Well Rotted Manure

What does "well rotted" manure mean?
Where can this stuff be got hold of? (tried Homebase, they couldn't help)
Will bagged up stuff be pre rotted?
When is the best time to spread manure on flowerbeds?
I'm putting it near a eucalyptus tree as nothing will grow near it! will this help?
What happens if it's not rotted?

kind regards gin

 

The compost or manure you get bagged from garden centres is well rotted

It just means that it's decomposed fully which means the organisms have converted the nutrients into a form which the plants can use.

How big is the Eucalyptus tree?
What are you planting near it?
How close to the tree are you planting?

 

Thanks for getting back to me.

how long do you have to leave the manure to become well rotted?
the eucalyptus tree must have been in for a long time I reckon (see 2 Photo's attached)
I'm just wanting to put flowers or small shrubs in the beds on either side.
The trees in the corner..... See photo.

 

By manure, we generally talk about horse muck,
The bags you would by at homebase/bnq etc are already well rotted, ready for use

Fresh from the horse or stables, you would need keep to well rot down for about a year,in a compost pile

However horse stables have all differnt stages from fresh to ten yearold, and are more than happy for you to buy it
Of course the cost is brilliant, for about Fivepounds you will get five times the amount you would get from a shop

We have a Compost/recycling forum, with lots of other manure discussions and ideas

I can't helpt with the tree and flower questions sorry
Oh
Welcome to Gardeners Corner

Jack McHammocklashing

 

Hi Ginlane,

It's worth doing a google search for free manure in your area. I did this and now have a constant supply from a local stables all I do is phone them to make sure someone is there and bag it myself. As Jack said even if it's not free it's a lot cheaper than garden centres and the like.

Rusty

 

What type of flowers?, as for some it will be never.

 

Having horses myself at home I use tonnes of the stuff. Certainly most livery yards around where I live would be delighted for you to take as much as you can for free as some at any rate have to pay farmers, etc to take it away.Well rotted manure will have no smell to speak of, be very dark,it may well contain small manure worms. A lot depends on what the horses are bedded on be that straw, shaving, paper etc.It's not so much the dropping which need to be well rotted it's the bedding which they are mixed with which makes the difference as to how well rotted the manure needs to be. I use it fresh as a weed suppressant and am just careful not to let the manure get too close to the plant stems. I'd always go for manure which has straw in it rather than shavings as shavings takes longer to break down.Paper bedding breaks down the fastest but doesn't make such good stuff.You will be amazed after a couple of seasons of applying manure how much the soil structure is improved. I don't bother to dig it in just lay a good 4 inches deep on the surface of the soil and let the worms do the hard work. Within a few months the manure will have disappeared into the soil. the only "problem" I have is now after quite a few years on annual feeding some of my beds are getting too rich for various herbaceous plants which grow to ENORMOUS proportions. My Lilies this year with the added massive quantities of rain on top of being well mulched with manure grew to nearly 8ft...ridiculous! and my Meconopsis look like massive cabbages.The only snag for you could be your Eucalyptus might grow even faster than normal. I have 1 quite close to my manure heap and I had to have 20ft lopped off it this year as it was getting quite close to power lines!