Questions and Answers for Black Kow 50 lb. Composted Cow Manure

A:  one at the most

A:  I don't think it works like that with cow manure. If you emptied that bag into a five gallon bucket, it wouldn't fill it. BUT...it will work wonderfully when you add it to your garden and spread it out, accordingly. It's dense, so realistically if you add a lot to soil that is already dense, you will need aerate it with something else. Go lightly...you can always add more, but you really can't take it back. Follow the directions on the bag.

A:  This bag contains 1.2 cubic feet of cow manure.

A:  I have no idea how many cubic feet there are in a 50# bag. I did go to their website and get a number which I called. I did not get an answer but was able to leave a message asking about the cubic feet in a 50 pound bag. You might call them for yourself, Jim, if you need the answer sooner. The number is 1+352-748-0569.

A:  Hello Jim. I just rec'd a return call from Cathy at Black Kow and she said there was one cubic foot of material per 50# bag. They are designing a new bag and it will state the cubic foot data on the outside of the bag henceforth. Bruce

A:  No this is more like organic fertilizer. Dig some into your soil. Also like miracle grow garden soil to enrich regular dirt. Follow directions on bag

A:  I would use some soil, not just the compost.

A:  It is better if you use some native soil with the compost. 50/50

A:  Yes, I did. 150 lbs. completely covered a 2 1/2 x 10 ft. box, about 2 inches deep before I mixed it in to soften the soil. All plants are responding well so far.

A:  Not a good idea. Manure is a soil improvement, but does not take the place of garden soil. I use this to help aerate and boost nutrients. The needs of specific plants vary. If you have questions about a particular type of fruit or vegetable, check your State's agriculture website or the USDA. Good luck with your garden.

A:  This product recommends mixing 1/2 manure to 1/2 soil.

A:  I think that is possible, but maybe not something you should do. It is very "rich" soil and it might have too much nitrogen, etc., in it. I'd mix some good top soil in with it, maybe 25 to 30% other top soil, at least. Too much fertilizer can be a bad thing. But all I am doing is filling in low places in the yard and sewing Bermuda grass seeds into the mix with lots of water. Our side yard had fifty plus years of shade provided by two huge pecan trees. The yard under them was totally awful and grew some sparse weeds at best. The local utility company butchered the trees to provide clearance for their lines, so we had to cut the trees down in spring 2017, and have the stumps ground away. I spent the whole summer applying Black Kow, Bermuda seeds and copious amounts of water. It took a full three months but the yard is nice and green. So the Black Kow is very effective, but maybe too effective for a vegetable garden without some mixture of good old top soil. But my thumb is about a brown as it gets. I am definitely not someone can grow stuff with any expertise.

A:  You will need approximately 19 bags.

A:  Roughly 1mbag per square foot.

A:  You do not need to fertilize the complete garden when planting using the composted cow manure. Just mix one (1) shovel full of the composted cow manure with the existing garden soil for each plant. Tomatoes for example. If planting beans mix one (1) shovel full of the composted cow manure every two feet into the trench.

A:  4 bags. Mix in dirt before planting. Or you could use a hand full of it and mix it with the dirt then plant the plant.

A:  My garden is 20 x 15 and we used 12 bags and tilled it really good

A:  Carnack died with Johnny Carson. If Lou is more specific of what is the purpose of the 10 gallon container, and purpose of 7 gallon container, then we could answer his question. Composted COW Manure by itself would most likely kill most plants. If Lou is mixing potting soil for tomatoes plants for example, then consult NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENER for making potting soil for containers or raised beds.

A:  Probably about 4, it goes far if you mix it with good potting soil.

A:  2 bags should be sufficient. This should not be your sole growing medium. This is a soil amendment. I normally add 2 scoops (2 heaping cups full) to a 10 gal container and a scoop of black hen. I mix that into the top 3-5 inches of soil. If your intention is to grow solely in this you will just be wasting your time. A few of us here have been there and done that. Use the product for what it was ment for and you will see fantastic results.

A:  2 to 3 bags accounting for spillage. I would include potting soil and some sand

A:  Each bag is about 1.5 cu ft, which is around 11 gallons. For your containers it appears that you need a total of 91 gallons. So I would expect that you will need around 9 bags to fill the 7 - 10 gal containers and the 3 - 7 gal containers.

A:  For 1 10 gallon planter use 8 lbs. Or 1/6th of the bag. So you will need at least 2 bags to do 10 planters.

A:  I use ONE (1) bag per bucket plus ONE (1) bag of Mircle Grow Raised Bed Dirt of equal size to the Black Cow bag along with a Five Gallon bucket of peat moss per each container and mix well. I use plastic beer barrels such as a faturnity for a beer fest. I grow tomatoes, zucks, green bean, etc., in these buckets.

A:  2 max

A:  5 bags should do it

A:  Each bag contains 1.5 cu ft which is about 11 gallons. For 10 - 10 gal containers you will need between 9 -10 bags.

A:  I bought ten bags on a pallet. When I saw it stacked in the store, there must have been at least 50 bags per pallet.

A:  I don't know, divide the price, you"ll get close.

A:  I bought 6 bags for a 25' x 20' garden

A:  50

A:  Yes

A:  Sure can.

A:  Yes. It'll make a nice compost!

A:  Sure! It’s very rich just by itself so adding to compost should make a super soil booster. I mixed it with potting soil which made my garden very receptive to anything I grow.

A:  Sure can if you choose.

A:  Hi, If you meant weight - 50 lb if meant amount - US$ 4.82 unit price

A:  $5.25 in New Jersey

A:  For some reason price only shows when it's in stock. (I can't see it right now either as it's out of stock where I am). But last time I bought it it was just over 5 per bag.

A:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Black-Kow-50-lb-Composted-Cow-Manure-BLKCOW/202287053?keyword=black+kow&semanticToken=20020+++%3E++++st%3A%7Bblack+kow%7D%3Ast++cn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D++black+kow+%7Bbrand%7D Currently listed as $5.17 each. Price might be different at your nearest location.

A:  At my store in Indianapolis, IN; a bag sells for $5.34 per bag! IMHO it is well worth the cost of improved soil and plant growth.

A:  $5.34 at Home Depot

A:  This is really good manure. I've used it in a couple of plant beds with great results. My plants were just so much happier after applying the Black Kow. As to your question, the people at Black Kow say to use 5 - 8 pounds per square foot of plant bed at a thickness of 1 1/2" . That translates into 6 - 10 square feet of coverage per 50 pound bag at a thickness of 1 1/2 inches. My calculator says that you need 80 (5 pounds per sq. ft) to 128 (8 pounds per sq. ft.) bags to achieve your desired thickness of 7 1/2" . Personally, I'd go with the higher number (128). You can never have too much manure.

A:  3 bag would do

A:  I would add 4 to that soil mixture.

A:  This product can not be used alone in a garden bed. It must be mixed with potting soil or garden soil. I would think two bags of Back Kow mixed in with 4 or more bags of good garden soil would work. It woukd depend on the size of the soil bags.

A:  I mix the manure with raised bed dirt also purchased from HD. Usually a one to one ratio in the mix. I would think something of about 8 bags of each material. Good Luck!!!

A:  I think this stuff lasts quite a while and does not leach through the bag as long as the bags are not torn. I stored mine in a big plastic tub in my third garage and had no problem with it. Some of it I kept for a couple of months before using it. I noticed maybe a thousand bags had been purchased by our local Home Depot as some of the bags themselves looked old and squashed down prett good. So if you get too much, it will last till the next season as far as I know. I would order twenty bags for what you are doing so I would have plenty on hand. I actually look for places in our yard where the grass is not as robust as we'd like it to be. I will buy another ten or fifteen bags of it as soon as the frosts stop here in our area so the bad patch or two we have will look as good as the rest of the yard. DO NOT put this stuff in your flower beds unless you are prepared to continuously weed them as it will make just about anything grow robustly.

A:  Tough question to answer. If you want your bed to be filled with Black Kow only, it will take more bags than you need it you want only to enrich the existing soil you have to begin with. I did not seek to fill a bed with the bags I bought, but to use them ot enrich the existing soil in our side yard that had been shaded by very large pecan trees for fifty-plus years. I covered areas equal to perhaps three times the size of your box-bed but not at uniform depths as I did not need to cover all the existing area. I do know that the level of the Black Kow tends to sink to lower level as it is watered and "worked" and time passes so you will probably need more of it as time passes. Also, I think in your instance you might need to work the bed floor so it is not pancake hard when you apply the Black Kow. I think the Black Kow may be too strong and hot to be used as the only filler in a box. My guess is that ten bags would do to begin with when mixed with other soil from the bed of the box you are planning. My thumb is certainly not green, more a greenish-brown, so I am probably not the one to ask about this. But my side lawn looks really good and I plan to add another ten bags of Black Kow to it this year.

A:  I mixed 1 part cow manure to 3 parts of garden soil. Lovely produce all summer (2017) long.

A:  It would be helpful to know your location and hardiness zone. In southeast Georgia, May, June and July are best times to add sod. Starting place for lawn and garden improvement would be a soil test. Contact your County Extension Agent or local Master Gardeners. Plant growth, even grass, depends on soil ph. You need to know whether you want to raise or lower your ph for best results for your lawn. Soil test kit is about $7. This time of year expect results in a couple of weeks. You can specify grass type, flowers and vegetables all in a single test.Extension Service will give recommendations and frequency for soil improvements. Purchasing enough Potting Soil to mix with 50 LBS of Black Kow would be expensive. 3 cubic yards of Peat moss sells for about $10. Some brands contain time release fertilizer. I am guessing 50 lb Black Kow and 3 Cu Yd Peat Moss would be about a 50/50 mix. County Extension Agents are great people and are there to answer your questions. New Square Foot Gardener has an excellent section on mixing your own soil.

A:  I don't see the need to add anything. I use this in my garden yo replenish the door every year. When laying sod I have never used anything but the original dirt/sand base. If the was no base I would use a 50/50 mix that I bought in bulk. Then ice getting established, fertilize.

A:  I have done it and had great results. reminds me I have to get another bag

A:  You can with 50/50 mix but cost wise your better off with a good topsoil .