Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)

  • 9 Replies
  • 1395 Views
*

bobbyt

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Penarth, Vale of Glam, S.Wales
  • 219
  • Still Learning !
Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« on: October 19, 2021, 16:18 »
I have got some horse manure, see pics, first question, should I just let the bigger pile in the second pic rot down, hopefully by Spring and then distribute it about the plot as required, or spread it out now? The smaller pile I've laid where I am hoping to plant wild flowers next April/May. Should I cover it? I have also laid decent cardboard underneath the piles too.
The ground where they are is quite claggy with clay. I have removed most of the weeds/couch grass there already. Is there any difference in leaving it open to the elements, or covering with black plastic sheet? There is a fair bit of straw with it, it was delivered like that from the stables. Any advice welcome to improve my soil, it's a lot better than it used to be, but it could be a lot better too.
IMG_20211017_123911141.jpg
IMG_20211017_123939890.jpg
« Last Edit: October 19, 2021, 16:20 by bobbyt »

*

Subversive_plot

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Athens, Georgia, USA
  • 2390
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2021, 17:07 »
Hello bobbyt

If the goal is to maximize nitrogen that you incorporate into your soil, the best option is incorporate it into the soil.  Even a coarse turning-over will do. The reason:  Nitrogen at the ground surface can be lost due to ammonia volatilization, especially in higher pH soils. For nitrogen present as nitrate, you can also lose N to the air, due to denitrification.  [Edited to add this later: you won't lose the majority of the nitrogen, as it is bound up in the organic matter (as organic nitrogen), until it is slowly released by bacterial decomposition, and made plant-available. Nitrogen loss occurs from the "plant-available" forms of nitrogen, ammonia and nitrate. Some might be lost with runoff from the manure pile as well.]

If you are less concerned with nitrogen, and more concerned with just improving soil tilth, you can dig the manure in now, or next year.  The benefit to digging in now would be to give the burrowing worms and other soil organisms more time to break down and re-distribute the manure in the soil profile.  I would dig the straw in too (I assume the source of the manure + straw is well known, and there are no herbicide problems).

The black plastic, either directly on the soil or on top of your cardboard, might be helpful in controlling some weeds.  My personal preference is to expose anything I am composting to as much air as possible to encourage aerobic decomposition.

Whichever way you go, your soil will improve with that manure.  The choices are really related to what you want to accomplish with the manure, and how quickly.

Good luck with it!



« Last Edit: October 19, 2021, 20:00 by Subversive_plot »
"Somewhere between right and wrong, there is a garden. I will meet you there."~ Rumi

*

Goosegirl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Caton, Lancaster.
  • 8939
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2021, 12:15 »
I agree with sp but want to add that you shouldn't put it on your wild flower meadow area as they do better on poor soils. If you need extra drainage there then  dig in some grit and sharp sand (not builder's sand) and possibly gardening lime if your soil is acidic as that will have an instant effect on the soil rather than adding gypsum which takes a while to act. 
I work very hard so don't expect me to think as well.

*

bobbyt

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Penarth, Vale of Glam, S.Wales
  • 219
  • Still Learning !
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2021, 15:46 »
Thanks for the helpful replies SP and GG. GG - I will bear that in mind, I'll move the manure somewhere else and  follow your advice  :). I did read that somewhere about wild flowers, and then totally forgot!  ::) .

*

rowlandwells

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: northamptonshire
  • 3150
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2021, 17:54 »
we have been using horse manure for several years now we tend to spread some on e raised beds that has been left for twelve months and some fresh on ground that will be  ploughed in to overwinter we never put any manure on our potato ground or where we intend to sow parsnips and carrots apart from that no probs

*

bobbyt

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Penarth, Vale of Glam, S.Wales
  • 219
  • Still Learning !
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2021, 12:32 »
GG - I have moved the manure now onto part of the plot where I had wild flowers - well a lot of weeds too, which I am now going to use to grow veg crops.
I've just covered the new wild flower area in plastic now to stop the prevalent weeds reappearing - hopefully. It has been previously dug over, and weeds removed, as far as I could, there was a lot of bindweed there previously and couch grass. It is about neutral ph, which is good I understand for this.

RW - it should be ok to put rotted manure/straw (ie over 9 months old) on veg patch where potatoes and root veg go shouldn't it?

*

Subversive_plot

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Athens, Georgia, USA
  • 2390
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2021, 13:53 »
Advice on manure use on potatoes may be found here:  https://www.gardeningchannel.com/potatoes-manure/

*

rowlandwells

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: northamptonshire
  • 3150
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2021, 14:32 »
Hi S/P we have put horse manure on our potato plot given that its well rotted and it seemed to keep the soil open never had any probs when we lifted the potato crops

*

rowlandwells

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: northamptonshire
  • 3150
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2021, 16:16 »
 I forgot to mention S/P your horse manure wherever you get it from it mite be a good idea to check to see if the grass feed they give to the horses is  sprayed with a weed killer prior to cutting for hay but as you say its well rotted it should be OK anyway if its been sprayed with any weed killers its best left for some time to well rot say twelve months or a little longer

I'm sure others on this site will agree with what I'm saying if they use horse manure

*

Subversive_plot

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Athens, Georgia, USA
  • 2390
Re: Allotment Soil Improvement (Fresh Horse Manure)
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2021, 17:24 »
I agree Rowland.
As indicated in that link, they advise either composting at high temperature, or overwintering (equal to well-rotted, as you say, IMO).  Same with the advice on herbicides; I assumed in my first post that bobbyt already knows whether or not there are herbicide problems, since the manure was delivered directly from the stables.



xx
Fresh horse manure

Started by snow white on Grow Your Own

8 Replies
5290 Views
Last post August 20, 2014, 21:46
by salmonking
xx
Can I dig in fresh horse manure?

Started by lizziesdad on Grow Your Own

17 Replies
35283 Views
Last post September 16, 2019, 16:04
by snowdrops
xx
Fresh horse manure

Started by grumpaflump on Grow Your Own

4 Replies
3881 Views
Last post July 30, 2016, 20:54
by ilan
xx
Fresh'ish horse manure

Started by ThatsNice on Grow Your Own

22 Replies
10576 Views
Last post February 05, 2013, 16:58
by conteasy
 

Page created in 0.333 seconds with 48 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |