container-growing Using composted horse manure as main soil

Disclaimer: this is my first post, I looked for an answer on the forum but couldn't find it, so hopefully I am not repeating it. Now to the topic.


I am growing chillies for the first time this year. I will be growing in a pot and I am thinking of using ChilliChump's soil mixture as the potting soil as I've read good things about it.

I have access to well composted horse manure (composted in 3 piles, manure moved from one to the next as new comes in and the last pile is used for compost, so probably about a year old). The recipe uses compost as the main soil and then mixes with vermiculite and perlite.

Has anyone used composted manure as a 1:1 replacement for compost or is it better to mix with actual compost (which I'd have to buy), or maybe even completely omit it. I will be growing 5 plants, and as a student, the entire setup with seedlings, soil, fertilizers and pots will be an investment I wouldn't wish to waste, so I'm really trying to get everything right.


Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!

We use Coco Coir as our main potting soil ingredient & use about 20% Worm castings/Compost.
Using any Worm casting or Compost as a main ingredient will cause drainage problems. ( Too Wet )

Pearlite, blood meal, bone meal & Espoma plant tone added for complete nutrition & good drainage.

I agree with Marturo. I've tried 100% worm castings as container soil and it didn't end well for the plants... At first, it absorbed a lot of moisture and then it compacted, suffocating the roots. I then let it dry out and it became as hard as brick (litteraly). Growing in containers is not the same as growing in the open field. For container growing, you need a free-draining matrix that can easily be amended with nutrients.

I agree with the above. I grew in a 50/50 mix of sandy top soil and composted manure my first go with containers just like I used to in ground. I had a 100% failure rate due to too high of water content that just would not drain out and the plants could not use. Switched to a blend of coco coir, peat moss, and pearlite and have not had an issue since.

Thanks everyone, glad I was stopped from making a mistake.