Topic: fresh cow manure

[Garjan]

Yesterday my manure was delivered. I wheelbarrowed 3 cubic metres of the stuff and spread it over my garden. Then my neighbour told me it was cow manure, not horse as I thought is was.

With horse manure I leave it on top of the soil, working it in when I want to plant something. Can I do that with cow manure as well?
I feel really stupid as I know that you have to wait a year before using cow manure. What happens if you do use it fresh?
My soil was loamy and very good, I hope I didn't spoil it.
I'd be grateful for any advice, even if it means I have to get it all off (please say there is no need).

[OllieC]

Personally I would do what I do with fresh Horse manure - put it in rows & plant things that like a bit of richness a foot or so away - then leave them to work out how close they want to get. I do this with squashes & am going to try sweetcorn this year the same way...

There's plenty of time for the majority of the Nitrates to wash away... As I'm sure you know, best to avoid most "roots" but certainly no need to panic.

I think.

[supersprout]

Agree, don't panic ;)

I'd leave it be. The goodness will trickle or be dragged by worms into the soil. When it's sowing or planting time in a couple of months, scooch it away from the immediate seed sowing or planting area, leaving in tidy piles around the seeds or plants so the goodness will continue to soak in and weeds will be suppressed. Only exception is root crops like carrot/beet/salsify etc. if you have designated areas for those, you could move the cow poo now, hopefully just a small area.

Saw a tip on another forum - if you find a dried cowpat, smash it into smithereens for potting compost :o

Does anyone know how cow poo is different to pony poo ???

[Tee Gee]

Quote; Does anyone know how cow poo is different to pony poo

Other than texture or should that be viscosity?  No!!

Horse tends to to be 'strawy' in texture where cow is more viscous and is generally mixed with silage/straw bedding.

Although I use cow manure (its the only kind I can get) the only concern I could have is what drugs/feeds the cattle have been on.

I believe milk cattle are innoculated regularly and are fed high protein feed for milk production (tuberculin tested), how much of this comes out as a residue in the faeces and how it can affect humans I don't know.

I have used it for years with no ill effect (that I am aware of  ;) ) perhaps it is leeched away into the soil before my veg root system gets to it, after all I put it in some six months opr so before planting out.

[keef]

I would'nt bother leaving it a year... i never have and not had any problems. But i always dig it in, and miss out the area where i'm going to grow carrots and parsnips.

The only reason I'd condisder leaving it is because of seeds etc.. Do you know what the cows have been fed on - if its mainly silage and not hay then it will be fine to use in my opinion.

I'd always leave horse manure, i dont think many are fed on silage - so there much more chance of seeds appearing..

[kenkew]

Agree, don't panic ;)

I'd leave it be. The goodness will trickle or be dragged by worms into the soil. When it's sowing or planting time in a couple of months, scooch it away from the immediate seed sowing or planting area, leaving in tidy piles around the seeds or plants so the goodness will continue to soak in and weeds will be suppressed. Only exception is root crops like carrot/beet/salsify etc. if you have designated areas for those, you could move the cow poo now, hopefully just a small area.

Saw a tip on another forum - if you find a dried cowpat, smash it into smithereens for potting compost :o

Does anyone know how cow poo is different to pony poo ???

That's what I'd do too.
Bear in mind that horses also have inocculations, not to the same extent, but the gut of these animals sorts out quite a lot of potential problems by the time you get around to the working material. Also, the atmosphere, the soil and the plants themselves have a lot to do with what actually ends up in the finished fruit/veg.
What you will grow will knock spots off your super-market stuff...Don't worry, be happy.

[Palustris]

The research into whether or not the antibiotics etc. given to animals leaches into the soil and thus into the vegetables grown in the soil was carried out by a Company which sells artificial fertilisers! I wonder if they had an axe to grind!
Whenever we have had fresh manure like that we have used it straight away and never had any trouble. It is only a problem to seedlings really.

[Garjan]

Thank you all for your replies! You have been very reassuring.
Luckily I still have some kale and wintercabbages/-caulis growing and I didn't spread the muck on this area. So there will the carrots be sown this year.

I never thought about the medicines they give cows however. There are strict and strongly sanctioned regulations in the Netherlands about those, but I will ask around. Just to be sure.
Thanks again.

[growmore]

You should be OK with it...Cow manure is the coldest of animal manures that we prob use .. So spreading it fresh is a lot less likely to cause problems  than other animal manure we use ...
Here is a chart to show nutrients in  the most common animal manures we use.. As a  rough guide  the higher the nitrogen the hotter the manure and the longer it needs standing

nitrogen (N), phosphoric acid (P) and potash (K)

   Manure        Chicken             Cow             Horse                Sheep
N-P-K           1.1 .80.50         .25 .15 .25     .70 .30 .60        .70.30 .90

Cheers ..Jim

[flytrapman]

Cows have a second stomach so the grass/weed seeds dont germinate. I use both horse and cow manure & prefer the cow manure