However, the increased P in the litter may not be needed by the crop. However, it will also increase ammonia volatilization and N loss. Do not use it when the ammonia level in the house is high. Use lime at the rate of 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet of floor space. Where excess quantities of manure must be disposed on the land chose a cropping system to maximize N uptake.
Row crops are poor users of soil N because of a limited root system.
Corn or cotton may take up only 50 to 60 percent of the N applied. Grasses, such as hybrid bermudagrass and bahiagrass, produce large amounts of dry matter and are efficient N users. As much as 90 percent of the applied N could be recovered by a good bermudagrass sod. Cool season grasses such as fescue and ryegrass are not as efficient because most of their growth is in the early spring. Harvest excess forage frequently to remove N from the land.