Horse Manure

[Ed]

First time allotment holder, seeking advice...

The local riding stables have left a whole big load of horse manure outside of our allotment site for folk to use. It is pretty fresh (great strong pong from it) and it contains only a moderate amount of straw.

Notwithstanding the warnings I have seen on this list and elsewhere regarding contamination with weed killers and the like, how can I beneficially use this stuff?

Can I use this manure straight away on the beds in my plot as a top mulch and dig it in next spring? Or should I just add it to my compost bins and let it mature there for, say, a year and then use it?

Also which plants would benefit from an application of manure? I seem to recall that root crops don't like recently manured beds?

Ed

[Dave Hill]

I wish they'd leave me a few loads. It wasn't long ago "They" were saying dont use horse manure with shavings My neighbours use shavings and sell all the manure they have from 4 horses at 50p a bag David Hill

[Lilah Morgan]

Some friends of mine make 'tea' from their horse manure, since that eliminates the possibility of weeds I think they said. I believe what they do is put the manure in a big huge dark colored barrel and add water and cover it and let it sit for a few days, then strain and spray the 'tea' in their plant beds.

[Mike]

If you can spread it on your beds and cover it with mulch for a month. the worms will do the work for you. We got onions the size of softballs and enough Borlatti beans to last us through next season.

Mike

[symplastless]

As far as using anything with the word "fresh" in front of it with trees - is not recommended for use. Composted wood chips, composted manure and such are great for mulch once composted and if applied "correctly". You could mix composted manure with composted wood chips and leaves as mulch for trees.

Mulching -

good articles written by Dr. Shigo with respect to mulch.

Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)

in the Rhizosphere John A. Keslick, Jr. Consulting Tree Biologist and out for so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, tornado's, volcanic eruptions and other abiotic forces keep reminding humans that they are not the boss.

I wish they'd leave me a few loads. It wasn't long ago "They" were saying dont use horse manure with shavings My neighbours use shavings and sell all the manure they have from 4 horses at 50p a bag David Hill

[Marie Dodge]

I used to spread fresh mixed manure's with straw bedding, grass clippings and wood shavings mixed in over the gardens in the fall and let it decompose all winter. They called it sheet composting where I lived at the time. In spring it was turned in. The plants thrived.

[Frank]

An organic farmer that used to post here did not like the idea of using manure on food crops as it contained a strong pesticide used to keep flies down.

[Dee]

Ed wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Fresh manure can be used as a top mulch, but IME it's very important to make sure the manure does not directly touch any plants, as it will cause problems (burning, stunting) otherwise. Top mulching of the manure allows rain water to seep through it and down to the roots of the plants, effectively giving them 'manure tea', while the wormies go to work incorporating it into the soil. It may be that by next spring there will be nothing left to turn under into the soil, as the worms will have done it for you. That has been my experience, anyway.

Dee

[Madwen]

I've never owned horses but I thought most stable used fan systems now. No?

[Rusty Hinge 2]

The message from Madwen contains these words:

Probably, no.

I've never seen a fan in a stable round b'yer, and I've worked in them, and know a lot of people with horses. (And free barrows of muck!)

[Kate Morgan]

I have horses but never needed any sort of fan system. open top doors are good enough for me and them. It is possible that a fan of some sort might be used in the barn type stabling that is used over here and other parts of the world where all the horses are kept in one large building but thinking about that they usually have large doors at each end and some have windows and doors in the sides. A hot country would probably use fans but don't need them where I am :-)

kate

[FarmI]

Mine too. Bloody good stuff is horse poo, but the Brits have had problems with weed killers spread on pastures contaminating the poos - it's then gone on to kill plants in gardens. I don't have this problem in my country and it appears that the worst thing to do with the weedkiller infested British horse poo is to pile it and try to 'age' it - the poison apparently doesn't break down going that route but does if spread.

[gunner]

[Marie Dodge]

I'd like to know who wastes money spreading weed killers in a pasture. That makes no sense at all.

[Sacha]

"The alert is mainly about a substance called aminopryalid in an agricultural herbicide called Forefront - although similar substances may be causing similar effects.

It is a new kind of "hormonal herbicide" ­ meaning it interferes with the growth signals of broad-leaved plants like dandelions and docks, so they shoot up too fast and starve, while the surrounding grass is unaffected.

It has been declared safe to graze cows on treated grass, or on hay and silage made from treated meadows. The herbicide passes through their systems more or less undigested. But that means it is present in their manure and gets into their bedding straw too.

The packaging of Forefront includes warnings about not using affected manure and straw on vulnerable plants ­including tomatoes, potatoes, peas, beans, carrots, lettuce, delphiniums, phlox and roses. But the warning is not always passed on.

Forefront was launched three years ago and Britain was the first European country to use it. Last year, some professional potato growers lost crops after spreading manure. An emergency education campaign, aimed at livestock farmers, vegetable growers and spraying and spreading contractors solved that problem."

[Marie Dodge]

There goes any manure I might have been able to find.

[gunner]

Thank you Sacha. To date doesn't seem to be much info here.

BTW nice plant selections you have.

Gunner, WA State zone 8a

[symplastless]

I will have to make it clear that in tree biology workshops it was often stated that manure should compost before using as well as fresh wood chips.

[symplastless]

Compost manure before using for trees with composted wood chips and leaves and needles.

[Rusty Hinge 2]

The message from "symplastless" contains these words:

A?

A bit of punctuation might help the above to make sense.