another question on horse poop

would you get similar effects from liquifying the horse poo for fertilizer to good soil? can you use first year poop for this? and are my neighbors going to complain? :)
debi z

hehehe, well the last question probably depends on your answer to three questions:

1. Is the horse manure fresh or rotted?
2. If it's fresh, are they downwind or upwind of you?
3. If they're downwind, do they leave their windows open?

Seriously, I don't know much about horse manure, other than it's considered "cold" meaning it doesn't heat up while rotting.

I understand it can be steeped to use as a manure tea for fertilizer, but I think the effects of putting it on the soil in its solid form will include attracting worms and other beneficials, as well as providing nitrogen as it breaks down. There's my two cents' worth :)

thanks go vols, i think that was 4 or 5 cents worth. :)

Go vols, I am curious about the horse manure being "cold." I have (years back) placed it fresh -- a few days old, scooped from the pasture -- in my vegetable garden and my plants became very dead. I assumed that they were burned by the manure.
Also, when I compost my manure -- along with very small amount leftover coastal and/or tiny amount alfalfa hay -- my bin can be finished within 3-4weeks. (watered, turned once a week, pvc pipe hole for air) this is a totally enclosed bin, wood sides & tarp on top.
If I dig down several inches it is so hot as to burn your hand. How can that be considered cold?

I would like to understand this since it would be nice to not have to compost it before using on flowers and young trees. I do understand "hot" composting for edibles.

I always thought that horse manure is hot, I used it alot up in Ma. I had a 138 gal tank I made tea in I would put it in fresh and let it steep a week or so before useing it(it is very ripe smelling) but my roses loved it I used it too for the garden but put in on in the fall about 12" and would wait until spring to till it in.

To be honest, I use cow manure (it's available just over the fence) so I'm no expert on horse poo - other than I do know when I've stepped in it :)

Hot or cold, I wouldn't recommend putting either fresh horse OR cow manure directly on your garden beds during the growing season, and if you do decide to try it, it should be left a ways away from the plants. Probably some other experts around here should step in and address the proper time to use manure in a tea fertilizer concoction :)

Poop talk! I love poop talk! I've heard horse and cow manure referred to as "cold" and chicken manure referred to as "HOT". I believe the references weren't to how hot they can get in a compost pile, but to how many of the big three nutrients (NPK) they have. Cow and horse are fairly similar to each other, but relatively low when compared to chicken or other poultry manures which have twice the N and P and about the same K as cow and horse.

When I use fresh horse manure on my garden, I've found an overabundance of weeds, but not the same with cow. I'll bet this is due to their different digestive systems ~ cows have multiple stomachs, so less weed seeds get through still being viable. Now, I'll just use it fresh in tea and compost the rest to put directly on the garden.

If you're using it fresh on food crops, be aware that there is a chance, albeit (I believe) minute chance, that e-coli can contaminate the vegetables. I've never had a problem with it, but have heard that it's been found in lettuce, root crops or others where the vegetable part you eat comes in close contact with the fresh manure.