Some great practical information from - Yvonne Andrew Singleton OLD MOLDY HAY TIPS. Recycling old hay With a new hay season around the corner it’s time to clean out the hay shed and remove spoiled or stale hay in readiness for the new supply. Even with well-kept hay there will always be a certain amount of wastage; there may be anything from a pile of sweepings to several bales that might have been affected by damp and are suitable for cattle to eat, but not horses. While burning gets rid of this quickly, a hay bonfire is money going up in smoke while adding carbon to the atmosphere, and a valuable resource is being wasted. There are many ways to recycle and re-use old hay. First and foremost, it is a key compost ingredient and a marvelous mulching material. Spreading biscuits of old hay around the base of trees, several centimentres away from the trunk, as summer mulch, will reduce the amount of water the tree needs. Water-in the hay once it has been placed. Old hay spread in damp or eroded areas encourages growth that will improve soil conditions and help absorb surface water. While it mulches, the hay seeds that fall will grow. This is a much cheaper alternative than sowing bought seed, easier and possibly more effective than tilling the ground and potentially turning up unwanted weed seeds and rocks. Making garden beds out of old hay Smother weed clumps in pasture with a thick layer of hay, robbing them of light and moisture while encouraging the growth of naturally sown grasses from the germinating hay seeds. These are best done in springtime when there will be plenty of rain. Loose barley straw (NOT hay) thrown into a dam in spring, will produce a chemical as it decomposes, that kills algae. Whole bales of hay have many uses. Construct a three-sided hay-bale compost bin that will contain the composting materials, add heat to accelerate breakdown. Eventually the ‘walls’ will break down to become more compost. Layer material such as manure, straw, lawn and garden clippings, branches, newspapers, cardboard, etc inside the hay bale bin and turn once a month to make rich garden compost. Hay bale walls last for a year or two and make a soft-looking, natural barrier that can be recycled into compost or mulch when they no longer look good. Set bales end-to-end, brick fashion, to contain a section of garden, create a vegetable patch, or as a shelter for sheep. They also make fantastic forts for children! In the vegie patch, old lucerne hay makes a wonderful mulch that releases valuable nitrogen while decomposing.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 00:19:54 +0000
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