Question on acquired horse manure

[adsada]

I recently collected some free horse manure from a farm that was sat outside in a compacted heap for over a year. The horse manure itself looks very well broken down, I think, however there is a high quantity of wood chip bedding material within in that doesn't seem to have broken down as well. My question is this manure ready to be used in my garden to improve the organic content of the soil or does it require further composting to break it down?

I have attached some photos, any advice much appreciated.

 

[Meadowlark]

To be extra cautious, I would do a couple of things 1) ask the provider if any noxious chemicals were used on the horse hay/feed. Very likely not, but better safe than sorry. If not, then proceed.

2) Secondly, I would pile up the material in layers and wet down each layer good and start the composting process. This is to make sure you kill any unwanted pathogens that might remain in the mixture. Turn it rewetting if needed and mixing every week for a month or so and it should be ready and safe to use. The larger wood pieces will break down completely over time.

It's probably ok to use as is, but what I'm recommending will add an element of increased safety and is especially important if we're talking about garden soil amendments used in growing food.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

1) ask the provider if any noxious chemicals were used on the horse hay/feed.

I am pretty sure the really nasty grass herbicides are not available over here, but a good way of making sure is the bean test. Fill a couple or three pots with the compost and plant beans in them, if they grow normally you are generally okay.
Already composted for a year sounds good, and some people mulch with straight wood chips, but if I have any reservations I use things on one part of the garden first and bag the rest until I am sure.

 

[Ernst]

Well, I wouldn't have a problem with directly applying horse as a top layer in the garden.
I also agree be mindful of where it comes from because there can be unwanted chemicals but most likely it's clean. (hah poo is clean)
But yeah it looks good to me. One can always grind it through a screen to get uniform particle size but the soil food web will utilize it as it is.

The quick look in search engine said this

Of that 55 pounds of fresh manure excreted daily, there is roughly 0.2 pounds of nitrogen, 0.05 pounds of phosphorus, and 0.12 pounds of potassium (K). These are just averages, though, and depend on your horse's activity levels and feed. Plus, bedding may influence the nutrients in the manure, as well.

So it won't "burn" plants unlike chicken manure when applied directly and wood bedding is very acceptable as part of the food web in my opinion and has some iron I understand when it breaks down.
Congratulations on excellent looking compost!

 

[Meadowlark]

...Already composted for a year sounds good,

My reasoning when considering manure for food growing soil amendments is that it's likely not all of the manure is one year old. Most yes, but all, likely not. To kill any remaining pathogens, I believe it is advisable again when the intended use is soil amendment for food growing to get the stuff heated up again in a compost pile. That last bit of precaution always makes me feel better about using it to grow food for human consumption.

 

[adsada]

Thanks all for the replies that's really helpful. The farm I got it from is one that aims for sustainability and organic methods so I'm pretty sure it should be okay from a chemical point of view.

I had planned to mix the mature into the soil in the beds where I plan on planting a beech hedge later in the autumn. Would this be ok to mix in this this sort of compost or would it be better to just lay it on top of the (once) planted hedgerow, and would it be better to do this all instead in Spring?

Sorry for all the questions it's my first garden and I'm a complete novice with this stuff!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

My reasoning when considering manure for food growing soil amendments is that it's likely not all of the manure is one year old. Most yes, but all, likely not. To kill any remaining pathogens, I believe it is advisable again when the intended use is soil amendment for food growing to get the stuff heated up again in a compost pile. That last bit of precaution always makes me feel better about using it to grow food for human consumption.

Sounds good, nothing like belt and braces to be sure.

I had planned to mix the mature into the soil in the beds where I plan on planting a beech hedge later in the autumn. Would this be ok to mix in this this sort of compost or would it be better to just lay it on top of the (once) planted hedgerow, and would it be better to do this all instead in Spring?

I would favour digging in before planting, I don't see any advantage to waiting 'til Spring, The hedge may not show activity above ground in winter, but the roots will be establishing themselves, and it will have time to truly blend into the soil by Spring.

 

[Owdboggy]

The traditional advice for manure was to use well rotted as a mulch in Spring to warm the soil. Leaf mould was used in Autumn to retain the heat.
As a matter of interest Aminopyralid weedkillers are allowed to be used in the UK. However, if the farm claims to be organic then they are not likely to have used it.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

As a matter of interest Aminopyralid weedkillers are allowed to be used in the UK. However, if the farm claims to be organic then they are not likely to have used it.

Wrong again, when I say things like 'I am pretty sure' or 'It is my belief that' understand that there is a good chance I am completely wrong.

 

[Owdboggy]

Happens to me all the time. I did have to go looking very carefully to find it out. It was banned for a while then the ban was lifted. The power of a big chemical industry at work.