horse manure?

[The Hopefuls]

hi all, came up with a small problem i have never had before, just turned over a large plot of land the soil is not too good, clay and gritty otherwise fine lol

i have winter dug it and gave it a good dressing of rotted horse muck BUT i have just been given a large amount of fresh horse muck !!!
what i want to know is, could i put this fresh stuff ontop of the winter digging and then dig it all in march/april? would it be ok or still a bit fresh or would it have rotted down enough to be useful to the soil?

silly question i know but not sure wether to put it on or not?

many thanks kev

[grahamhobbs]

Better to keep it separate until it has rotted down a bit. If in bags it can be left until spring, when it will have rotted sufficiently, and then apply as a mulch (let the worms dig it in). If not in bags just leave in a heap, perhaps with a cover to keep the rain off.
If you put it straight on the soil the manure will not rot down and you will get lumps that'll take ages to breakdown.

[pumpy]

I'll second that

[frozenthunderbolt]

Also leaving it to rot means that any commercial vermafuges (worm killing drenches) will leach out of it before it goes onto the area where you WANT worms to thrive

[Cloud]

I've just picked up three sacks of fresh horse manure and have been wondering what to do with it (I thought it was ready to use until I looked on google). The info I found googling seems to give different answers to how to prepare it. Eventually I tipped it all in to one of our compost bins and mixed it in with the what was there - now I'm wondering if I did the right thing and should have let it to rot by its self for a while.

[Green Aura]

You can also make it into a hot bed. You have to bury it in 6-12" of soil then grow plants on top - we grew in ours in pots. As it rots it gives off heat so it helps more tender plants and then you can dig it up next year to use as top dressing - a twofer!!!

[pumpy]

I've just picked up three sacks of fresh horse manure and have been wondering what to do with it (I thought it was ready to use until I looked on google). The info I found googling seems to give different answers to how to prepare it. Eventually I tipped it all in to one of our compost bins and mixed it in with the what was there - now I'm wondering if I did the right thing and should have let it to rot by its self for a while.

That'll be fine, Cloud. Just leave it to do its own thing 'til the Spring.

[Millymollymandy]

I think horse muck needs a good year to rot down sufficiently. It's good when it is still claggy for moisture retaining if you can manage to dig it all in under the soil surface (a lot easier said than done!) because everything sitting above will just sit there as big dags and will dry out to rocks in summer.

[bonniethomas06]

I was about to post something similar, so rather than posting another thread, hope noone minds me adding to this one...

I have some (well rotted) manure which I plan to use on my new patch, which is virgin ground and pretty compacted.

The thing is - what about the root veg? I know that you shouldn't add manure to roots in the same season you plant, but surely it is better to add it late in the season than not, when you are turning grass into a veg patch? I am thinking in particular about potatoes, which I know need nice humus rich soil to grow.

Any views?

[grahamhobbs]

If you add the manure as a mulch, ie not dug in, it can go on any plot. It is only carrots that are not supposed to like manure, but that's if it is dug in. As a mulch I find it is fine and does more good.

[Harasimow]

I was about to post something similar, so rather than posting another thread, hope noone minds me adding to this one...

I have some (well rotted) manure which I plan to use on my new patch, which is virgin ground and pretty compacted.

The thing is - what about the root veg? I know that you shouldn't add manure to roots in the same season you plant, but surely it is better to add it late in the season than not, when you are turning grass into a veg patch? I am thinking in particular about potatoes, which I know need nice humus rich soil to grow.

Any views?

Potatoes are not actually a root crop even though they grow under ground the potaoe tubers are actually a stem! Potatoes love manure. Root crops such as carrots and parsnips tend to fork if manure is added. For theese im gonna mix up some hoemade compost with some topsoil and some river sand. Worth a shot.

[trinder]

just a quick question. If the Horses have been mucked out i.e the poo has straw or shaving s or something in with it, are the rules different if the poo is from "poo picking" in the pasture?

[grahamhobbs]

All manure really needs to rot down before being used. Neat manure, even when left to mature, is going to be very strong. I would mix with something else and leave to rot down, eg in with your compost heap, which it will do wonders for. Otherwise spread thinly on the surface generally (particularly around brassicas), or more generously around your melon plants, which can take such concentrated feed.

[Millymollymandy]

just a quick question. If the Horses have been mucked out i.e the poo has straw or shaving s or something in with it, are the rules different if the poo is from "poo picking" in the pasture?

I don't think so as long as what you take is mostly poo. Poo and straw is a good combination but shavings are bad news as they can take years to break down, so try to take as little as possible when picking out the poo. I know, I've made that mistake!

[grahamhobbs]

Sorry but I often end up disagreeing with MMM. In London, these days, the only horse manure available is with wood shavings. I find this better than straw because it is clean, it doesn't have any weed seeds. Used, after a few months when it has been left to rot down a bit, as a mulch it is great. The fact that it doesn't dissapear straightaway is not a bad thing. I think MMM has problems with it is because she doesn't use it as a mulch but digs it in, where it will take several seasons to rot down. So leave it in polybags for a few months, then use as a mulch - feeds the soil, keeps the soil moist, the worms working and the weeding down.