Hello everyone...I have a guy that will give me free horse manure for my new garden...I was going to use cow manure...is horse manure as good ???...I also heard that you should not use "green" or "fresh" manure...does it have to age ???...how will I know if is ok to use ???......Thanks for your help
PLEASE HELP!!! 2nd Question about horse manure I have a friend who will give me free horse manure...I was going to use cow manure...is the horse manure better...I just cleared an area last week for our garden and I am going to till in top soil this week...I read that you should not use "green" manure...can I use the manure this year or should I pile it up and use it next year ???...will it be ok to put the manure down and then put the top soil over it and till it in ???...and what about weeds...will using horse manure make the garden full of weeds ???...Thanks for your help
Ok here's my answer to your question. I am no expert, but I use horse manure ALL the time. The horses are eating alfalfa and not bermuda. If they were eating bermuda I wouldn't use it. The bermuda would be a nightmare as far as the weeds go. I have no trouble at all with the alfalfa manure. My sons were the first to use the horse manure. I gasped but said nothing because at least they were doing the digging and planting for me. I too thought the horse manure would be too "hot" or high in nitrogen. This planting was done last spring by the way. The plants did "ok" all summer and winter, but not anything to write about. UNTIL THIS SPRING!!! Oh my goodness! Everything has gone wild with growth. Roses are blooming like crazy! My Lady Banks Rose and Potatoe Vine are as green as they can be.....with flowers and more flowers. The palms they planted are thriving even though the tips of the fronds were damaged slightly by winter freezes. The Hibiscus, Yucca, Dwarf Plumabago, Bower vines and all the deer grasses they planted in my "tropical" corner are lovely. I had to actually pull 3 grasses out because they grew to 5 ft in height which was way too tall! My potatoe plants are 4 ft. tall and covered with purple flowers. The leaves are a deep dark lush green. hibiscus bloomed all summer long last year and are just starting to bust loose with blooms now. (freeze set them back also) And last but not least....and this one scared me the most.....the peach, apple, grapefruit, lemon, Fan tex ash , and Arizona ash they planted are covered with fruit and leaves. The citrus are not doing as well as the others but they were transplanted from a yard that was nothing but sand and I think the whole ordeal threw them into shock. Still they flowered and have "baby" fruit. My conclusion to your question....use the manure as long as it's not bermuda. I have subsequently been planting everything now with a light mixture of the horse manure. This is what I do now and this is what my son's did. They dig the hole placing the dirt in the wheelbarrow. They add soil conditioner or ammendment or composted mulch about 1/3 to 1/2, and then about 1/4 of the manure. Mix it all up and throw it back in the hole and water it to get it to settle. Plant and throw the rest of the mixture in accordingly. I use manure that's as composted as possible, but have used the fresh stuff as well and had no problems. I don't use much but enough to put nutrients into the soil. It works very well for me. But I live in Arizona where it's hot and dry and there is not much nutrient in our soil. Our soil has a lot of clay or caliche...ususally one or the other. It needs all the help it can get. As for a vegetable garden....I don't know what to tell you. Haven't tried that, but it sure works well with everything I've planted thus far. I haven't lost a single plant from the manure. The freeze we had hurt my plumbagos and my bougainvilleas. They are just now coming back but took a good hit. Let me now what you decide to do!
The main reason for composting horse manure and letting it heat up and age is to destroy the weed seeds. You should find these sites helpful. http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/ecogardening/guidenutval.html http://gardening.wsu.edu/stewardship/compost/manure/manure0.htm Newt
