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horse manure compost... how much do i need?
3/22/2012 12:30:54 PM
I know horse manure compost is one of the best things to add to soil for most gardening. There is a local guy only a couple of miles away who has some to get rid of. I've got a 5x8 trailer I'm going to put an old aluminium water tank on to fill. It's probably a 400 gallon tank. I figure its a half a pickup load. My question is with a 50'x50' garden how much should I be looking to get? I could theoreatically run the tractor over there and load my bigger trailer with the loader if the answer is "all you possibly can".
3/22/2012 2:52:44 PM
IMHO you never can have too much compost.
3/22/2012 3:41:38 PM
If it is actually compost and not just aged manure, you can't have enough. I grow in soil that is about 70% aerobically composted horse manure.
3/22/2012 3:53:29 PM
I too subscribe to the theory that you can never have enough horse shit.
If it's well composted it wouldn't be hard to work in 6 or eight yards of it in a 50' X 50' plot in need of N and organic matter.
One thing to keep in mind is that horse manure admixed with wood shavings can actually rob nitrogen from your plants early in the season. The N will typically be released later but it's something to be aware of if you have a lot of leaf yellowing in what "should be" adequately fertilized so. Hence the advice to compost it well.
If it's well composted it wouldn't be hard to work in 6 or eight yards of it in a 50' X 50' plot in need of N and organic matter.
One thing to keep in mind is that horse manure admixed with wood shavings can actually rob nitrogen from your plants early in the season. The N will typically be released later but it's something to be aware of if you have a lot of leaf yellowing in what "should be" adequately fertilized so. Hence the advice to compost it well.
3/22/2012 5:43:52 PM
I guess that settles it then. The area this is going into is hard red Oklahoma clay, badly in need. I'll be leaving shortly to have a look and see what he has.
Thanks guys!
Thanks guys!
3/22/2012 5:51:44 PM
if it is fressh it may be to hot for your plants, also dependin gon how dry it is it could weight alot.
400 gallons could be 1.5 tons or more
400 gallons could be 1.5 tons or more
