Manure is a material that is added to soil to improve its fertility. They are made from the droppings of animals like cows, chickens, sheep, goats, and horses. Horse manure is one of the fertilizers used when growing crops. But is it good fertilizer? This article elaborates on whether horse manure is good fertilizer.
Yes, horse manure is good fertilizer because it is fully packed with nutrients and beneficial microorganisms, making it an excellent natural fertilizer for the garden.
5 Reasons Why Horse Manure is Good Fertilizer
These are five reasons why horse manure makes good fertilizer:
1. It contains an adequate amount of organic matter, which can be applied in various ways, enabling plants to grow faster, more robustly, and healthier.
2. It can give new plants the best start while providing essential nutrients for steady growth.
3. Horse manure is rich in nitrogen, which benefits nitrogen-loving plants like leafy green vegetables, garlic, and Brussels sprouts.
4. It is slightly more nutritious than cow or steer manure.
5. It helps to improve the quality of soil and soil water retention capacity.
You can put horse manure straight in the garden only if it is composted. Therefore, you can scatter it all over the park. Also, it would be best if you did not use fresh horse manure directly on the garden beds because of the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Fresh horse manure will add a lot of nutrients but also carry bacteria and weed seeds with it, which can cause damage to the garden in the long run.
How Long Before You Can Use Fresh Horse Manure?
It takes three to six months for horse manure to decompose before you can use it, and it will depend on the condition of the compost pit.
If the conditions are favorable and the procedure is followed correctly, horse manure can age in three to four months.
Depending on the weather, the size of the compost pit, and how frequently you turn your hole, horse manure will take four to six weeks to become soil.
Should Horse Manure Be Covered?
A tarp, plastic sheet, or roof should be placed over the horse manure compost pit. This will prevent valuable nutrients from being washed away, especially during the rainy season.
Furthermore, it keeps horse manure from becoming too wet due to moisture or too dry due to heat.
Can You Use Too Much Horse Manure?
Horse manure should not be used in large amounts because it will cause nitrate leaching, nutrient runoff, and excessive vegetative growth.
Moreover, it can cause plant wilting, especially in young plants.
Which is Better, Chicken or Horse Manure?
Chicken manure is better than horse manure because it has more nutrients because chickens have a much better diet, making their droppings highly valuable.
Horse manure is the best fertilizer when compared to cow manure. This is because horse manure is rich in organic matter.
Horse Manure Dangers
Three hazards of horse manure in the garden are as follows:
1. It Destroys the Environment
When exposed to the surrounding environment, horse manure pollutes the ground because of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as the carbon it contains.
2. Attracts Pests
Compost pits of horse manure will be breeding grounds for pests like flies, which will affect the plants and homes of rodents like rats and moles.
3. Gives Rise to Parasites
If horse dung is kept for an extended period of time, it will become a breeding ground for worm eggs and other parasites. These parasites will contaminate the horses’ food and water and affect crops in the garden.
What Plants Don’t Like Horse Manure
Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, and root vegetables (beetroot, carrots, onions, turnips, and radishes) are among the plants that dislike horse manure.
Those plants are leafy green vegetables like garlic, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, and rhubarb.
Can You Put Too Much Horse Manure in the Garden?
Too much horse manure should not be put in the garden because it will kill plants. This results from horses consuming herbicides when feeding on grass in treated areas and undergoing digestion to form manure.
If the manure is used in the garden, it will contain these herbicides that kill plants, especially young crops.
Is Horse Manure Good for Grass
Yes, horse manure is good fertilizer for grass because it boosts its growth, making it healthier and faster.
Horse manure is good for the growth of roses when mixed with topsoil, creating large amounts of essential nutrients that make the plant healthy.
What is the Ratio of Horse Manure to Soil?
There is no set ratio of horse manure to the soil, but the amount of horse to put in the soil will depend on the soil nutrients when tested; therefore, the ratio will be between 25 and 30 to 1.
