Another horse manure question

[Southern Gardener]

I just got back from getting horse manure from a stable down the road from me. They use sawdust/shavings in the stalls. The pile I got it from was taller than me. I dug down deep and to make sure the stuff was composted. But I'm a little wary of using it. I've heard that shavings don't compost well - and it doesn't look like it has. Should I use it in the garden? Here is what it looks like.

 

[patandchickens]

Yeah, a lot of horse barns produce piles with a WHOLE LOT of shavings in relation to the amount of manure and urine, and then pile them high so they stay real dry inside the pile which slows things down further.

I wouldn't hesitate to use it somewhere that temporary nitrogen deficiency won't be an issue. For instance if there's somewhere you're not going to plant for six weeks or a month, just put it there along with some higher-N amendment(s).

Or you could mix some nitrogen-containing stuff in with it *and dampen well* and give it another month, if you prefer.

If you use droppings boards, the poo you scrape off them (with no bedding in it) is quite high in N; or fresh grass clippings; or even commercial high-nitrogen fertilizers if you don't mind using them.

Actually it is quite possible that if you just use it as is, you may not see much of a problem. It depends a lot on your particular soil though. I haven't even figured out for MY soil exactly when I will/won't see visible signs of N deficiency when I put fine, carbonaceous stuff on/in it; I'm not even going to GUESS for your soil

Dunno if that helps, have fun and good luck,

Pat

 

[Southern Gardener]

Thanks for responding Pat.

I did a soil test yesterday (the $3 from Lowes) and I'm not sure how accurate these things are, but the nitrogen really didn't look like any of the colors on the chart it shows. If I had to guess, I would say read very low. So maybe the shavings are not such a good idea. The phosphorous read very low as did the potash. (sigh) The ph was 7.0.

Unfortunately I don't have nitrogen "stuff" this time of year, just a pile of leaves.

 

[Rosalind]

You're low on all the NPK? Huh. You'd think there would at least be one of the three, you know?

What I would do, and this is just me, take it FWIW: mix a medium-size bag of greensand (slow-release K) and a medium-size bag of rock phosphate (slow release P) into a giant bin/pile of that manure. Mix in liberal amounts of chicken poop (fast release N & P), or, failing that, buy some chicken poop and fishmeal. Add at least one week's worth of woodstove/BBQ ashes (fast release K). Mix the lot together. Spread generously over soil and water in well. Plant a cover crop of, say, clover, to grow now until May-ish. If you have a chicken tractor, once the clover gets nice and green, park the chicken tractor over it for a couple of days.

Then, come May, you'll have some serious tilth. You could plant a penny in that soil and it'd come up a money tree.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Rosalind thanks, BUT I don't have chicken poo, well only as much as 9 hens make. I don't have a woodstove or bbq ashes. I never realized how seriously lacking I am! And I start planting in April. Anyway, I just piled it up next to my compost bin and this summer I'll add it to my grass clippings.

 

[Chiefs Mess]

Now I am confuse, lol
Today I was going to get some horse manure from the nieghbor down the road and spread all over my raised garden beds. Then I was going to till it good. Was going to get sand but that is another story. The dirt I got last year was Contractor Grade Screened Soil. It was not the greatest but the price was right.

Here is my confusion: I will not start planting till end of May or even in June. Will the soil be okay? I figure the manure and the shavings would break down quite a bit in 3-4 months.

Thank you for your input and the help I read on this forum!!!!

 

[Southern Gardener]

Chiefs,

The only reason I'm not going to use mine right now is because I did a soil test and it showed (I think) that the nitrogen was low and all the shavings in the manure. If your manure doesn't have a lot of shavings I'd say use it, especially since you won't plant until May or June.

 

[patandchickens]

Today I was going to get some horse manure from the nieghbor down the road and spread all over my raised garden beds. Then I was going to till it good. <snip> I will not start planting till end of May or even in June. Will the soil be okay? I figure the manure and the shavings would break down quite a bit in 3-4 months.

If you can get older manure, I would do it without hesitation, myself.

If the manure is fresh, I would still probably do it as long as I wasn't going to grow crops that would be real fussed about extra nitrogen.

Good luck, have fun, fling that manure around ,

Pat

 

[momofdrew]

I would add it to my compost pile so it would decompose more before using it...

 

[nightshade]

I agree with momofdrew I would also say that they use boughten shavings not sawdust which compacts quickly. You will want to keep an eye on your acidity levels though if you use compost from sawdust or shavings. It is great for raspberries and blueberries, but other things not so much. You may have to add some lime to it if you are going to use it in a regular veggie or flower garden.