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poughkeepsie New York

I have a 900 square foot patch, is there anything wrong with adding 1-2 yards of fresh horse manure 7-8 weeks before planting.

3/12/2004 5:40:23 PM

Jaffrey NH

Fresh horse manure might be a problem.

3/12/2004 5:51:01 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

see Alun Jones diary for adding green manure dug into a deep pit for early warming of the soil...looked good to me. But leaving it on top might be to "hot" to start with.
chuck

3/12/2004 6:15:33 PM

Wichita, KS

I also have access to well aged (3 years) horse manure, several yards. I have been hesitant to put it in my patch (which is in severe need of nitrogen and organic matter)because I heard that horse manure is very high in salts. I suspect this is due to what the horses have been fed. The horses I can get manure from have been fed lots of alfalfa, and and 10 acres of whatever.

So the question remains... should bell and I use horse manure, or not?

Toby

3/12/2004 9:19:32 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Toby...I use it exclusively, 1-2 yrs aged, and no salt probs

3/12/2004 9:28:04 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

well aged should have leached the salts by now.

3/13/2004 4:58:42 AM

Wichita, KS

This is some of the best news I have heard all winter. I have two friends that stable horses... nearly unlimited supply! Thanks for the help!
Toby

3/13/2004 11:46:10 AM

Jaffrey NH

with the stable horses watch out for all the chippings that are in with it. They need to compost a little bit. My maure had wood chips in it and is still not looking like it has composted. Good luck.

Douglas

3/13/2004 12:03:52 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Toby...if you are still worried about salts, add plenty of gypsum, good for calcium and will leach those salts out for ya'. I like the consistency horse manure creates in my soil so that's why I use it, a bit more nutrients than cow also.

3/13/2004 12:06:26 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Douglas is right...I get large piles and let 'em sit for 1-2 years before using. New piles each year....course I found a killer source of compost so I'll be phasing manure out.

3/13/2004 12:08:40 PM

Cincinnati,OH

I just read the article about manure in the How to section, very informative.

3/13/2004 2:51:58 PM

Montoursville, PA

I use any manure I can get free. That's the best for sure. Given the choice I like to mix it up...a little of this a and a little of that.

The new goes into compost. The old goes on the patch. If doing a Spring addition I insist that it be two three years old.

3/13/2004 5:09:39 PM

Taber, Alberta

So am I in trouble because I tilled in about 4 inches of fresh horse manure in the fall?
Alan

3/14/2004 2:07:28 AM

Montoursville, PA

No you are not in trouble or should not be with the winter to mellow out the fresh manure additions. The Pennsylvania Dutch and other natural fertilizer users have been putting it out as late as early March year after year. They do it then because other farm chores are far less involved, the ground is frozen and will not be compacted by delivery wagons and horses or tractors and the remaining freezing cold nights may wipe out some pathegons and bad guys from the manures.

Fall delivery simply give the ultimate time for new additions to mellow and become a part of the soil that is charged up and full of life. PH adjustments absolutely should be made in the fall because it changes slowly.

Ideally you should limit spring additives to the very minimum and they should be friendly almost fully composted elements. Your soil additions should include fish, kelp and molasses as a minimum to fire up your living contents of the soil.

3/14/2004 9:40:14 AM

Roanoke Il

I would have to agree with doc just don't work tha manure into the soil for about a week or two and you will be alright. The problem with fresh manure is if you work it into the soil to soon. mark

3/14/2004 10:07:25 AM

Roanoke Il

I would also like to say It is alright to add fresh manure as long as you don't work it into the soil up to two weeks before planting by letting it sit on top of the soil for a two weeks you leach the nitergen out which burns plants. The reason may want to compost any manure is to kill the weed seeds. Its a double edged sword buy compost you loose the levels of the major nutrents. But on the other hand more weeds to deal with during the season. So if your patch needs a big boost you may not want to compost it for a year or two. Hope this helps mark

3/14/2004 10:22:14 AM

ipswich, ma usa

How about adding composted cow manure in the spring? Any real downsides to this?

John (5150)

3/15/2004 10:26:48 AM

Montoursville, PA

John..........Unless your soil test would indicate that you are already grossly overloaded from placement of additives last fall I can see no reason why you would not benefit from Spring additions. Early as is possible! Take a soil test now. That will help with advisement following a test next fall. Do this before you place the new manures.

I would, if it were my additions going in, add a jolt of fish, kelp and molasses to help fire up the bacteria and get the process of digestion or conversion to humates started nicely. Two ounces of each in two gallons of water and applied to one thousand square feet of patch. Three applications two weeks apart watered in following application. Lightly tilled in each time if possible.

3/15/2004 10:56:24 AM