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composting with horse manure
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Posted by
char35 zone9 Houston (
My Page) on
Sun, Nov 15, 09 at 11:08
A friend gave me access to her composted horse manure. I dug several 33 gal plastic bags up to take home. Wow! I think you could have baked potatoes in the bottom of the compost!!
Do I put it in the beds from the bag or should I mix it with something before putting it in the beds? From prior reads, I gather I should not put it on to heavily and keep it away from plant bases and tree trunks.
Thanks for any advice! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by pt03 3 Southern Manitoba (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 15, 09 at 19:22
| If it's hot, it ain't done yet. What exactly are you using it for? Lloyd |
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by char35 Zone 9 Houston (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 15, 09 at 22:12
Lloyd,
I'm planning on adding it to my existing top soil in my flower beds. They have become somewhat compacted over the years and I thought if I could work it into the existing soil it would lighten it up and add nutrients that have leached out over the years. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by char35 zone 9 Houston (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 0:45
| Since posting my response to Lloyds question, I realized he might be inquiring about whether I was applying the manure to "edible plants". No, I'm wanting to add it to flower beds. What I dug up that was hot, probably had been there at least 9 months. She did say they had not had a chance to turn it in a while. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by pt03 3 Southern Manitoba (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 6:44
| I'm not a gardener Char so my opinion is just that. I won't allow my compost to leave the farm hot. There is just too great a chance a customer might just harm a plant and then blame me for it. So in my opinion unless the manure/compost is being tilled or mixed into the soil and allowed to sit for a few months after that, I wouldn't do it. Having said that, a thin layer over the top in all likelihood isn't going to do a great deal of harm. I should have asked, does it still have a strong manure smell? Lloyd |
RE: composting with horse manure
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| All animal mnaures should be properly composted before being put on any planting bed whether that bed grows flowers or vegetables because that is the best way to stabilize the nutrients in the manure, as well aid in reducing your potential exposure to disease pathogens that exist in all manures. That distinctive odor manures have is nutrients being lost to the atmosphere. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by char35 zone 9 Houston (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 12:16
| Regarding the smell. The is no smell. If there is any smell I'd have to say it is the smell of clean soil. It is light and loam like when handled. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by pt03 3 Southern Manitoba (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 12:31
| Well you could do the bag test or the germination test but after re-reading your OP and considering the small amount you have, I think your original plan is fine. Lloyd P.S. I did one of the cardinal sins on a forum, I mis-read your OP. In my mind I was picturing 33 bags. Sorry. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by char35 zone9 Houston (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 13:07
33 bags!!! I don't think that my old back could have shoveled that much!! I think I will mix is 50/50 with some good top soil, apply 3 inches to my existing soil and work it in . I thank all of you for helping to educate me on compost. Between yours and other treads I've learned a lot.
char |
RE: composting with horse manure
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| I've read that horse manure must be a few years old before it is ready to add to the soil in your garden or flower beds. I'd do some reading up on it before using, if it is less than a year old. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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Those that tell you that horse manure must be a few years old before being used are wrong. Properly composted animal manures can be used within 6 months, maybe less.
Many people are very concerned about the "weed" seeds that are often in animal manures but I would be more concerned with the potential disease pathogens they have. Fresh manure should not be applied to garden soil growing edible plants within 90 to 120 days of harvest. Fresh manure has no suggested restrictions for use in flower beds but common sense should tell you that digging in the flower bed and getting that manure on your hands could pose a threat to your health. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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| A few years old would be crazy! I use it at about six months and it makes fantastic soil amendment. I use a lot of it in my gardens, since I have four horses and they poop a lot! |
RE: composting with horse manure
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You could make compost tea out of it and apply...its really-really good for the plants.
If there is so much controversy on using horse manure (whether it is composted or still hot and in proccess of composting) then, why not create new raised veggie bed (for next year) and apply the compost there. That way it gets aged and thoroughly composted so that it won't damage any existing plants. just 2 cents.... |
RE: composting with horse manure
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- Posted by jolj 7b/8a-S.C.,USA (My Page) on
Fri, Jun 24, 11 at 23:13
barbara I have been told the same thing.
Some people thing the pathogens will climb up your leg & bite you.
When I tell these persons that a brother put a side dress of green manure(3-10 days old) around his tomatoes, they freaked.
I do NOT use green manures, to easy to HOT compost & kill pathogens or weed seeds.
Unlike most, I can cook off a manure biased compost pile year ( slow in cold months)around. |
RE: composting with horse manure
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A green manure is a plant crop grown to provide a source of nutrients. It is not very likely that a green manure crop, cut and used as a mulch, would have disease pathogens that would infect humans. Fresh animal manures have that potential and the problem is not that a disease pathogen might climb your leg and bite you because that is not how you get those disease pathogens.
Many people think the concerns about these potential disease are overblown, but the Center for Disease Control thinks there should be more concern and thinks the prevelance of these diseases is not reported enough. They do believe that more people have one of these diseases then gets reported because 1) for many people it does not last very long ( 24 to 72 hours), 2) many people do not know the signs and symptoms and think they have the "flu", 3) too few doctors that do see someone with one of these diseases bother to test for it so the real problem goes undiagnosed, and 4) testing a stool sample is fairlly expensive so it is not routinely done.
Knowledge is power and knowing what you need to know is often helpful. |
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