just mix manure or compost into the existing soil.
Wouldn't the latter allow a higher concentration of plant
matter?

It depends on the existing composition of your soil. If it is well balanced
and you just want to increase the volume add a good loam. If it is not
balanced add whatever is missing in greater amounts.


Also, I will need to temporarily move some plants while
terracing. What is best to do with those plants until
replanted?


It depends on what the plants are. The treatment (and whether it is
sensible to even try it) will vary with size and type.

Who is doing this work? How has the drainage been handled?

David

In article ,
"Gary Brown" wrote:

Hi,

I am terracing a slope on our yard. I am unsure whether to put
in topsoil or just mix manure or compost into the existing soil.
Wouldn't the latter allow a higher concentration of plant
matter?

Also, I will need to temporarily move some plants while
terracing. What is best to do with those plants until
replanted?

Thanks,
Gary


Is this to be a decorative garden, vegetable garden, or a blend of the
two?

What kind of plants need to be moved?

I suppose you could buy "organic" top soil, otherwise you are taking the
chance of ending up with someone else's problem (think heavy metals). So
I'm recommending you blend your own. Ideally garden soil should be 30% -
40% sand, 30% - 40% silt, and 20% - 30% clay. Final organic content of
the soil should be between 5% - 10%. More isn't better, because you will
be generating excessive nutrients, and the land will settle more as the
organic content is converted back to CO2 and water.

If mixing manure and compost, try for a ratio of 25/1 for
carbon/nitrogen.

You may want to look at the discussion on manure at
Http://www.plantea.com/manuer.htm

How common manures measure up
Manure Chicken Diary cow Horse Steer Rabbit Sheep
N 1.1 .257 .70 .70 2.4 .70
P .80 .15 .30 .30 1.4 .30
K .50 .25 .60 .40 .60 .90


How common manures measure up
Manure Alfalfa Fish Emulsion
N 3 5
P 1 1
K 2 1


Sources: Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, An
Illustrated Guide to
Organic Gardening, by Sunset Publishing, and the Rodale Guide to
Composting.

Note: Nutrient values of manures vary greatly, depending on the diet and
age of the animals, and the nature and quantiy of bedding in the mix.

If you decide to do "terra preta", use 5% - 9% charcoal with other
organic material to a max. of 15% (organic material + charcoal).
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/2/maude
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/m...515308172.html

Gary Brown wrote:

I am terracing a slope on our yard. I am unsure whether to put
in topsoil or just mix manure or compost into the existing soil.
Wouldn't the latter allow a higher concentration of plant
matter?

It's not a question of "either or", compost and manure will continue
to compost until all that's left in less than two years is dust... on
a slope a few good rains and it will be gone... if soil is needed use
top soil and with amendments if needed depending on the quality of the
topsoil.

brooklyn1 wrote:
It's not a question of "either or", compost and manure will continue
to compost until all that's left in less than two years is dust... on
a slope a few good rains and it will be gone...

To the extent this is true, it is true also for topsoil. Your point?

Una

On Tue, 3 Aug 2010 19:18:10 -0600 (MDT), (Una) wrote:

brooklyn1 wrote:
It's not a question of "either or", compost and manure will continue
to compost until all that's left in less than two years is dust... on
a slope a few good rains and it will be gone...

To the extent this is true, it is true also for topsoil. Your point?

Top soil does not continue to decay at anywhere near the rate of
compost.

Hi,

I am terracing a slope on our yard. I am unsure whether
to put in topsoil or just mix manure or compost into the
existing soil. Wouldn't the latter allow a higher
concentration of plant matter?


Hi, Gary

My "soil" is sand. So I added topsoil/loam/ster/chicken
manure.
I add manure every year. My plants seem to like the way I
feed
them.

Also, I will need to temporarily move some plants while
terracing. What is best to do with those plants until
replanted?

Thanks,
Gary

The best and easiest way is to hill the plants you have
to move. Big pile of good dirt and hill the roots in and
they'll
be just fine when it comes to replanting them. Don't forget
to add water! Been there....once.

Donna
in WA
zone 8-9

brooklyn1 wrote:
It's not a question of "either or", compost and manure will continue
to compost until all that's left in less than two years is dust... on
a slope a few good rains and it will be gone...

(Una) wrote:
To the extent this is true, it is true also for topsoil. Your point?

brooklyn1 wrote:
Top soil does not continue to decay at anywhere near the rate of
compost.

The organic fraction does. The inorganic fraction also settles and is
even more subject to erosion than the organic fraction.

Una

On Aug 3, 5:24*pm, (Una) wrote:
My soil has virtually no organic content, so I add compost or manure to
improve it. *This is in addition to fertilizing. *Chemical fertilizers
do nothing to improve inorganic soil.

It is important to remember that compost often is relatively deficient
in nitrogen. *You may need to add nitrogen, perhaps by also adding the
freshest manure you can find. *The fresher it is, the more nitrogen it
has.

What is your soil like?

* * * * Una

But don't you have to let that manure age a little before replanting
the area? I have been told that really fresh manure will damage root
systems.

Chris

Chris wrote:
But don't you have to let that manure age a little before replanting
the area? I have been told that really fresh manure will damage root
systems.

Depends what kind of manure and how pure. Poultry manure is higher in N than
mammal manure. Manure with a large fraction of bedding is lower in N. Horse
manure is lower N than dairy cow manure. Depends also on how much manure you
apply, the N content of the existing soil, and how much N your plants require.

Una

Una wrote:
Chris wrote:
But don't you have to let that manure age a little before replanting
the area? I have been told that really fresh manure will damage root
systems.

Depends what kind of manure and how pure. Poultry manure is higher
in N than mammal manure. Manure with a large fraction of bedding is
lower in N. Horse manure is lower N than dairy cow manure. Depends
also on how much manure you apply, the N content of the existing
soil, and how much N your plants require.

Una

Una is right. For example I can put manure on to established plants hot
from the horse (or nearly). Pure chicken manure if very fresh is too hard
to spread thinly and water in to a level where it won't burn so mixing it in
with other organic matter and maybe composting for a while before applying
is a safer approach. Chicken litter (ie sawdust bedding and manure from
chicken houses) can be applied directly if you spead it carefully and don't
over do it.

David

On Aug 3, 8:36*pm, (Una) wrote:
Chris wrote:
But don't you have to let that manure age a little before replanting
the area? I have been told that really fresh manure will damage root
systems.

Depends what kind of manure and how pure. *Poultry manure is higher in N than
mammal manure.

{Chuckle} I used to keep chickens in the back. For years after that
ended, the area was so fertile that plants would virtually LEAP out of
the ground when I sowed seeds.


*Manure with a large fraction of bedding is lower in N. *Horse
manure is lower N than dairy cow manure. *Depends also on how much manure you
apply, the N content of the existing soil, and how much N your plants require.

* * * * Una

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
Gary Brown wrote:
Hi,

I am terracing a slope on our yard. I am unsure whether to
put
in topsoil or just mix manure or compost into the existing
soil.
Wouldn't the latter allow a higher concentration of plant
matter?

It depends on the existing composition of your soil. If it is
well balanced and you just want to increase the volume add a
good loam. If it is not balanced add whatever is missing in
greater amounts.

We live on a drumlin, which is a hill that was stripped bare by
the last ice age. The soil is poor and rocky.

How much manure should I add per cubic foot of soil? We have
cow manure available commercially here. How deep?

Who is doing this work? How has the drainage been handled?

Me, with a pick-axe and shovel. We have a supply of sand.
Would adding some of that help?

Thanks,
Gary