Horse manure loads but

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cc

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Horse manure loads but
« on: October 26, 2020, 13:07 »
From the stables. Loads of straw wood shavings. can I just place it on top of the soil and let it rot down. Any other ideas. Doesn't look to be heavy on actual horse poo.
IMG_20201026_125253_7.jpg

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2020, 13:55 »
Yes you can.  Every year we cover our allotment with manure and stable straw.  The worms take a lot of it into the soil over winter and the soil fertility on our plot is very good. 

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rowlandwells

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2020, 16:35 »
I've been collecting loads of horse poo for several years now we tend to either spread it on the ground to overwinter in the autumn then plough it in or spread it over the ploughing for the worms to pull it in we also stack some loads in a heap  for using at a later date when its well rotted on our raised beds

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CHRISDONOHUE

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2020, 01:13 »
In general, horse manure with straw is preferable to that with wood shavings.   It rots down faster and is likely to lose less nutrients in doing so.   Although either can be used beneficially as a mulch at any time of the year, it is more beneficial (particularly at this time of year) to stack it up to rot down for 6 months or so and then dig it in under plants as you transplant them.   The increase in quality by so doing is easily visible and the soil under which you stack them will also greatly improve.

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cc

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2020, 07:39 »
Thanks all

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jambop

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2020, 12:00 »
Each to their own but I would most definitely be composting that over the winter with a view to getting it on the ground in the spring ... far too much wood shavings in that for my liking.

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mumofstig

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2020, 14:57 »
I'm just wondering what's the difference between putting it on the beds now to rot down, and leaving it in a pile to rot down and putting it on in Spring?
I would have thought it better to put in place now, so that the worms in the bed can get to work on it and any leaching would be into into the soil there, rather than below the compost heap?

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rowlandwells

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2020, 15:02 »
i have to agree with you Jamop wood shavings are not an ideal mixed  with horse poo your absolutely rite to many wood shavings your well rotted policy makes good sense hence that's why we stack our horse manure most of the time around twelve months or more   unless we spread the horse manure over the ground to stand all winter till spring cultivation

having said all that our horse manure hasn't any wood shavings in it only straw

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snowdrops

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2020, 19:13 »
I tend to agree with keeping it in the pile to rot down as it will rot faster in a heap unless of course there’s enough to pile it high on your beds  :)
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jambop

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2020, 20:05 »
I think if you get it into a half decent composter the reaction will go at a far greater rate than in the open in a thin layer over winter. It is a sort of biological reaction that does better with heat. I really do doubt that worms are going to feed on some of the wood shavings in that pile. I think there may also be more goodness left in the completed compost than what would be gained from spreading it on the surface... but as I say each to their own method

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CHRISDONOHUE

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2020, 19:38 »
mumofstig raises an interesting question which is rarely if ever explained in gardening books: why is well-rotted manure better than fresh manure used as a mulch?
1.  composting is preferable because it avoids nitrogen loss from the soil in rotting
2.  stacking manure in a heap encourages specialist workers: the red brandling worms you can see and other creatures you cannot rather than worms and other creatures normally found in soil
3.  the heat generated by a stack kills weed seeds found in manure
4.  using well-rotted enables it to be targeted to the most advantageous places for growth, eg under e roots of transplanted brassicas
5.  there have been centuries of gardening expertise from times when many worked on the land and practical experience was passed on by gardeners and experiment to compare different methods was easily accomplished
6.  the almost unanimous advice of expert gardeners is to use well-rotted manure including a well-known organic gardener who says "all animal manures should always be well composted first"
7.  the smaller particle size of well-rotted enables faster incorporation into the soil and use by plants.

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2020, 23:11 »
I really do doubt that worms are going to feed on some of the wood shavings in that pile.

Worms don’t like wood chip much.  Too much wood resin in it and it takes a long time to rot down.  Straw and manure spread in a thick layer over winter keeps the soil a little warmer which keeps the worms nearer the surface to do their work.  You can either plant through the remaining straw in spring time and leave it to suppress weeds or rake it up and use it as browns in the compost heap.   It works well for us in sunny Kent (which often has very cold wet winters).

Composted manure is good during the growing season for a mulch as fresh manure can burn tender plants because of the ammonia it produces.

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rowlandwells

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2020, 09:26 »
i couldn't agree with you more Aunty we usually as i said in my replies do two things spread it overwinter or stack it last year we spread horse manure that was mainly straw on the allotments and then cultivated the ground straw and all and yes the straw seemed to keep the weeds at bay and the ground open so your absolutely rite what your saying in you reply

and I've also never seen a gardener put fresh manure on his beds the old method was and still is stack the fresh manure and use it when its well rotted  :D

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Aunt Sally

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2020, 13:37 »
Of course I’m right, me dear... been dooin’ it for near 300 years  :nowink:

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rowlandwells

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Re: Horse manure loads but
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2020, 18:33 »
nothing like blowing your own trumpet A" :lol: :lol:



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