Hello everybody,
in Garden magazines or on TV they recommend to put "well rotted manure" into the soil when digging. I could get fresh horse manure, so I wonder if it would do any harm if I use fresh manure instead? Or, how long would it take to transform the fresh stuff into something "well rotted"?
Thanks
hollyhock
PS: Sorry if my English should be a bit wonky, I'm German
Digging in "well rotted manure"
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Primrose
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Dear Hollyhock. Don't apologise for your English. It's better than most of the natives seem to speak 
I think it's better to let your fresh manure rot in a pile for 6 months before spreading it onto the soil because even if you put it on now, it could still damage any young plants or seedlings which start growing in March or April. I would only spread it on the ground if you can leave it that location empty for 6 months and don't want to grow anything in the soil. I think a heap is better though because it will warm up more quickly and therefore rot down more quickly.
However. I'm not sure what effect all this very cold and icy weather will have on fresh manure. It's possible that this too could help it to break down more quickly in a slightly different way, but maybe somebody else on here can comment about this.
I think it's better to let your fresh manure rot in a pile for 6 months before spreading it onto the soil because even if you put it on now, it could still damage any young plants or seedlings which start growing in March or April. I would only spread it on the ground if you can leave it that location empty for 6 months and don't want to grow anything in the soil. I think a heap is better though because it will warm up more quickly and therefore rot down more quickly.
However. I'm not sure what effect all this very cold and icy weather will have on fresh manure. It's possible that this too could help it to break down more quickly in a slightly different way, but maybe somebody else on here can comment about this.
Thanks, Primrose.
Letting it rot on site unfortunately is not an option for me due to my rather small garden.
But anyway I did not plan to spread it around the plants but would dig it in, i.e. put it in the trenches when digging 1-2 spades deep.
Letting it rot on site unfortunately is not an option for me due to my rather small garden.
But anyway I did not plan to spread it around the plants but would dig it in, i.e. put it in the trenches when digging 1-2 spades deep.
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Primrose
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If you do this I suspect that you could lose much of the long term benefits of it because if it is already buried up to two spades deep, all the nutritional goodness will leach out and drain even deeper over time, possibly deeper than the roots of some plants will venture. Also, digging manure in closer to the surface will improve moisture retention in dry periods where the soil is most likely to dry out.
What do others think?
What do others think?
Hello and welcome, hollyhock!
If you can get the fresh manure now, I would spread it on the beds now (weather permitting), cover the area with black plastic until about a month before you want to sow or plant and then just fork it in lightly. By then the worms will have got to work on it and, by leaving it open for a month or so, any rain will "tone down" the freshness as well.
If you can get the fresh manure now, I would spread it on the beds now (weather permitting), cover the area with black plastic until about a month before you want to sow or plant and then just fork it in lightly. By then the worms will have got to work on it and, by leaving it open for a month or so, any rain will "tone down" the freshness as well.
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peter
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Digging it in deeper will improve the structure of the soil by placing organic matter in the mineral particles and allowing air water and organisms into the more open structure.
In this case the nutrient value is less relevant and it leaches with water regardless of depth.
Also in a clay or sand based soil deeper organic matter acts as a sponge to hold water nutrients and organisms both animal vegetable and fungi.
Leave a sponge in the open and it dries out, shield it from sun and wind and it stays moist.
Personally I'd rough dig by hand, larding the dung in in spadefuls and run a rotovator through it in spring, making a potting compost consistency by thoroughly mixing the soil and manure.
In this case the nutrient value is less relevant and it leaches with water regardless of depth.
Also in a clay or sand based soil deeper organic matter acts as a sponge to hold water nutrients and organisms both animal vegetable and fungi.
Leave a sponge in the open and it dries out, shield it from sun and wind and it stays moist.
Personally I'd rough dig by hand, larding the dung in in spadefuls and run a rotovator through it in spring, making a potting compost consistency by thoroughly mixing the soil and manure.
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Welcome Hollyhock,
Horse manure is not exactly a strong manure as manures go and weather permitting I would dig it in as soon as you can. This will give the manure time to age before you plant anything. It really needs to go in at 25cm depth so it is the job for a spade. Do not plant any root vegetables such as Carrot or Parsnip in that ground this coming year but next year it would be ideal for them.
The seasons greetings to you.
JB.
PS. To Monika, I think that it is too late for the method you describe. That needs to be started in late September/October. The ground is too cold now and the worms have gone deep into the soil and will not come to the surface until soil temperatures improve.
JB.
Horse manure is not exactly a strong manure as manures go and weather permitting I would dig it in as soon as you can. This will give the manure time to age before you plant anything. It really needs to go in at 25cm depth so it is the job for a spade. Do not plant any root vegetables such as Carrot or Parsnip in that ground this coming year but next year it would be ideal for them.
The seasons greetings to you.
JB.
PS. To Monika, I think that it is too late for the method you describe. That needs to be started in late September/October. The ground is too cold now and the worms have gone deep into the soil and will not come to the surface until soil temperatures improve.
JB.