Q+A: Cow Manure

We have cow manure that's a year old. Will it help to mix that with the soil for planting the seeds?

There are two key things I would consider.

• Risk of Burning: Seeds contain enough energy for the initial growth of the seedling, so there’s no need to feed seeds/seedlings at the time of germination. In fact, there’s even a danger we can burn them when they are so small and tender. By burn, I’m referring to the effect that some fertilizers (natural or synthetic) can have when present in too high a dose. My suggestion is to wait until you transplant into bigger pots. Then, as long as the manure is well rotted, mix some into the soil.
• Risk of Disease: You might have heard of the term “damping off disease,” which is caused by a few different microbial organisms. These organisms cause young seedlings to topple over and die. And the disease can spread rapidly, wiping out lots of seedling. While you can buy fungicides to control it, to my mind the best cure is prevention, which simply entails clean pots, and a sterile potting medium (soil). I use a peat-based medium, as the high acidity of peat means it’s usually sterile. (I know there’s debate about using peat...but I think that in some situations it’s appropriate.) As soon as you mix in compost, garden soil, and manure there’s a risk of introducing harmful microbes (unless you want to heat sterilize the soil in your oven.) I always ignored cautions regarding damping off disease until I lost about half my seedlings to it a few years ago. (If you’re reusing pots from previous years, you can sterilize them in a solution of 1 part bleach and 10 parts water.)

Steven Biggs
Gardener, Garden Writer, Garden Coach, Horticulturist

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