Slurry bad for soil

[Baling Hay]

You can put upto 5000 gallons of slurry per acre in one dressing without killing worms or causing harm.

How did you come to such a firm conclusion on such a specific number?

 

[Buddy123]

Last week i put 3000g of slurry per Acre and looked for worms and couldn't find any. No seaguls or pigeons on the field. one field got 4000g and still no dead worms. however one year we umbilical the farm and found dead worms everywhere. So when we spread the farm when the cows come in providing the weather is half decent we use the tanker instead. That way you have some idea of how much your putting on,

 

[Baling Hay]

Last week i put 3000g of slurry per Acre and looked for worms and couldn't find any. No seaguls or pigeons on the field. one field got 4000g and still no dead worms. however one year we umbilical the farm and found dead worms everywhere. So when we spread the farm when the cows come in providing the weather is half decent we use the tanker instead. That way you have some idea of how much your putting on,

Maybe all the worms were already dead? Or maybe they died deeper down in the soil profile.

You can't really make such a definite conclusion like that without some controlled experiments.

 

[awkward]

do u not think ur rates are too high to begin with .I spread 1500 gal per acre raw slurry never a problem, soil micro biology will thrive and deliver results if not abused it takes time, nitrate is often the cause, half rate with sulfer or potash can give better result

 

[Gabby16]

I know of some land that has been plastered with slurry every spring and earthworms are now non-existent in the soil. So the question has to be asked as to whether slurry is actually bad for the soil?

The direct drilling crowd are very keen to get animals onto the ground for some of this magic muck, but is it not as good as they think?

 

[Gabby16]

Yes but what comes out the backend is the same.

Hello. I'm Matt. I'm not certain how to start a post with a question but hopefully someone reads this. My question is this...all slurry is not the same right? If it came from drilling wells, that stuff isn't good for the soil right? Am I wrong? Thanks

 

[d williams]

Hello. I'm Matt. I'm not certain how to start a post with a question but hopefully someone reads this. My question is this...all slurry is not the same right? If it came from drilling wells, that stuff isn't good for the soil right? Am I wrong? Thanks

You need to get a aniliss to see what values it contains

 

[DrDunc]

Hello. I'm Matt. I'm not certain how to start a post with a question but hopefully someone reads this. My question is this...all slurry is not the same right? If it came from drilling wells, that stuff isn't good for the soil right? Am I wrong? Thanks

Wonderful for the soil, it came from the soil, right?

Chemical sludge from fracking drill good for the ground, and the environment in general?

Err, no

But then, too much human sewerage on your vegan carrots isn't great either. If you like cannibalism, excess oestrogen, and a good dollop of heavy metals, then maybe it's the way forward though?

 

[Brisel]

Hello. I'm Matt. I'm not certain how to start a post with a question but hopefully someone reads this. My question is this...all slurry is not the same right? If it came from drilling wells, that stuff isn't good for the soil right? Am I wrong? Thanks

As above, we’d need to know what was in it to answer that.

Most things in life are toxic in excessive doses. The solution to pollution is dilution.

 

[Yale]

This has been in and out of my head for a while.

My conclusion is the preceding weather determines where in the soil profile the worms are active.

If the worms are near the surface and liquid slurry/water is spread the worms cannot get deep enough,fast enough to evade it.

 

[Brisel]

Jackie Stroud from Rothamsted explained this at the BASE UK conference today. The shallow endogecic and surface dwelling epigecic earthworms are killed by the high ammonia content of slurry.

 

[awkward]

But u don't see as much damage with high dm slurry as with liquid

 

[clem dog]

As above, we’d need to know what was in it to answer that.

Most things in life are toxic in excessive doses. The solution to pollution is dilution.

Would it be better to apply 2500g/acre of thick slurry or 4000g/acre of watered down slurry?
I think ground conditions may have a part to play. If the land is saturated then its best to wait, unless tanks are through the slats then its a damage limitation at that point.

 

[Yale]

Has anyone researched depth of worms versus preceding soil temps?

Would be interesting to know the correlation.

 

[miniconnect]

Although we can be as guilty as anybody, it is always at the back of my mind, if you see gulls on it after you've spread you've done damage of some degree.

 

[Bald Rick]

Jackie Stroud from Rothamsted explained this at the BASE UK conference today. The shallow endogecic and surface dwelling epigecic earthworms are killed by the high ammonia content of slurry.

Who was taking notes then ....

 

[Scribus]

Jackie Stroud from Rothamsted explained this at the BASE UK conference today. The shallow endogecic and surface dwelling epigecic earthworms are killed by the high ammonia content of slurry.

Mmmm... Does this mean that by managing slurry with the aim to conserve the nitrogen content, greater damage is being done to the worm population?

 

[Boohoo]

Would it be better to apply 2500g/acre of thick slurry or 4000g/acre of watered down slurry?
I think ground conditions may have a part to play. If the land is saturated then its best to wait, unless tanks are through the slats then its a damage limitation at that point.

I'd say the 2500gal/acre of thick slurry would be better, but it's not an option to spread that on grass during the growing season.
Not sure what the best thing to do is when the slurry is up through the slats, I've ploughed fields that got regular doses with a sludgegator back in the day and there's been a noticeable difference in the soil along lanes and roadsides.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Has anyone researched depth of worms versus preceding soil temps?

Would be interesting to know the correlation.

A little, more to do with soil moisture than temperature on it's own.
If you have deep compaction, they can't get down far enough to keep comfy, I find worms at 4 feet but I can dig with my hands in those conditions.
It's fungal, aggregated, and beautiful down there, hence the pH has stabilised without neutralising acidity with lime - because I don't knowingly add nitrogen?

However the world seems to disagree with leaving it alone, it's big boy's play-doh, innit?

 

[Scribus]

A little, more to do with soil moisture than temperature on it's own.
If you have deep compaction, they can't get down far enough to keep comfy, I find worms at 4 feet but I can dig with my hands in those conditions.
It's fungal, aggregated, and beautiful down there, hence the pH has stabilised without neutralising acidity with lime - because I don't knowingly add nitrogen?

However the world seems to disagree with leaving it alone, it's big boy's play-doh, innit?