"well rotted manure"

[lynne]

Apologies for may seem to be a rather daft question!
I've taken delivery of what has been described as well rotted horse manure. As a child I grew up on the North Yorkshire moors next to farms and a riding school and I seem to recall that the manure was a dark, dark chocolate colour and crumbly in texture. This stuff is a kind of tan colour and is more defined than crumbly. It's certainly not freshly pooed poo, but it doesn't look like I remember it should.

I have a couple of questions:
1: Can I use this new stuff now, or do I have to wait until this stuff is completely rotted down?
2: Assuming I can use it now, how exactly do I use it? Do I just lay it on the ground around my shrubs and plants? Do I have to dig it into the ground? I have a completely new bed, as yet unplanted - should I fork this into the ground and leave it for a while (how long?) until I plant it up?

Thanks awfully!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Lynne, a very warm welcome, as i read on another topic that these are your first posting.

As for your horse manure, it sounds as if it is about a year old to me, i would have thought the stuff you saw many, many years ago was probably about two or three years old.

Theres no reason why you can not use the manure straight away. It,s just fresh horse droppings that can scorch plants if used to close to them.

As for how, it all depends how you garden, i like to dig manure into the ground in late autumn through to late winter. But it can be dug in anytime of the year.
I also like to use it on top of the ground in the summer as a mulch.
Probably i wouldn't use it for root crops this year, i would save some for next year and they will love this crumbly manure.

Hope this helps.

[lynne]

many thanks!
I'll dig it in when I can persuade the assistant estate manager to pull his finger out!

I don't grow much in the way of food, yet, and my garden is very small, but I intend to grow what I can in pots etc.

[John]

I think that the best test of all for 'well-rottedness' in manure is to rub some of it through your fingers and smell it! If it is reasonably crumbly and has almost no smell then it passes the well-done test but anything with a stable, farmyard type or ammonia smell fails to test! Anything that you might not fancy rubbing through your fingers also fails the test.

John

[lynne]

John, what a great test!
So, this stuff is definitely not "ready"
Do I leave it in the agg bag (I can imagine that's going to go down well with the Asst.Est Mgr )

Would I do any harm by using it as a mulch, or digging it in as it is in its current state?

[Weed]

I picked up several loads of 'well rotted' stable manure last year...I applied it to several beds and then found that it affected the plants that were put in a month later.
The plants did pick up but the damage was done by then.

Another load that I obtained at the same time I stored for a year I am using it now it is absolutely superb.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Weed, love the avator.
Weed, I find it very strange that your well rotted stable manure caused problems, was it actually horse droppings mixed with straw.
At one time horse manure was nearly always used the same year, the fresh manure was brought in, turned two or three times depending on conditions, then used straight away, especially on heavy ground.

I suppose it must be to do with where and how it is stacked, and the amount and type of bedding used, to determine the end quality of the product.

[Weed]

Hi OH

I am pleased you like the picture...it reflects how I feel sometimes when I am busy writing.

The manure I refered to was stable manure with both shavings and straw in it which had been piled up for months.

I had dug, what I thought was, the oldest out of a hole in the centre of the pile (six feet deep) and thought it had matured.