Can I dig in fresh horse manure?

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lizziesdad

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Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« on: January 03, 2011, 17:06 »
I am a new allotment holder. Recently a large amount of fresh horse manure was delivered to our allotments and we were told to help ourselves. As my (new) allotment is / was in a neglected state I took some of the manure and put it in a pile ready to dig in when I have finished all the necessary clearing / digging. I have been advised by two seasoned allotment holders that:
a  the manure should be left to rot for a year as it 'is not rotted enough'
b   I should not pile it directly on the soil as the manure will draw all the nutrients out of the soil
Are these comments true?
Thanks lizziesdad
PS it is horse manure from the local police horses

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TheSpartacat

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2011, 17:14 »
Yeah, their advice sounds good, but i think a year is a bit longer than i'd expect for manure to rot down. We got some pretty fresh stuff delivered in the summer and it had rotted in the warmth after about 3 months or so?

The only thing i'm aware of that don't mind growing on fairly fresh manure is potatoes!!

(and maybe pumpkin, because I've heard of people growing them on their compost heap.... though perhaps one of our pumpkin experts could clarify on that?)


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fatbelly

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2011, 17:24 »
b   I should not pile it directly on the soil as the manure will draw all the nutrients out of the soil
Are these comments true?

I don't think that Manure placed on the soil would draw nutrients out.

I stacked some cow manure on my plot three months ago and whilst it is not rotted down it has halved in size from the time when I stacked it, and I am expecting it to be rotted enough to put with my spuds when I plant them in late March early April.

For me the very best soil conditioner / feeder is compost out of the compost bin, this stuff is gold and has far more nutrients than manure. So get yourself a Compost Dalek and start filling it with all your kitchen peelings and tea bags etc.
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peapod

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2011, 17:54 »
I put fresh manure on my beds last growing season (in the autumn), and it was rotted enough to dig in then plant in with no ill effects in March, so I'm doing the same this year.
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Yorkie

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2011, 18:07 »
The decomposing process uses nitrogen to break organic matter down, and will therefore draw nutrients from the soil in doing so, hence the reason for their comment #2.

The tutor at the local horticultural college always says manure is best left for 12 months to rot down before adding it to the soil.  If too fresh it runs the risk of burning new fresh growth.  It's unlikely that you will have much fresh growth at this time of year but, equally, decomposition is going to be very slow at this time of year too.

I would follow their advice, personally.
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Squibbs

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2011, 22:31 »
We all have a good source of nitrogen readily available - fortunately my manure is in a polytunnel which while letting light in tends to blur the inner contents!
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herbiegrowsbananas

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2011, 06:44 »
Hiya

You could always create a hot bed. We got two new raised beds last year and filled the lower half in with fresh manure and filled the top half with well rotted manure and grew some wonderful courgettes in it  :) .

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troutrunner

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2011, 09:36 »
While on the manure subject I have a question, I have a muck heap that was started over 20years ago, originally it was 4/5 foot tall but over the years has reduced to about 18inches. When I dig it out from the back (the side it was started from) it's very much like peat, I used it 2 years ago when I first started and the beans and marrows did fantastic.
   Now the question is this years I want to grow lots of various veg, (didn't grow any last year, badboy) is it OK for everything.
   Just to say how I dug it in was to double dig and put the 20year old manure in the lower part of the trench.

The compositionof the heap was from sheep, cows, chickens ducks and all.
Paul

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JayG

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2011, 15:17 »
While on the manure subject I have a question, I have a muck heap that was started over 20years ago, originally it was 4/5 foot tall but over the years has reduced to about 18inches. When I dig it out from the back (the side it was started from) it's very much like peat, I used it 2 years ago when I first started and the beans and marrows did fantastic.
   Now the question is this years I want to grow lots of various veg, (didn't grow any last year, badboy) is it OK for everything.

Sounds like some good stuff you've got there, although after all that time most of its nutrients have probably been leached out unless it has been permanently covered.

Great for improving the structure of all soils, particularly when it comes to water retention as you have already proved with your beans and marrows.
Whether it will also provide enough nutrients will mainly depend on the natural fertility of your soil (it wouldn't be enough on its own in sandy soils like mine, IMO.)
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CHRISDONOHUE

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2011, 16:00 »
Notwithstanding similar advice from books as you have received, I used on 50% each of the rows of potatoes on an organic allotment, a mulch of grass cuttings and a mulch of fresh horse manure.   The horse manure won hands down and produced larger plants and a heavier crop.   I think that the effect of nitrogen depletion (which is why we compost waste instead of immediately digging it in) is offset by the nitrogen content of manure itself and the urine deposits it also contains.

In similar vein, I have yet to find a book which advocates putting fresh couch grass on a compost heap.   Trust me, despite all the books' advice, my heap rots it down beautifully.

My advice is to use it as a mulch as soon as you have appropriate crops to benefit from it.   You will gain by having the earlier benefit of enhanced soil and better crops.

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Teddyb

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2019, 09:52 »
Hi there

Allotment newbie here. I've had my allotment for a year now and have been doing some reading about horse manure and I have to say I'm confused. So many opinions, right or wrong, fresh vs matured.

I've got a supply of manure and its currently spread over an unused patch of the plot. Now what, leave it to rot more or use my rotavator and dig it in to the soil?

Any advice is helpful. Thanks

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Potterer

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #11 on: September 14, 2019, 06:54 »
Hi Teddyb. You dont say if your manure is already rotted or fresh? I use well rotted manure just laid on the top of my raised beds each year as part of a a ‘no dig’ strategy. You can look up no dig or Charles Downing to find out more about this. I find this keeps the weeds down well and have had fantastic veg!

If your manure isn’t well rotted, I believe you could do the same (i.e. leave it on the top of the soil) and the worms will mix things up for you. If its thick enough it can suppress any weeds for you so it also has the benefit of clearing an area of plot for you. TBH for that purpose I would have put overlapping cardboard down under the manure first as it would block light and kill off any nasty perennial weeds better. I still think it will be beneficial though. Good luck

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theothermarg

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2019, 09:19 »
Can I add that I spread a not completely rotted manure to my plot last year and regretted it.  It wasn't fresh enough to smell but lumps were still visible so thought that overwintering it on 2 of my beds would be fine.
Had a invasion of flea beetles on the small brassica's and the beans didn't take very well but this could be put down to other conditions but what I did notice was the invasion of meadow weeds it must have brought in as it didn't get hot enough to destroy them.
As has been said put it in  compost bin to finish rotting   
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snowdrops

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2019, 13:37 »
Hi Teddyb. You dont say if your manure is already rotted or fresh? I use well rotted manure just laid on the top of my raised beds each year as part of a a ‘no dig’ strategy. You can look up no dig or Charles Downing to find out more about this. I find this keeps the weeds down well and have had fantastic veg!

If your manure isn’t well rotted, I believe you could do the same (i.e. leave it on the top of the soil) and the worms will mix things up for you. If its thick enough it can suppress any weeds for you so it also has the benefit of clearing an area of plot for you. TBH for that purpose I would have put overlapping cardboard down under the manure first as it would block light and kill off any nasty perennial weeds better. I still think it will be beneficial though. Good luck

Hi Teddyb says it’s fresh manure in the question title! :)
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Potterer

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Re: Can I dig in fresh horse manure?
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2019, 19:11 »
Oh yes snowdrops, indeed it does! Apologies I managed not to see that!



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