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PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 12:57 pm 
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I need help in locating supplies listed in this forum, and since there are so many helpful people, I'm hoping someone has the skinny to help me out on this.

Where do you find dried molasses, corn meal, and alfalfa meal? I can find black strap molasses at Home Depot for $10/gal, but even that gets pricey.

Ok, who are the cheapie retailers out there? This is my first composting pile, and I'm starting to realize it needs more "food" sources than I've put into it. So to get it moving, I need to find this stuff in bulk. Help me out, fellow dirt friends! :)


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 Post subject: composting supplies
PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 6:30 pm 
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http://www.dirtdoctor.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1142

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/org_resources.php

Ck the links above and look at the posts in this forum (composting). You will find many tips and some are very cheap. You can also check your local feed stores & nursery/garden centers.

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 Post subject: Sources in N. Dallas
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:56 am 
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Lowe's @ Inwood & Forest has liquid molasses for $8/gallon. They also have a killer liquid compost for around $16/gallon. John Silk feed store at Royal Lane & Harry Hines has cornmeal, alfalfa pellets, dry molasses, etc. Ditto with Northaven Gardens at Royal & N. Central. Here's 3 to get you started. If you can be more specific about the area you can pm me and I'll give you more alternatives closest to you.

Hope this helps! :D


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 11:24 am 
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If you think liquid molasses is pricey, look at what goes into dry molasses - a 50 pound bag of dry molasses will have 45 pounds of chipped corn cob and 5 pounds of liquid molasses. One gallon of wet molasses weighs 10.5 pounds, so in a 50 pound bag of dry molasses you get about a half gallon of real molasses.

Look for a farmer's co-op in your area. The one in New Braunfels, TX is selling their bulk molasses for $0.09-$0.11/pound - you have to bring in your own containers. A gallon would cost about a buck. Molasses is a commodity so market rates apply.

Look for a horse stables to get some fresh horse manure. Mix it in the top of your compost pile and water it down. It will heat up your pile. The molasses will help the manure, too.

Any feed store should have corn meal and alfalfa in 50 pound bags.

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 Post subject: cow or horse manure?
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 11:55 am 
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I'm now starting to distrust what I thought I knew about composting, so let me ask and see if anyone else can weigh in on this.

Cow or horse manure?

I was once told to use cow manure because a cow has multiple stomachs and has better ability to digest weed seeds, whereas a horse will eat and pass the seeds. If you wanted less weeding, then stay away from the horse manure.

Old wives' tale or any truth to this? I've been buying the cow manure to avoid the weed seeds, and if that's a load of dung....I'll start chasing the local horse farms for free.


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:25 pm 
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destiny3
I don't know what part of Dallas you are in, but Kathe Kitchens sent me to Roach Feed and Seed at 409 Main Street in Garland. 972.276.3217. They have 40 lbs of humate for $8.98; 50 lbs of dry molasses $13.95 and 40 lbs of cornmeal for $8.95. I paid $29.99 for the molasses, last year, at a garden supply store. So their prices to seem to be pretty good. I bought humate and cornmeal from them.
PS: Thanks Kathe for the tip.

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 Post subject: Re: cow or horse manure?
PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:55 am 
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destiny3 wrote:
I'm now starting to distrust what I thought I knew about composting, so let me ask and see if anyone else can weigh in on this.

Cow or horse manure?

I was once told to use cow manure because a cow has multiple stomachs and has better ability to digest weed seeds, whereas a horse will eat and pass the seeds. If you wanted less weeding, then stay away from the horse manure.

Old wives' tale or any truth to this? I've been buying the cow manure to avoid the weed seeds, and if that's a load of dung....I'll start chasing the local horse farms for free.


Anything that was once alive can go into your compost pile. However, you need to be careful of some manures as many cows are fed coastal bermuda. Coastal bermuda is not really acclimated to this area and so growers, especially because they are not organic, have weed problems. To eliminate weeds many use a product called Picloram. It is an SU herbicide. It does NOT break down even after having passed through the stomachs of a cow. It will kill your plants. To test the compost, make a tea and water a plant with it. Plants in the nightshade family (like a peanut plant) will give you the quickest results. If it dies, there is contaminated manure in the compost. http://www.dirtdoctor.com/dallasnews.php?id=48&set_theme=0

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 Post subject: I gotta test cow dung?
PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 10:10 am 
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Ok, so it sounds like I need to chase after the horse farms rather than the cow farms, or does it matter?

Since both animals graze, they'd be at the same risk if the grass is contaminated. Then again, horses do get feed bags and hay.....so can I - in general - assume a horse is fed better than a cow, therefore, less risk of wrecking your compost pile and health?

Then again....I wouldn't be tempted to eat a horse, so you're making me wonder (albeit, off track here) if I should swear off beef. If the contamination is in the grass, it's gotta be in the meat, too.

Oh wonderful. I didn't see this one coming, and I'm sure glad I'm out of high school - can you see the yearbook caption on this one? "Most likely to test cow dung". :lol:


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 1:07 pm 
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Most likely to test cow dung. That would be perfect for the FFA crowd! 8) Oh well. That could have been a likely possibility for myself as well. I was nominated most radical female my senior year many moons ago in Round Rock! I kinda feel proud about that, and what I did to earn the recognition. (I was not your everyday run of the mill student switching between the extremes of being in the "jock" crowd as a “Dragonette” and still hanging with my "freak" friends). Told I could not hang with my real friends, I quickly ditched the highly esteemed drill team :P and went into the MCJROTC achieving the rank of 2nd lieutenant where I found I am quite good with a rifle! :) Cool.
Oh enough of all that. I do not know the effects of Picloram on the human body.
If you could, for the manure you seek, find out what those cows have been fed, and if Picloram or some other nasty SU herbicide was used in their grazing site. Reheboth Ranch is another great source of organic meats. http://www.rehobothranch.com/ I don’t know if they would let you pick up any of their cow droppings though…

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:56 pm 
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If you cover me with the rifle, I'll go in with a blackface and an 02 mask and scoop the fresh chips. We'll need a third guy to hold the bags open and help carry the stash out. I'll leave the pumps at home for the nitro raid and wee can cow tip on the way out. :lol:

You were a radial too, eh? Lots of hunger strikes for me in high school. I used to rally against the establishment in Boston. Now, I'm a composting Republican learning how to innoculate my soil, but I haven't broken down and used the "y" word yet - Y'all.

Doh!....what happened? hahaha!!!


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 3:05 pm 
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Tell me where to meet you two and I'll hold open the bags and transport them out the back, out of site. You think it best be done at night with no moon? (LOL)

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