At least 20 black bags of WELL rotted horse manure have been piled in the back of the garden since this past fall. Now, must it be combined with anything else before spreading it around my veggie and ornamental garden?
more horse manure advice, please
Add it to that wonderful compost you go and go for it! :)
after my dad goes horseback riding, he cleans out the trailer on my mom's peonies. they are very healthy. he doen't even let it rot.
Since it is already composted you can just go ahead and use it as is or mix it with any other compost you have. Your gardens will love it.
Sounds like good stuff I'm invious.
I need to get my horses to give me the pre-composted stuff. They're holding out on me...
Oh goody! I have an appointment tomorrow with a person from Craig's List that is giving away composted horse manure (with pine straw mixed in). I'm hoping to mix it with some of my other compost. I'm starting my first vegetable garden this year and I've built my raised beds and now I have to fill them up with good organic material. Glad to hear others are having good luck using the horse manure.
Melanie
Hey! I may be wrong, BUT................
I have heard that Horse manure is very full of weed seeds as all they eat is grass in the fields and hay (Made from the grasses in the fields). Their stomachs just do not destroy them like cows do.
I am also aware that the heat in a good composting pile can kill all the weed seeds. I am just wondering how good horse manure is vs, cow manure???
I do not have access to either manures, except bagged cow manure/humus at the big box stores, so this is just a rhetorical question.
Gita
Horse manure does have more viable weed seed in it if it is not composted well. But the heat of a hot compost pile will kill the seeds. Left to compost in bags it should have heated up enough to have done the same thing. I did find more weeds in horse manure that was cold composted but I had so much of it in my beds at the time that the soil was very loose ( I could stick my hand into it up past my wrist without a trowel) and weeds pulled out easily while my plants grew large and lush.
Boy oh boy I miss those beds!
Well horses generally prefer the young tender grass. I would think they would be selective in what they eat, but i don't know what weeds horses find palatable. I know cows will eat wild onions, because i've tasted it in their milk. I doubt if cows stomachs destroy that many seeds, it probably just helps stratify them so they will germinate much quicker in the garden. I don't think horse manure is as rich as cow manure.
"I need to get my horses to give me the pre-composted stuff. They're holding out on me..."
mental image of constipated horses trying to compost internally for dear devoted owner
This message was edited Feb 17, 2008 2:44 AM
Mental image of woman holding huge enima bag up to constipated horse to force it to give up the gold...
Mental image------of you both locked up in a loony-bin....
Going with gitagal on that picture........LOL
HA ha Gita!
Give us a double room- I think we'd have a blast!!!
I know I'm late to the party, but, dun1kirk, I'd spread that manure straight onto your beds rather than put it into your compost bin. Yours will likely have fewer viable seeds than un-composted horse manure.
Gita, cow manure is far better than horse when it comes to weed seeds, but it hasn't stopped me from regular use of horse manure in my beds and compost piles. I'll take what I can get. Spreading a layer of horse manure in the fall over a veggie garden, then covering with plastic is one way to help cook down the weed seeds by Spring time, ime.
Hee hee - you guys are funny. I went and picked up a load of the manure this morning. There was a huge pile and I didn't see anything growing in it. When we got it in the truck and closed the tailgate and topper, it was so warm it fogged up the windows! I could even feel the heat when we were shoveling, especially when we would stick the shovel into a new section of the pile. This manure was already composting and was mixed with pine shavings. I can't wait to see how my vegetable garden turns out!
Melanie
I got mine from a long established stable near by. The first time I went to dig I was amazed. There was a huge area and the stack was at least a story high. So, I began down low where I could reach. It too was steaming so I'll be anxious to see, having cooked in plastic bags for months, if weed seeds spring up. Better get more for next year!
Hello All,
I used to get horse manure but it brought so many weed seeds with it that I gave up!!
I live near a fellow who has race horses and has 10'x5'x200' long rows of manure. He gives it free but only after it has been "sitting" for a year or more. It has been great for my garden EXCEPT for all the new weeds. Some of which i am having a hard time eradicating!!
I went to a rabbit rescue last year and got rabbit POOP mixed with wood shavings. A whole truck load!!
I used it as a layer in a 15'x15' raised garden bed. I also used my compost and a layer of soil. Tilled it all real well and WOW! this is the stuff I want to use again. I think the difference is noticeable. I did not get any weed seeds!! It does not have to be MATURED to use right away and the extra carbon was a bonus to my way of thinking!! I don't know if any of you can look into a rabbit rescue in your area but you know rabbits!
They have 4 lawn and leaf bags a Day from 200 rabbits of manure and wood shavings. It's a great source of manure. I would recommend it highly!!! Unless of course I could get chicken POOP. My niece raises chickens but keeps all her poop for her garden.. WAWAWAAAA!!
That's my favorite manure!!
Julie
I hear the thing to get your hands on is Elephant manure.
Whenever the Circus comes to town here, people go get it by the truckload! I guess that would be about one elephant's contribution per day!....Haaaa...Haaa....
Mental image---of someone backing up their pick-up truck to the "behind" of an Elephant and waiting.........then, the Elephant having diarrhea that day........
I am getting "sicker" by the day! Sally! it is all your fault!!!!!!
Gita
PS. Chicken coop stuff is also VERY good (so I have heard) except it is VERY high in Nitrogen---and might just blow up!
Mental image of a Chicken Coop exploding.........and the field all covered in feathers......
I want some elephant poo too. I just got my hands on 4 trashbags full of chicken manure the other day.
Dean,
If it is STRAIGHT Chicken manure--with NO "fillers" (like bedding or sawdust or straw or whatever)--you need to dilute small amounts of it in buckets of water and then use that on your beds...or use it VERY sparingly.
REMEMBER!!!! Nitrogen grows GREENERY! Like your lawn! If you want a lot of "greens", then high Nitrogen stuff is OK. Like--Lettuce, Spinach, Collards, etc. BUT--If you want fruit of any kind (including Tomatos) you do not want a high nitrogen product as a fertilizer. You will have the lushest plants around--but not so much fruiting on them. You kind of will be trading one for the other.
Please read the 3 numbers on the backs of all your packaged fertilizers and know what they do:
1st number=Nitrogen (good for leafy stuff and greens)
2nd number=Phosphorus (good for blooms and fruiting).
3rd number=Potash Good for overall hardiness and overall health of a plant.
So--
15-30-15 (like powdered Miracle Gro and the like) are good for blooming plants and general feeding--BUT!!!! Remember that any kind of "Blue Water" (water soluble fertilizers) are a "quick fix" and NOT a long term feeding. Because of this, people may have a tendency to overfeed. It is so heavily advertised as THE thing to use.....Your goal should be for something that is a "Slow Release" product--like most organic fertilizers (eg-all Espoma stuff) or something like the Osmacote pellets.
10-10-10 is known as an All Purpose fertilizer--spread it anywhere. Farmers love it!
30-10-8 (or like that) is very high in N and good for lawns--ALL green!
ALWAYS check the backs of your containers and bags of fertilizer to see what is in there and in what proportions.
You can learn more about all this in any Gardening Book--or just ask anyone in the appropriate Forum on DG.
Most manure of any kind is, likely, high in Nitrogen. A bit of Lime might be helpful if you use manure in your plantings.
Gita
Gita,
Thanks, for reminding me of all that good stuff. The chicken manure is mixed w/ wood shavings and is being used in my compost piles. I can actually use a little extra nitrogen right now because I'm growing mostly greens at the moment. I've been switching to all organic regime.
Isn't the third number on fertilizer potassium?
Yep Nitrogen, Phosphors and Potassium =NPK
OOps!! Brain burp!
Yes indeed! It is Potassium!!!!! Sorry!!! Well, at least I got the first 5 letters right! So--I missed only ONE!!!!! .......:0(
G.
We knew what you meant...LOL Oh lord, check out this ytube, you will just roll.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1TVOXdNkFo
Doccat! That was so cute!
I just fell out!! Any middle age woman of my acquaintance will just crack up, cause it's so true!
SSSSSHHHHHH!!!!!
I am WAY past middle age! But you know what they say. The 60's is the new middle age!
However--I am past those too.....so, I am in the "upper" 60's? LIke--late middle age?
Oh, well!!!!
G.
Darlin, we southern ladies, neva discuss age. LOL
Well..................
I think Maryland is just NORTH of the Mason Dixon line----SO! That would not apply to me!!!!
I am so young looking and acting and thinking that I don't mind at all telling people I will be 71 next month!! Matter of fact--I find myself bragging about it! Never thought i would do that!
Click on my name and check out my picture! That was taken just 2 years ago.....:o)
Cheers, Darlin!!!! G.
Honey chile, I think you need to be "carded"! LOL
Well I'll be Gitagal ! You sure that picture is YOU??
No way your 71!!! Lovely lookin, much younger lookin !! You NEED to tell people your age...
It is something to aspire to!! You look MAAAAHVALOUS!!!
Julie
Gita, I love your attitude. Your age is an achievement, not something to be ashamed of, when you reach it with grace and good humour.
And all of us should be so gifted to carry the great genes you obviously carry - viva la Gita!
Let me just say, seconding the above, don't know how many of you have met Gita in person, but I have and she is NOT an old lady!!
... and she can *cook*! :)
General comments about aging (and then I'll stop hi-jacking this thread!!!) for those who don't see it as something not to openly talk about....
http://www.pagancat.com/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=1
Way cool, PCat. I feel the same way myself actually. And do feel freer to be slightly more eccentric than normal. LOL
What's eccentric about that?