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Old April 8, 2010   #2
mensplace
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tulsanurse1 View Post
I purchased a bad of humus & manure to use in my container vegetable garden. I was in a feed store yesterday talking gardening and mentioned that I had purchased this, and the gentleman said to only place a small amount (about 2") in the bottom of the container because mixing it in could cause an quick influx of nitrogen in my soil, that would be too high and could damage my plants. Is there any truth to this?
I do hope you bought the humus and manure after reading the back of the bag. here in GA, you find different grades and prices of bagged compost, topsoil, manure, etc. Sometimes they are over 60% "forest products", wood shavings, or pine bark mulch...NOT what the big letters say on the front. Not only does it then result in a graden or container full of nothing but wood and pine bark, but it results in stunted, spindly, yellow plants ...many of which will die. Trouble is the stuff requires a couple of seasons to break down while, as you were told, consuming the nitrogen and adding residual components such as pine resins...a la turpentine.
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