[brianc]

I have access to some horse manure but I have been told that I will get a lot of weeds because apparently horses can't digest seeds. Is this true

[tangojulie]

I guess it depends what the horses have been eating and where the manure has been stored. I get loads from a friend who feeds her horses on some kind of special organic horse pellets and poo picks their field every day, piling the manure in a big heap in the corner. It's wonderful stuff and the only time I've had anything approaching a weed problem was when I scraped right down to the bottom of the pile and took some of the underlying soil. I use loads of it without any problems.

[brianc]

Thankyou for your quick reply. The manure that I can get is what is cleaned out of the stable and is full of wood chips. Spreading this mix on the plot will be a waste of time do you agree. What a nice topic at teatime.

[DD.]

Leave it to rot for at least a year and you must be sure that herbicide has not been used on the hay for the horses.

[3759allen]

from what i gather manure with wood shavings and chips will just take longer to break down, i got some a year ago with lots of sawdust and thats only taken a year to fully break down.

i was under the impression that the high heat thats generated inside the heap and lack of light should kill the seeds and / or make them not germinate.

i've spread this manure on the plot now so i will find out in the spring.

[gavinjconway]

Brianc - I use it exactly as you are talking about... I grew over half a tonne of veg last season so it does work. I layer it on 3-4" thick, dig it in then before planting out I add some fertilizer and fork it in... Ive done it for years on flower garden, my rooftop garden, garden shares and at my allotment.

I have a few patches of grains sprouting out now and again but no real problems with the seeds in the manure.

[rainie]

If a horse is fed too much grain, the excess will pass through the horse I digested. This doesn't really happen very often as it is obviously false economy. I wouldn't worry too much about too many weeds. If the muck you are putting onto your land has visible grain in it, then yes this will grow, but to be honest I don't think it's going to be much.

My pony is eats grass and hay and I don't get grass seeds growing or thistles. I tend to put the muck straight into the ground rather than a muck heap and it doesn't get hot. I occasionally get a splurge of nettle but the first pull of this and it doesnt return. I never know if it's just a few seeds blown over from the nettles I leave for the ladybirds.

[alexroyall85]

Hi

I have used horse muck the same as what you are describing. I let it rot down for a year and it all seems fine. I have never had a problem with weeds popping up from seeds within the muck. I guess the longer that you can leave it to break down the better it will be. Hope this helps