Horse Manure Amendment question.

Psychonautic Tendencies

Psychonautic Tendencies

Active Member
Hey there! Today I went down to the old horse manure pile (My grandma owned 3 horses over 15 years here, and always dumped in one place) and dug up a few trashcan fulls of what i'm assuming is fully composted horse manure. There is a entire plot (30 feet by 20 feet by 5 feet high atleast) of horse manure that has been sitting out for well, from 15 years ago to 2 years ago, no fresh has been added for two years. I removed the top layer where grass and vegetation were growing, and filled the bins with a mostly dark crumbly substance, crumbles easy, pretty dark, but you can tell it was once horse manure if you knew. I'm going to be amending it in with the native soil here, which is a clay/clay loam texture. I wish I would be also adding other organic amendments aswell, but it doesn't look like this season I'm going too. I'm also using Dr. Earth vegetable fertilizer, dry. I was thinking maybe like 60 percent native soil, 20 percent composted horse manure, and 10 percent vermiculite. I don't have any perlite or any other amendments at hand in my remote farm atm. I know there are obviously much better soil recipes, but since my clay soil definitely needs some soft spongy rich amendments I figure this might work. If not, I was going to do 75% native soil, 25% composted horse manure, should I even bother with the vermiculite? Thanks alot guys for the heads up, I searched tons and just decided to ask.
 
Psychonautic Tendencies

Psychonautic Tendencies

Active Member
No, I have plants that I'm going to transplant right now, from containers, I already have around 40 plants outdoors, and these are the last to be transplanted, they are sativa dominant, so they have a bit longer growing season.
 
ganga gurl420

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
20160806_080712.jpg 20160806_080558-1.jpg Ah my favorite subject!!!!!! I actually went from super soil to 100% amended cow manure (and I have clay soil as well) kind of as a test this yr. I kept it really simple and I never added a drop of regular soil to it. I have the biggest, healthiest plants I've ever grown and I've been growing for awhile.
There is a guy in the outdoor section (757) that also uses a whole mixture of amended manure (no soil) and he gets 10# a plant.
I will never go back to using soil....not ever!!!
Plus I've never seen soil drain as fast as composted manure does. You can check out my grow journal if you want, it's linked to my avatar.
Here is a pic of my garden and the power of manure
 
Budley Doright

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
The nice thing about mixing a bit and I mean a bit of clay is water retention if watering is an issue. If you add to much you'll create cement lol. This year I mixed a bit of clay with a few bags and they requires a 1/3 less water.
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
ganga gurl420 said:
View attachment 3753141 View attachment 3753146 Ah my favorite subject!!!!!! I actually went from super soil to 100% amended cow manure (and I have clay soil as well) kind of as a test this yr. I kept it really simple and I never added a drop of regular soil to it. I have the biggest, healthiest plants I've ever grown and I've been growing for awhile.
There is a guy in the outdoor section (757) that also uses a whole mixture of amended manure (no soil) and he gets 10# a plant.
I will never go back to using soil....not ever!!!
Plus I've never seen soil drain as fast as composted manure does. You can check out my grow journal if you want, it's linked to my avatar.
Here is a pic of my garden and the power of manure
Click to expand...
Please note here that GG (NICE PLANTS GG) said COW manure!

Horse not only has differing properties - It usually contains a shit ton of weed seeds! Cows are ruminants. That means they have a stomach that is divided into 4 different sections. They chew cud, which is regurgitated from the stomach and reswallowed. The stomach actually ferments the "cud" in the lower sections. These actions breakup the seeds eaten by the cow and they are rendered unable to germinate!

Horse's have a single stomach and seeds simply pass through and are viable. Just like birds spreading plants by eating here and shitting there!

You might try a pot or two now and if it works out ok - do it heavy later......As an organic farmer. We don't use horse manure for that reason. Look at it like this, Why was it set alone in a pile by it's self and not used as a fert?

Not that it can't be composted to work - But it has to get awful hot for an extended period to kill off "all" those seeds.
 
DG1959

DG1959

Well-Known Member
Planted right where I have had a cow manure compost pile for 20 years. I scraped most off with my tractor bucket then rototiller about 32 inch's deep, added some epsom...built a greenhouse right there. 4 plants .... largest plants I have ever grown. Cow shit will grow about anything.
 
dannyboy602

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
Psychonautic Tendencies said:
Hey there! Today I went down to the old horse manure pile (My grandma owned 3 horses over 15 years here, and always dumped in one place) and dug up a few trashcan fulls of what i'm assuming is fully composted horse manure. There is a entire plot (30 feet by 20 feet by 5 feet high atleast) of horse manure that has been sitting out for well, from 15 years ago to 2 years ago, no fresh has been added for two years. I removed the top layer where grass and vegetation were growing, and filled the bins with a mostly dark crumbly substance, crumbles easy, pretty dark, but you can tell it was once horse manure if you knew. I'm going to be amending it in with the native soil here, which is a clay/clay loam texture. I wish I would be also adding other organic amendments aswell, but it doesn't look like this season I'm going too. I'm also using Dr. Earth vegetable fertilizer, dry. I was thinking maybe like 60 percent native soil, 20 percent composted horse manure, and 10 percent vermiculite. I don't have any perlite or any other amendments at hand in my remote farm atm. I know there are obviously much better soil recipes, but since my clay soil definitely needs some soft spongy rich amendments I figure this might work. If not, I was going to do 75% native soil, 25% composted horse manure, should I even bother with the vermiculite? Thanks alot guys for the heads up, I searched tons and just decided to ask.
Click to expand...
the two ingredients you mentioned are very heavy so I would include about 25% vermiculite, 45% native loam and the rest horse compost...you have a wonderful resource at your disposal. Also don't forget the lime.
 
ganga gurl420

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
Dr. Who said:
Please note here that GG (NICE PLANTS GG) said COW manure!

Horse not only has differing properties - It usually contains a shit ton of weed seeds! Cows are ruminants. That means they have a stomach that is divided into 4 different sections. They chew cud, which is regurgitated from the stomach and reswallowed. The stomach actually ferments the "cud" in the lower sections. These actions breakup the seeds eaten by the cow and they are rendered unable to germinate!

Horse's have a single stomach and seeds simply pass through and are viable. Just like birds spreading plants by eating here and shitting there!

You might try a pot or two now and if it works out ok - do it heavy later......As an organic farmer. We don't use horse manure for that reason. Look at it like this, Why was it set alone in a pile by it's self and not used as a fert?

Not that it can't be composted to work - But it has to get awful hot for an extended period to kill off "all" those seeds.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the compliment on the plant. Yes I do realize that horse manure has more seeds in it but a simple thick mulch will prevent this. I was simply implying that manure doesn't have to be mixed as long as it is amended. "757" uses every type of manure known from cow horse chicken..etc etc and I don't have anything on him.
 
ganga gurl420

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
dannyboy602 said:
the two ingredients you mentioned are very heavy so I would include about 25% vermiculite, 45% native loam and the rest horse compost...you have a wonderful resource at your disposal. Also don't forget the lime.
Click to expand...
It might be heavy or might not be. I almost added perlite or vermiculite to mine but then I put some in a pot and added water to see how fast mine drained....quicker then any soil I've seen. But mine is only aged 4 yrs so there is a lot of hay in it and it drains awesome.
 
dannyboy602

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
ganga gurl420 said:
It might be heavy or might not be. I almost added perlite or vermiculite to mine but then I put some in a pot and added water to see how fast mine drained....quicker then any soil I've seen. But mine is only aged 4 yrs so there is a lot of hay in it and it drains awesome.
Click to expand...
I'm about to move my grow to your place...unlimited cow shit??? sounds like heaven
 
ganga gurl420

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
Hahaha I don't know if a lot of cow shit is heaven but my garden is amazing. I planted cucumbers in the same mix as my pot plants and everyone thinks they are pumpkins or squash by the size of the leaves lol20160705_071706.jpg
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
ganga gurl420 said:
Thank you for the compliment on the plant. Yes I do realize that horse manure has more seeds in it but a simple thick mulch will prevent this. I was simply implying that manure doesn't have to be mixed as long as it is amended. "757" uses every type of manure known from cow horse chicken..etc etc and I don't have anything on him.
Click to expand...
It does work and it can be ok. The thing is I farm and run a cpl of others. They're organic and to try and mulch or really compost horse enough, is counter productive cost to return wise.
Like I said, it's a big reason why on farms you'll find the Horse manure pile in it's own place.
Now cow - that's like gold to us! (shhh, quiet.....our newest farm on the team is a dairy farm......What the fields don't get - goes to the other farms fields too! plenty left to "play" with!)
 
ganga gurl420

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
My budd
Dr. Who said:
It does work and it can be ok. The thing is I farm and run a cpl of others. They're organic and to try and mulch or really compost horse enough, is counter productive cost to return wise.
Like I said, it's a big reason why on farms you'll find the Horse manure pile in it's own place.
Now cow - that's like gold to us! (shhh, quiet.....our newest farm on the team is a dairy farm......What the fields don't get - goes to the other farms fields too! plenty left to "play" with!)
Click to expand...
buddy just keeps a black tarp over his horse pile and it kills all the seeds. His has less weeds then mine lol
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
ganga gurl420 said:
My budd

buddy just keeps a black tarp over his horse pile and it kills all the seeds. His has less weeds then mine lol
Click to expand...
If you want to use it - This is a good idea for small scale use - be sure to turn it!

I like dannyboys mixing of available......Horse was never a manure used for much on the farm as I grew up......You do what you live and learn in a sense, eh?
On our farms in the co-op.
We simply don't generate enough to bother. To mix it in with what we do use - would be the counter productive part for me/us.

Excuse, as sometimes when I relate my experience. The size of the availability of what I have on hand and early learned habits. Tend to cloud my judgement. :|
 
Psychonautic Tendencies

Psychonautic Tendencies

Active Member
Just so you know guys, it's odorless, and has been sitting in a buried pile for years, I sifted it to separate any roots or branches, and the occasional lump. I don't think weed seeds would be a problem. But I will be spreading a thick layer of straw mulch over the raised beds.
 
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