# Horse manure for fertilizer



## Pocboy (Aug 12, 2004)

Have a friend who can give me some horse manure but didn't know just how to use it in the garden. We use the droppings from my girl's show rabbits as well. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Brew (May 21, 2004)

You need to compost the horse manure or it'll burn your plants. Take all you can get if you have room to compost it.


----------



## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

Brew said:


> You need to compost the horse manure or it'll burn your plants. Take all you can get if you have room to compost it.


 X2! ...raw horse manure is a little too hot to use straight up.:smile: It does make a great additive to an established compost pile like Brew said. Cow manure is good too. Read up on composting if you have the room. Saves you some fertilizer money and puts kitchen scraps, clippings, to work for you.


----------



## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Definetly compost it or you'll burn yellow spots into the lawn wherever you apply it. Manure compost if about the perfect bed for fishing worms too.....I'm just sayin...


----------



## Pocboy (Aug 12, 2004)

Thanks guys! I've been looking for a reason to start a compost.


----------



## tec (Jul 20, 2007)

I've used bunny droppings and had a bad weed problem from it.


----------



## CopanoCruisin (May 28, 2006)

My luck with horse manure was many a year with careless weeds. My buddy siad the horse manure was to hot for weeds to grow. Now, I say BS. Years afterwords, I look back at their horse pins full of careless weeds.


----------



## nhampton (Aug 8, 2007)

Anytime you compost the internal temperature needs to exceed 100+ deg along with being moist. To achieve this you normally have to add some fertilizer and possibly some sugar to speed up the process. You also should tun the compost periodically to insure the outside of the pile has been exposed to these conditions. I am including a Link that may be helpful.
http://www.composting101.com/what-to-use.html


----------



## rbt2 (May 3, 2006)

also be aware that using horse/cattle or other "ruminant" manures, you can possibly have some phenoxy herbicide damage to your crops from the hay the livestock has been fed or from the pasture that they have been grazing on.

just some friendly advice...

rbt2


----------



## rvj (May 14, 2006)

I use goat manure.


----------



## Barnacle Bill (May 21, 2004)

I have a composting bin we bought from Lowe's for $99.00. I've had a compost pile for years but the bin works faster.


----------



## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

If it's really composting correctly, the internal temperatures will approach 160 F and kill any weed seeds. To get the reaction going, you need the right ratio of carbon to nitrogen (Brown to Green) ingredients. Good info here: http://www.composting101.com/c-n-ratio.html

You need to add other ingredients to get the reaction going correctly, and then you need to aerate it by turning the material over. If you don't do that, you'll get mold and fungus growing in the material.


----------



## Barnacle Bill (May 21, 2004)

You also need at least 1 cubic foot of composting material to start. The temp has to get up to 140 degrees to get the process started.


----------

