horse manure, what to do with it!

Polite answers only please!:hehe:

Yesterday I was fortunate to get a load of horse manure from a local stables. I have never used manure on my garden before so I need a bit of advice.

I know that if manure is too fresh it can burn the roots of plants and be too 'strong' for using straight away.

The manure I have has no smell, looks fairly like soil and is full of wriggly, thin red worms. I'm presuming this means that it is already breaking down into compost.

So:

How long should I leave it piled up before putting it around my garden?

Are there different rules with regard to horse manure for ornamental shrubs and roses versus edible plants?

Does everything in the garden benefit from manure or would some plants rather not be fed in this way?

All comments gratefully received.

 

By the sound of it, your supply of horse manure is indeed "matured" so you have options on how to use it. I was once told to think of manure as improving the soil rather than directly improving plants and that advice has always influenced how I use it.

I tend to use manure as a mulch only in the autumn so that it breaks down in the winter and is much less obvious by the summer. If that's not a concern for you, you can mulch established shrubs with it straight away. Make sure that it goes onto soil that's moist so it helps the worms to pull it down. Otherwise, it'll dry out very quickly and the blackbirds will throw it around.

Personally, I wouldn't apply it to most flowers or veg at this time of year because it's a bit rich and you can't regulate the effects exactly. But people often put it under their beans so that could be a consideration.

Bear in mind that manure gives a main boost of nitrogen so you don't usually apply it to root crops. Its presence in the soil makes carrots forked and mishapen.

It also makes a great activator in compost bins.

Do not apply manure and lime in the same area at the same time.

I would recommend storing at least some of it for this coming autumn. Then you can incorporate it in any digging you do when clearing your veg bed or tidying up your borders. Don't leave it too long though or the worms will reduce its volume significantly.

 

You could make a manure tea. There are lots of recipes if you google it. I have some really well rotted stuff but I just throw some in a bucket now and again for my roses , add water and strain it and use the liquid straight away. It may be too strong for some plants the way I do it, but my roses are thriving on it.