risks of using horse manure that is not composted thoroughly
macarius
15 years ago
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digdirt2
15 years agoRelated Discussions
aged but not composted horse manure
Comments (20)Polypod, with soil like yours, I would be inclined to grab any organic matter that I could find, and lay it on top of the soil. If you have fresh manure, lay it down first, then cover it with whatever other organics you can find. As far as I'm concerned, aging manure is a waste of both time and the nitrogen in it. The nitrogen and the ammonia it creates are only dangerous to living plants, not to anything else you would be doing. Once you get some mulch laid down, a cover crop would be of great benefit. Alfalfa likes an alkaline soil like you have, and will should grow fairly well for two or three years (it's a perennial). If you mow it three or four times a year, letting the cuttings lay on the ground to form mulch (high in nitrogen and potassium), with that and the deep root system, which will bring up a lot of minerals and trace elements that were previously leached out of the root zone, it will do a lot to improve your soil. You might want to contact Peaceful Valley Farm Supply in CA. Their paper catalog usually has quite a lot of information (and seed) for lots of cover crops. Sue Here is a link that might be useful: Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (organic)...See Morehorse manure and peat moss composting
Comments (18)In a world wide meeting of botanists in Iran in the 1970's a decision was made that harvesting and using Peat Moss was an unsustainable practice, and as a result of that the Royal Horticultural Society has requested its members not use, or havest, Peat Moss. The article about Peat Moss I referenced above is in an issue about 2 back, that I have not found, yet. There are numerous other sources of information that tell you that harvesting of Peat Moss is an unsustainable practice not just one, many. If you want to believe those with a vested interest in continuing to harvest Peat Moss, those that make a living selling it, you can but you really cannot deny that there are better, less expensive materials available to most of us so we do not need to use what is a non renewable resource. Here is a link that might be useful: RHS on Peat Moss...See MoreDangerous Compost?
Comments (6)Antibiotic Uptake by Plants from Soil Fertilized with Animal Manure E. coli in Vegetables: Ohio State Study Looks at �Under the Surface� Contamination, Role of Plant Diseases Regardless of the source of contamination in the field, LeJeune explained, E. coli finds a way to survive and reproduce on the surface of vegetables -- and even worse, inside the plant tissue, where it cannot be washed off or killed by disinfectants. LeJeune and colleagues propose that the interaction between E. coli O157 and plant pathogens results in increased E. coli uptake, proliferation, exchange of antibiotic resistance genes, and protection from post-harvest disinfection. Simply washing your produce or avoiding produce contact with non-composted manure in the soil may no longer be sufficient. Just something to consider. Dave...See MoreComposting aged horse manure
Comments (7)It's already composted - why not just use it instead of recomposting it. It may or may not be already composted. It may be aged but that doesn't mean it is composted - they aren't the same thing. ;) Were multiple other ingredients added to the pile at the source? Was it turned/mixed at all? If no, then it isn't composted it is just aged and adding it to your compost pile is a good move. If just aged, how long did it age in that pile? Minimum recommendation is 4-6 months. If you don't know how long then adding it to your compost pile is also the right move. I assume you know that your compost pile doesn't have to be limited to 3x3x3? That is just the minimum requirement. But it can be as large as you can work with effectively. So if you have manure left over you have 3 options: (1) make your existing compost pile larger if you have sufficient other ingredients to add to it, (2) make an additional compost pile if you have enough other ingredients to add to it, or (3) let the remainder of the manure age all on its own in a separate location until this fall and then till it into your garden. Adding straight manure of an unknown age to a garden that is currently in production is NOT advised. Do so at your own risk. Dave...See MoreKimmsr
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