Using soil conditioner in daffodil beds.

2 comments for “Using soil conditioner in daffodil beds.”

1. 
   

   In a message dated 2/7/2010 10:46:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, writes:

   Summer has finally arrived here in Wellington New Zealand (24’C and crickets singing) so I’ve just managed to dig my main bulb beds. These  have a clay content and before I replant them, I need to dig in some compost or soil conditioning material. The local supplier has a nice looking mix which is labelled ‘conditioner’, made in Foxton (Reg Cull country) and contains 10% soil, general compost and aged chook(Chicken) poo. It looks and smells good but do I remember reading that Chicken poo is bad for dafodils? I’d appreciate comments please.

   One year I made a new bed with the addition of a good amount of purchased mushroom compost for the clay soil. I lost every daffodil I planted in the bed. Apparently the compost was not composted long enough. Investigation around the city showed that this was common. A public garden head told me that they always have their additives tested before they add them for this very reason. I would be very careful about the addtiion of any manure of any kind. If you add that chicken manure, can you let the bed sit for a year before adding daffodils?

   Bill Lee

2. 
   Daffodil Friends,

   I second Bill’s warning about choosing additives very carefully before adding them to your daffodil beds. I too added mushroom compost, with similar results to Bill’s. Only I found it took many years to eliminate the fusarium.

    Bob

   At 08:46 PM 2/7/2010, wrote:

   In a message dated 2/7/2010 10:46:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, writes:
   

   Summer has finally arrived here in Wellington New Zealand (24’C and crickets singing) so I’ve just managed to dig my main bulb beds. These  have a clay content and before I replant them, I need to dig in some compost or soil conditioning material. The local supplier has a nice looking mix which is labelled ‘conditioner’, made in Foxton (Reg Cull country) and contains 10% soil, general compost and aged chook(Chicken) poo. It looks and smells good but do I remember reading that Chicken poo is bad for dafodils? I’d appreciate comments please.

   One year I made a new bed with the addition of a good amount of purchased mushroom compost for the clay soil. I lost every daffodil I planted in the bed. Apparently the compost was not composted long enough. Investigation around the city showed that this was common. A public garden head told me that they always have their additives tested before they add them for this very reason. I would be very careful about the addtiion of any manure of any kind. If you add that chicken manure, can you let the bed sit for a year before adding daffodils?
   Bill Lee

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