Manure

[hopeful vegigrower]

I've read that well rotted manure is good for conditioning your soil, but can it be any farmyard manure or does it have to be horse stuff?  We have a friendly cattle farmer close by and could get ours from there if we can use it.

[hopeful vegigrower]

[Tee Gee]

I always use cow manure as it all I can get generally, usually I pay around £20 a load (large farm trailer)

[Fork]

I believe cow "muck" is "cleaner" and that the horsey stuff contains more seeds,but dont quote me on that  :)

Although I can get horse muck free I prtefare to buy the cow.It costs us £15 a trailer load.

[hopeful vegigrower]

Thanks for that.   :) 

[Si D]

I would hazzard a guess that you won't be able to acquire manure until the current F&M crisis is over  :(

[SMP1704]

Hopeful doesn't say where he/she is but unless in Guildford area of Surrey should be OK.  I understand that restrictions on animal movements have been lifted in the rest of the country?

I don't have access to a ready supply of either manure :'( but here's a townie question...........

I thought that gardeners tended to use hose poo as it was easier to handle, whereas cow poo is a bit more gloopy - or does that all change once well rotted?

[hopeful vegigrower]

Went to see the farmer yesterday and what he showed us was quite fresh but dry poo, no smell and not a bit unpleasant, which surprised me.  He reckoned it would be ok to use even though not well rotted.   Any opinions on this? 

We're in Lancs btw.

[Tee Gee]

cow poo is a bit more gloopy

I see where you are going with your question but the stuff I get is a mixture of straw/silage plus dung out of the milking sheds, not the stuff straight from under the cows tail ::)

This is cleaned up periodically and stored in large compost heaps to ferment/rot down.

With the farmer I deal with this mixture can be up to a year old by the time I get it, but certainly not younger than six months ( he has two heaps on the go)

Re- the reply regarding weeds from horse muck I totally agree with that opinion.

Having said that have you ever, you people who use cow muck, noticed how many meadowland weeds develop on the plot, and yet you are miles from any fields? Things such as creeping buttercup, sow nettle, fat hen to name but a few.

[Eristic]

It is important to understand the difference between cattle manure and horse manure. If I had the choice, I would use cattle manure which is far stronger but needs treating with respect. Living in the City, my only readily available sources of manure is from riding stables and as a free resource should not be turned down.

Horse manure is by nature far drier than that of cattle and is also lighter and easier to bag up and cart away. Horse manure can be used fresh without any adverse side affects, and can be used in great quantities as soil conditioner either dug in or top dressed.

At the end of the day, you have to use what is available locally and at economic cost.

[caroline7758]

Horse manure can be used fresh without any adverse side affects,

Any exceptions to this? I got about 10 bags last weekend and was planning to leave them to rot down, but if I can just tip them on to the plot, that would be great!

[Eristic]

Seedlings may get suffocated but any perennials or Strong growing plants will love it. Any heat in the pile will dissipate within minutes of being spread out. If left to cook in a builders bag for 5-6 weeks you get a better looking texture.

[Fork]

If placed around growing plants, fresh manures will scorch the plants.

Fresh horse manure can also contain chemicals used to worm horses. These chemicals are broken down during the composting process.

[Eristic]

Maybe I should bow to the voice of all knowledge and experience, but before I do perhaps Fork would be good enough to tell us all how many tons of fresh horse manure he or she has spread around plants this year. I very much doubt it is anywhere near the amount that I use.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Any decaying matter can kill veg, as the rot can spread into the stems. it's just a question of taking care; some veg are far tougher in this respect than others.