Sheep Shit

[JonLPettimor]

All right organic Growers are you ready for some hypotheticals. I produce around 200,000 lb of sheep manure every year during lambing season which is February and March. Normally I take all of the manure and after I harvest my rhubarb crop I will scatter it over my rhubarb patch. I do not compost it I do not break it down I let nature break it down. So it is considered a top dress.

For my base of my indoor soil mixture what I am wanting to try is

Container 18 gallon grow tots
Base
1/3 last batch soil ( I keep red wigglers in grow containers)
1/3 dried sheep shit
1/3 perlite
Micro add
Lime
Bone mill
Bio char

I should also add that I have an aquaponic system that I always water with normally it runs about 450 to 500 ppm's. Drain to waist.

Thoughts ready go...

 

[KneeDeep34]

While I'm sure sheep shit is great fertilizer, you say you don't treat it any way and you bring it indoors? Doesn't that invite pests and fungi?

 

[JonLPettimor]

Great question and thank you for responding... Honestly I have no idea I commercially raised several Acres of rhubarb outside and it benefits so well from the Sheep shit that I want to try it in my indoor garden. I usually just use the sheep manure as a top dressing for my indoor plants but I'd like to know if anybody is pushed the maximum amount yet.

When you're collecting manure you don't collect it in the summertime because it will be full of flies and maggots. Once the manure is dry it has very little smell and most insects have no interest in it because of how dry it is . When I harvest my manure I take a skid steer through the barn and just scoop it up after the lambing season is done as long as it stays dry it will retain its pelleted form. Once it gets wet it breaks down but until it's time to use it I keep it in a dry indoor Winrow.

There's more of a worry of weed (not the good kind) seeds in the sheep manure than there is with bringing a bunch of insects inside.

if nature wants to be in your indoor plants it will find a way :)

 

[KneeDeep34]

I used to grow in soil mixes (years ago) and I have used cow manure mixed with perlite, sand and straight up dirt from the back yard (dark, almost black earth) I don't remember the ratio anymore it was so long ago now but I'll tell ya, manure mixed with any soil can be a catch 22. On one hand, manure is an amazing fertilizer and can have great results but on the other hand, if the manure clumps up, concentrate in one area or has bad drainage in the soil, the plants will burn and flushing out manure is impossible and transplanting is a huge pain in the ass lol but I did find out that you can make a tea out of straight manure and use it much more effectively with out worrying about the problems I mentioned earlier. I found a link to make it https://preparednessmama.com/diy-manure-tea/. I'm sure this method would be best effctive in home because the boiling kills everything that might be lurking in there. You can even use it in some hydro systems. I used it alot back then and was impressed as far as vegetative growth is concerned. Just keep and eye on you PH and PPMs cause manure tea is very high in nitrogen which is the most common cause of nutrient burn in cannabis. It can also cause burns on stalks (if raw manure is near it) I'm not sure about the effects on other plants tho, I've just tried lots of methods, mediums and nutrients and I know the pros and cons (in my opinion) of the stuff I've used and I hope this post was helpful and I hope I didn't sound like a know it all lol

 

[Organikz]

Sheep manure is great but you need to allow it to compost. It's going to be too hot.