Horse poop

Will46r · Mar 24, 2015

Friend owns and boards horses.... i have access to a lot of free horse poop, any reason I can't use it for planting mixed with peat and vermiculite?

Hybrid Mode 01 · Mar 24, 2015

It's great stuff. You will need to compost it, though. If used fresh, the pH will be too high and burn your plants. If you let it sit, all that N and C will feed a healthy microbe population and create heaven for your plants.

moruga welder · Mar 24, 2015

nope absolutely not ! as long as its not HOT ! i use it and it works great ! :onfire:

Will46r · Mar 24, 2015

So compost the poop first... so probably not something I can use this season dang

kentishman · Mar 24, 2015

See if your friend has a pile of old stuff sitting around.

Helvete · Mar 24, 2015

Horse crap is amazing. I'm about to get three truckloads of the stuff that's been composting for two years. It's really fibrous from their diet and attracts a ton of worms...probably one of my favorite types of compost to use since it really helps loosen up the red clay here. I've never used it hot, I would probably only try that with cow manure---they have such an advanced digestive system that it's really broken down a lot already when it comes out. The manure spreaders have been running the fields around here for the last several weeks.

Will46r · Mar 24, 2015

She doesn't have any old piles, dannnggggg. I guess I'm going to call nursery suppliers in the area.

Helvete · Mar 24, 2015

Will46r said:
She doesn't have any old piles, dannnggggg. I guess I'm going to call nursery suppliers in the area.

I have a suggestion since you live in the Old South...if you have any historical plantations in your area some of them may be horse farms now. For example I live near Montpelier, the home of James Madison...they board horses for people and have piles of manure set aside that are the size of houses. This is where I get mine from and they don't charge anything for it. I just have to spend gas to drive about 15-20 miles to go and get it.

stoney's_ghost · Mar 24, 2015

Never even thought about it.
I am surrounded by properties and horse trails.
Hmmm...:-)

Rymerpt · Mar 25, 2015

I have a customer that's gonna set me up with some composted sheep shit. She gardens as well and swears by it.

Roguejim · Mar 25, 2015

To compost horse manure, is it just a matter of piling it up...maybe covering it with a tarp, and letting it sit for several months?

Gotrox · Mar 25, 2015

Compost well, or you will be starting a weed plot.
Old and dried doesn't do it, has to be covered so the naturally generated heat and ammonia kills off the seeds.
Unless you want to grow grass, alfalfa and oats.

Will46r · Mar 25, 2015

The land I have to farm has had sheep pastured on it for years, the problem is it is compacted and the 2 tractors I have to use need repairs. One "should" be an easy repair, the other probably needs more work. I'm gonna get this done one way or another.

Rockylinx · Mar 28, 2015

Hi, so to compost just cover and it should be good for next year?

Commonwealth · Mar 30, 2015

It's a little more complicated than that. You can tarp and forget but if you turn once every couple weeks and keep the moisture right you can have that heap done by midsummer instead of next summer. Compost needs moisture and aeration to do its thing.