How to Use Horse Manure As Fertilizer
To use horse manure as a fertilizer, you have to either add nutrients to fresh waste or allow it to compost before it can be added to garden spaces. Since fresh manure shoveled from stalls or other barn areas often contains wood shavings or sawdust, the manure is likely to stunt the growth of plants in the garden, as the wood element steals nitrogen from the soil. Composted manure needs nothing further added to use it as a soil amendment. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Bucket or wheelbarrow
- Ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate
- Compost area
Instructions
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Fresh Manure
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1
Shovel the manure from the stall into a large bucket or wheelbarrow.
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2
Add 1/2-cup ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate to the manure.
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3
Mix the fertilizer with the manure thoroughly.
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4
Apply the fertilizer to the garden soil. Spread the manure approximately 1 inch thick and till it into the soil, or use it as side dressing for existing plants.
Compost Method
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5
Select an outside area where you can create one or more compost piles, roughly 5 by 7 feet in size.
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6
Shovel horse manure into the area.
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7
Water the manure as needed to keep it moist but not wet. If your locality is prone to rainy seasons, cover the pile during this time with a tarp.
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8
Turn the pile weekly. This exposes all areas of the pile to the air and makes the manure compost faster.
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9
Allow the compost to decompose for three months during the hot summer or allow five to six months during the winter before using in the garden.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Composting horse manure should never be soaking wet. The proper consistency is that of a wrung-out sponge.
If you plan to use a tractor with a front-loading bucket, it will be easier to build your compost piles on concrete.
Excess horse manure compost makes a welcome gift for a neighboring gardener.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
