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Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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Posted by
JessicaBe 6 (
My Page) on
Sat, Mar 24, 12 at 18:39
| My father in law has a huge manure pile and it has been sitting in an open barn for ever! It is still good. My boyfriend says that its just mold but i figured that it just composed because it also has straw in it. There are critters living in it also...
Should I use it on my flower bed? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| There was a pile of horse manure next to my barn that had to be at least 5 years old. It was pretty much powder. I tilled some into my garden and I swear my garden was the best ever that year. I don't see how it could do any harm to use it. |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Does a chicken have feathers?....yes...it must almost be pure humus by now. Sounds like an excellent find and by all means use it. |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| I would use it without hesitation. Older is better than newer in many cases; it may have lost some nutrients, but it will still retain some, especially if it was protected from too much moisture as it decomposed. The presence of living critters in it should be a good sign. Even if the nutrient levels are not optimal, it will be a good soil conditioner. |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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- Posted by jolj 7b/8a-S.C.USA (My Page) on
Sat, Mar 24, 12 at 23:37
Jess, your boyfriend needs to join Garden Web!
The only thing better, would be if it has composted completely.
I have seen piles of manure that were complete in the center,
with all the heat, but still not completely composted near the outer layer.
It will work if you till it into the bed. |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Great thank you everyone! |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Don't listen to these guys Jessica, that stuff could poison your garden, load that stuff into a truck (make sure you get it all), and drive it to my place, I am licensed to dispose of such things ;-) 
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RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Haha! Jessica, funny that he picked 'mold' to describe it (there is probably some in there but fungi are part of the soil food web anyway). One of the best types of compost is from slow decomposition of leaves, which takes a couple years but makes a fabulous fluffy compost called leaf mold (or mould if you're British). Very old manure can be similar. I once excavated a foot-thick deposit of very old manure compost next to a barn. It came out in bricks almost like peat moss. Great stuff for your soil. |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| My Dads old barn was never cleaned out. I bought his home and land last year. The cows only went in for shelter or when he put one up to feed it grain before slaughter. He stopped raising cows about 12 years ago. I dug up some of the dried out, rock hard dirt/compost and put it around a few of my tomatoes, they were a lot more healthy than the others. I'm thinking about renting a jack-hammer so that I can get the rest of it out! |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Gesh a jack hammer what is it 100year old LOLOL!! Well mine isn't hard at all its still loose... :) |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Sounds like it's incredibly dry and needs to be hydrated. You could just spray water on it every day until it gets soft enough to dig. |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Wertach- did the manure fossilized (hehe) jk |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| "Sounds like it's incredibly dry and needs to be hydrated." Yep, it hasn't had a drop of liquid on it since Dad stopped raising cows, unless he peed on it. ;) And I'm sure the cows compacted it too. The problem with wetting it is that I would have to haul the water or buy about 1,000 foot of water pipe! I've thought about putting some rain barrels under the eves and collecting the water. PS, I haven't found any fossils Jessica! |
RE: Very old Manure.. Is it good?
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| Hmmm. Sounds like you need a Bobcat, or a backhoe! |
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