I hope horse manure is as good as everyone says

Discussion in 'Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling' started by Folly Mon, May 7, 2012.

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  1. lazydog

    lazydog Know nothing but willing to learn

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      lazydog, May 8, 2012
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    • Folly Mon

      Folly Mon GC Official Counselor

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      Folly Mon, May 9, 2012
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    • *dim*

      *dim* Head Gardener

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        *dim*, May 9, 2012
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      • JWK

        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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        Good point *dim*, that was one of the issues discussed in 2008 when this problem first appeared. We decided not to eat any of our affected garden produce. The active chemical in this weedkiller (Aminopyralid) passes through the digestive tract of animals unchanged, so although only tiny traces got into commercial produced composts that was enough to kill off crops. There were some massive compensation claims settled by DOW (the chemical manufacturer) as 1,000’s of acres of potatoes were decimated.

        The govt advice initially said “do not consume any crops affected”. But that would have meant supermarkets clearing their shelves, so within a couple of weeks the govt changed their minds and said it was safe for humans. We had a major campaign in 2008 and managed to get the weedkiller banned. But the business lobby has moved against us and it is re-instated so sadly there will still be ongoing problems when farmers do not apply the rules. This chemical is extremely persistent, it does not break down in a compost heap. So stacks of well rotted manure that are 4 or more years older could still poison all your plants. Just be aware of the problem and ask the supplier about it before applying it to anything precious.

        Reports of contaminated manure have declined every year since 2008, but that doesn’t mean it is not a problem. In 2008 so many of us were affected it was quite obvious what was causing it. The symptoms are that plants become distorted and produce fern like leaves, for the amateur grower who is contending with lots of other problems they might not recognise the underlying cause and put the crop failure down to under/over watering or poor weather.
         
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          JWK, May 9, 2012
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        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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          Oh, sorry for the long rant above, just trying to make everyone aware of possible problems with farmyard manure and not trying to scare Folly Mon :dbgrtmb:
           
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            JWK, May 9, 2012
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          • Phil A

            Phil A Guest

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            Not at all John, good reading:love30:

            Its my job to scare Folly Mon, and his postman:dbgrtmb:
             
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              Phil A, May 9, 2012
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            • Folly Mon

              Folly Mon GC Official Counselor

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              :runforhills: :runforhills: :runforhills:
               
              Folly Mon, May 10, 2012
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            • Folly Mon

              Folly Mon GC Official Counselor

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              :lunapic 130165696578242 5: :lunapic 130165696578242 5: :lunapic 130165696578242 5:
               
              Folly Mon, May 10, 2012
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            • Steve R

              Steve R Soil Furtler

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              Steve R, May 10, 2012
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            • silu

              silu gardening easy...hmmm

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              I have to admit (sad soul!) I am somewhat of an expert on this subject having 2 very expensive "lawnmowers" here and a never ending supply of droppings.With a garden of my proportions and living surrounded by farmland it is an impossible task to keep my flowerbeds weed free and it would cost a fortune to cover them in thick enough layers of barkchip. I use newly laid droppings as a weed suppressant/mulch. and if you lay it on thick enough (about 4/5 ins) the weeds don't get a chance, I do not have the droppings touching the stems/trunks of plants/ shrubs and being a dark colour it sets the plants off really quite nicely. Yes you get the odd grass seed/oat seed germinate from the manure but this is no big problem.By the following Spring, worms have incorporated most of the droppings into the ground so no need for heavy digging.After a few years of this treatment I know have a wonderful top 5/6 inches of soil in my flower beds.
              I have a garden of about 2 acres (not boasting just fact) and am a very keen gardener.In the last 25 years I have NEVER bought any type of plant food except for tomatoes and never bought any kind of compost either as I use rotted manure with say ordinary compost/leaf mould instead and have had fairly good results, even Meconopsis and Trillums which are notoriously difficult seem happy to germinate in what is on offer. I save a fortune and suppose am doing my bit to recycle. I can appreciate that buying/getting in manure is much harder/more risky but personally if I didn't have my own, I would be scouting round for a supply. Normally horse owners are more than delighted to get rid of it far less ask you to pay for it.
              1 word of warning. If the manure is with shavings bedding rather than straw, you are best to leave it for say about 6 months. Does horse manure smell? Once laid on the beds, not at all. I'd hardly smother my garden in something that did.
               
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                silu, May 12, 2012
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