[jezza]

Hello I use to get  Delfan horse manure that came from  Somerset area theres  Woodland horticultural products  down there but can't remember whether its th right company  jezza

[rowlandwells]

years ago many of the old gardeners would say a load of cow manure is worth a king ransom but as time goes on its becoming more difficult to get farm manure delivered either the tractors to big to get in the allotments or its just not worth there time to deliver manure when there busy on other work

so i ask myself what's the alternative green manure liquid feed chemical fertilizer organic fertilizer chicken pellets its never ending so what is the best option? to put back something in the ground that will improve both growing and at the same time feed the soil always  with the idea of what you takeout the ground you should put something back

[jezza]

Hello my grandad use to ask the farmer over the road if he could have a fork full of manure,it was ok delivered on a grey fergie fork 4 barrow fulls it was moved the last lot was a 7 ton fork full the farmer had got a new loader to match his spreader load capacity, guess who had to move that load before we could get out of the front gate    jezza

[Eric44]

Near where I live there is an agricultural college and they have cows, sheep, llamas and alpacas and a great pile of manure about 20 feet high. It's free to anyone who wants it, so that's where mine comes from. The good thing is, not many people take advantage of it and so it just builds up. One end has been there for years and so is well rotted, while the other end is this years' offerings and too fresh. I don't know if it's right but I wonder if the really old stuff may have had the goodness washed out of it after standing in the rain for so long - and we do get a fair bit of rain in Wales. I always take mine from half way down.

[Subversive_plot]

I don't know if it's right but I wonder if the really old stuff may have had the goodness washed out of it after standing in the rain for so long - and we do get a fair bit of rain in Wales. I always take mine from half way down.

The well-rotted end is probably fine too.  Solubility of some of the nitrogen has to do with whether it is more or less aerated, and therefore more or less oxidized.  More oxidized, you will get nitrates and nitrites (soluble, washes easily) or less oxidized (more anaerobic) you will get ammoniacal nitrogen, which tends to be less mobile, washes out less easily.  There is also a lot of nitrogen bound to proteins in the manure (grass eaten by herbivores is about 4% nitrogen, a good bit of that stays in the manure).  A good bit of the phosphorous and potassium probably remains as well.

Getting your manure from half way down may be fine for you.  If you start noticing more live seeds in it, go for the older stuff.

[CHRISDONOHUE]

Generally, straw-based manure is far preferable to wood shavings-based particularly if you are having a large load delivered at some expense.   Fresh manure can safely be used as a mulch even with shavings, but horse manure got now, rotted for six months in a heap and then dug in underneath plant roots is much better.