Horse Manure

Hi All

I collected some partly rotted horse manure from the field and put it behind my greenhouse for the winter will it be ok to grow seeds in? it has no smell and seems to have broken down nicely.
Last year I put it straight from the field on some plants and that was the end of them. I did read the postings about chicken manure and think the horse manure must have burnt them by being too fresh.

Dave :eek:

 

so does it have to be old manure then?

i know a daft question but how can you tell ?? because its dried out??

lol stpoopid question i know but i dont do horses- they make me sneeze!!

 

Yep, all manure needs to be well seasoned to prevent it from burning the roots of plants. Stable manure is particularly good because it has the bedding straw in it which puts a lot of vegetative material (humus) into your soil as well. I'd be inclined to give field collected material at least six months, preferably a year before using it for anything delicate and I would also mix in some more humus when you are turning your heap.

Compost of any description shouldn't really be dry, idealy it should be moist enough to clump together when compressed with the hands like a snowball but not oozing a lot of fluid. If it smells at all acrid (ammonia fumes) then it still needs more turning and aging.

[ 06. February 2006, 07:42 PM: Message edited by: frogesque ]

 

not only does manure scorch the roots, but if it isn't well rotted it will draw nitrogen out of the soil to rot it down, the adverse effect, so best to wait at least a year.

 

Also cover it with an old tarpaulin or something otherwise a lot of it will wash away. I have my manure heap in a permanent site with sides and tarp top I have to look out for friends who sometimes live there when I go digging. Toads and frogs.

 

I have always thought that the best place for any manure is on your compost heap, mixed in with all your other ingredients. Home made compost (for seed sowing) can be a bit hit and miss when not experienced. I would stick to the composts for this purpose that you can buy from a garden centre.
But your compost heap will be great for soil conditioning, just be patient and add good mixtures of organic waste.
My compost heaps are made of all my vegetable waste, shreaded paper (old bills are excellant)grass clippings (these should bemixed with the shreaded paper, and i have a bed of comfrey, which i cut about 3 times per year and find it a great actvator.

 

Hi terry od...what is an 'activator'?

I do understand the term to be fair, but how does comfrey work as an activator?

Thanks.
John

 

Comfrey and nettles are both good actvators as they are rich in nitrogen.The nitrogen is the key part in encouraging breakdown in the compost heap. Comfrey is also excellent for use as liquid fertiliser; put it in a large container and fill with water and leave [very smelly!] then use the liquid.

 

You can always 'sprinkle' your compost heap. :D Urea is an excellent source of nitrogen and is usually the favourite allotment growers' secret ingredient.

 

frogesque's reply does depend a bit on how much privacy your compost heap has! But it's an age-old tip!

 

Two childhood memories - (50 years ago)

Mr D next door taking his 'guzunder' down his garden every morning and tipping the contents on his compost heap.

My grandfather pushing me in a pram up towards Epsom Downs and collecting fresh horse manure in an old shopping bag on the back of the push chair to feed my dad's tom's and onions.

I'm sure the latter procedure contibuted to my curly hair!

Dave

 

My grandad used to breed rabbits..he was never short of compost or worms for fishing

Fresh rabbit manure has alledgedly much better NPK content than the usual types,horse,cow etc.

Plenty of children keep rabbits, it might be worth asking the local primary schools offering eg: 50p per full dustbin bag.
Extra pocket money for them, compost for you

 

I had a kid in a primary class who used to keep pigeons. He would bring me sandbags of 'guano' which I soaked in water and then used the diluted concentrate on my veg.

(As an ex-Headteacher - There's probably, nay almost certainly, now some EU/ Local Govt rule that says you can't store manure on school premises!)

 

omg, how did that generation survive?

 

Just what we did we survive? -

Nostalgia for some. History lesson for others.
A bit off-thread though.

http://www.dj.warburton.btinternet.co.uk/50s60s.htm

[ 21. February 2006, 10:45 PM: Message edited by: Dave W ]