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Post by glen on Mar 2, 2015 11:58:53 GMT -6
I have been given some suggestions concerning the use of horse manure but I wanted to put the subject before the fórum to get other suggestions and advice. I stumbled onto a source of aged horse manure and managed to haul 7 Wheel barrow loads of this stuff to my property and it is just sitting in a pile in my yard. It is dense, chunky black stuff, well aged. I had to break up the pile with a pick mattock to shovel it. Can I use it as a side dressing on my existing plants in the yard. How much should I use? Will it burn my plants? My other plan to is mix it in the garden once I bring in the existing crops. How much should be used per 100 square foot? Etc. I don't want to burn or ruin my soil by over using it. About a month ago I mixed about half a Wheel barrow of this stuff in about 100 square feet of garden space before planting okra and sweet potato slips. That particular garden planting is coming along much faster than the rest of the plantings. Could I have mixed in more than that? I have plenty now. I have been told that cow manure is much better but I have to use what the Lord leaves me so horse manure it is!
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Post by macmex on Mar 3, 2015 9:21:58 GMT -6
If it is well aged (decomposed) I believe you can be pretty liberal in its application. I have three horses, at least a dozen goats, five sheep and a lot of rabbits and chickens. Yet I never get to the point that I think "No more! That's enough!" If you have hard clay soil this rotted manure will really help break it up and improve the tilth. It will work fine as a side dressing. Well, thinking about it, I guess I'd say that you should be careful not to go too too heavy with it when you plant your sweet potatoes. They are one of the few crops which doesn't respond so well to high fertility. Still, I would say that you should be able to apply it on your garden, in a rotation, and eventually the sweet potatoes will also show the benefit from having used it. It will definitely soften the soil for easier root production.
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Post by glen on Mar 3, 2015 15:31:31 GMT -6
Thanx George. The manure was in a compressed mound. I had to break it up with a pick mattock to shovel it. It had almost no odor. It is very dark in color. There is very Little Straw that can be seen in the material. So I assume it is well aged. I think I struck it rich!! Thanx again.
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Post by macmex on Mar 4, 2015 4:22:07 GMT -6
I believe you did Glen. That is very well aged.
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