Is horse manure a no-no for compost?

[Nut-N-But-News]

My neighbor says horse manure is best, but I heard also it's a no-no.

[older than dirt]

Originally Posted by Nut-N-But-News

My neighbor says horse manure is best, but I heard also it's a no-no.

They are both wrong lol.
Its OK but not the best . Actually nothing wrong with it but is pretty low on nitrogen. Think some one found resurch on that & Oak leaves & horse manure had about the same nitrogen content.

I like it to lossen up clay soil but I don't compost it first.

[JBSpringer]

I believe the problem that some people have had with manure does not depend on whether it is cow or horse manure; The question that should be asked is, Was the hay the animal ate treated with an herbicide like Picloram or Roundup type chemical?

Do this test before you use any unknown manure in your garden or compost. Fill up half way a 5 gallon bucket with manure and then fill it up with water. Let it sit overnight and the following day pour the water on some broad leaf plants or weeds that you don't care about then wait a day or 2. If the plants/weeds are dead a day or 2 later well then you know the answer. If the plants/weeds don't die well then it is probably okay.

JBS

[Longtail]

What!!!???

[JBSpringer]

Longtail there is nothing complicated about this. I have done this and have seen this myself and you can too, don't just take my word. Try it.

JBS

[HillsideDigger]

My late father-in-law insisted that horse manure was better than cow manure

although I think neither one comes close to chicken litter

but I throw it all and more into one big pile and turn it frequently.

[JBSpringer]

Follow up on my response;

Pay close attention to the last sentence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picloram



The product is so good or bad depending on what side of the fence you stand but for now lets just say it is very persistent and that it is still strong enough to continue killing even after digestion.



JBS

[bhpigeon2]

Originally Posted by older than dirt

They are both wrong lol.
Its OK but not the best . Actually nothing wrong with it but is pretty low on nitrogen. Think some one found resurch on that & Oak leaves & horse manure had about the same nitrogen content.

Yep, oak leaves are 0.8 nitrogen while horse manure is 0.7. 100# of horse manure contains 1.6 pounds of nutrients. 100# of oak leaves contain 1.3. 100# of cow manure also contains 1.3 pounds but 0.6 nitrogen.

bhp2

[jbest123]

Originally Posted by JBSpringer

I believe the problem that some people have had with manure does not depend on whether it is cow or horse manure; The question that should be asked is, Was the hay the animal ate treated with an herbicide like Picloram or Roundup type chemical?

Do this test before you use any unknown manure in your garden or compost. Fill up half way a 5 gallon bucket with manure and then fill it up with water. Let it sit overnight and the following day pour the water on some broad leaf plants or weeds that you don't care about then wait a day or 2. If the plants/weeds are dead a day or 2 later well then you know the answer. If the plants/weeds don't die well then it is probably okay.

JBS

I think your test can be a little misleading. Where I get my HM, they clean the stalls every day. There are stables in the area that are less costly to board a horse but the owner has to clean the stall him/her self, which is usually only done on weekends. That means that one pile of HM can have seven times the urea than another pile of HM. Too much urea on the foliage will kill the plant as fast as anything can. John

[JBSpringer]

Jbest123 your suggestion can very well be just as good a reason along with many others.

In my neck of the woods the herbicide issue has been the problem. I have not used horse manure but on cow manure this is a true culprit. The results of the tests are pretty clear cut, if the leachate kills the test plants/weeds it will do the same to your garden it is as simple as that.


JBS