For best results, horse manure should be given to nitrogen-hungry plants such as corn, potatoes, garlic, and lettuce and it can also be fantastic for boosting your grass lawn. However steer clear of adding horse manure to flowering and fruiting plants such as tomatoes, and peppers.
Manure that is piled and left alone will decompose slowly. This can take three to four months if conditions are ideal. It can take a year or more if the starting material contains a wide carbon:nitrogen ratio (as is the case when manure contains wood chips).
Manure can contain the eggs of strongyles, roundworms and other internal parasites. If it's not properly handled, the eggs (or larvae that hatch from them) can contaminate pastures, feed or water and infect other horses.
Any time between now and March is fine to add horse manure to your beds and borders provided it's well rotted, if it's fresher, you should apply it in autumn and let the winter weather take some of the raw strength out of it before planting.
Horse manure can also be used in throughout the year and needs no special treatment. Just scatter it over your garden area and work it into the soil. It's as simple as that! Horse manure can be a great way to give your garden a boost.
Manure has some potential disadvantages when used as fertilizer. It can contain weed and pest seeds, rodents and other pests, and pathogens such as E. coli. It can also cause pollution if not managed properly, as the manure may flow into the surface or groundwater.
If you are growing crops where the edible portion is in contact with the soil (such as carrots, beets, or potatoes) fresh manure applications should be made at least four months prior to harvest. On other edible crops, fresh manure applications should be made at least three months prior to harvest.
Add a heat source such as the summer sun. Add water to the manure with a hose, or in the rainy season, let nature take its course. Keep the manure moist until it composts to half its mass. Mix with a pitchfork every day, or at least every other day, to speed up the composting process.
Horse manure
Horse manure has a higher nitrogen and nutrient content than cow dung. Moreover, horse waste contains significantly less water than cow manure; therefore, it can include up to twice as much nitrogen when dried. Horse manure requires composting or aging to kill weed seeds, larvae, and pathogens.
You can use manure onsite by spreading it as a fertilizer on an open area, pasture or field. You can also haul manure offsite for fertilizing or composting. Use caution when spreading manure on pastures grazed by horses. Don't spread manure on pastures if there are more than 1 horse per 2 acres.
Ideally, manure should be removed from stalls daily. If allowed to accumulate in stalls, it can attract flies, harbor parasites and pathogens, increase the risk of thrush and other hoof- related problems, and generate offensive odors. Exercise paddocks may need weekly cleaning.
Horse manure has less nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus than chicken but is a great soil improver for ornamental or vegie beds. Other hot manures include those from birds, like geese, ducks, and pigeons.
Blending manure into the top layer of topsoil will help encourage root growth and health because the manure is packed full of nutrients. The main nutrient released is nitrogen which is needed for plants and vegetables to grow in a sustainable manner.
“Composted horse manure is a great source of slow-release soil nutrients for a pasture or garden,” says Caitlin Price Youngquist, PhD, a soil scientist and an area Extension educator for the University of Wyoming, in Worland. All organic matter, including manure and bedding, decomposes eventually.
To improve soil it is usual to apply about 5-10kg (11-22 lbs) per square metre (yard) which is generally about half to one 15L (3gallon) bucketful.
Horse manure is high in nitrogen, way too volatile to put straight onto the garden, so it must be always be composted. Also, the high nitrogen manure is very often mixed with a carbon bedding material, like straw or sawdust, which makes it a ready-made compost mix. Stack it in, adding a little water (if dry) as you go.
Turn your pile over and aerate
As mentioned above, getting air to flow through your pile helps speed up decomposition. In addition to relying on the natural matter to create pockets of air, you can turn your heap over regularly to ensure even decomposition while simultaneously aerating.
(grass grazing animals) such as cows, horses and sheep, llamas, goats together with pets such as rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs, produce nitrogen-rich manure that provides a good source of Greens and can be added as a layer manure layer in a compost bin.
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles. Step 5. Use the compost.
Compost is ready or finished when it looks, feels and smells like rich, dark earth rather than rotting vegetables. In other words, it should be dark brown, crumbly and smell like earth.
Applying too much manure, at the wrong time, or improperly handling it in other ways releases nutrients into the air or into ground or surface waters. Thus, instead of nourishing crops, nutrients become pollutants. Excess nitrogen can leach through soil into groundwater.
Not all manure provides nutrients to plants. As it breaks down, manure containing lots of bedding takes nitrogen from the soil. This reduces the amount of nitrogen available to plants.
Disadvantages of Manure
The manures are reported to provide fewer nutrients to plants, and they are unable to provide high-yielding crops. Manures are slowly absorbed by the plants, and they add a lot of humus to the soil. They are made in fields, so transportation is difficult for manures.