Manure - Any tips?

 

A friend has a horse stables and offered my some manure, now is it ok
just to take or will i need to do something to it first?

Also my dad in law has a cow farm is this stuff any better?

Thanks

This will be going into a garden and really want to do it this week as
it's a bkank canvas at the mo.

Based in South Wales

 

htmark98 wrote:

Stick it in a corner somewhere and let it rot down for a while.  It's
better used this way because fresh manure is very strong and can 'burn'
your plants.  If you want to give your plants a feed, however, dilute
some manure in a bucket of water and pour it over the plants.

Treat as above and let it rot down.

If your father in law has some well-rotted manure on his farm, you
could use that immediately.  Please do NOT take the advice to add lime
to your soil or the manure.  The use of lime will stop you using many
plants which are lime intolerant and the person suggesting that has no
idea what your soil is like or even, where it is!   He doesn't live in
UK.
Camellias for example, absolutely detest lime, as do Enkianthus,
Rhododendrons and Azaleas and Heathers.  If the garden is new to you,
get a soil testing kit from a garden centre and check it out.
Alternatively, look at what your neighbours are growing which will give
you a good idea of what can easily be grown in your area.
On another topic, when starting your new garden, do think beforehand
about whether you need to put in any electric cables for e.g. pond
pumps and make sure you leave trenches or room for trenches, where
those will be needed.
If you want some info on plants later, it would be a good thing to tell
us the area in which you live because that will make a difference to
what you can grow.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

 

hi thanks electric cables will be going down this week. How long do you
normally leave it for to rot down?

 

 

I just put ours in a corner of the paddock and forget about it for about
a year, if you poke it you will see when it is ready to use.

If you are an organic gardener check if any of the animals are or have
been on medication.

kate

 

htmark98 wrote:

Leave it for about a year and then look at it.  If it's ready to be
used, it will be dark and crumbly.  Some people describe it as looking
like very good moist fruitcake!!  You could buy or get another pile in
say, six months time from your riding stable and continue to have piles
progressing at different rates of 'maturity'.   Most people would give
a lot to have a supply of good horse manure available so readily.  Kate
is right about checking for any medication used on animals BUT I really
would question its potency if it's been left in manure, quietly rotting
away for some time but don't know that.   I may be wrong here but I
*think* there may be some medicines that it's obligatory to give to
cows but I'm just not sure.  If that is the case, however, they must
be acceptable to those living organically, because certainly one can
buy organic milk.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon