Advice needed...

I found a source for composted horse manure which had been used for raising red worms...and bought a dump truck load of it. It's gorgeous and it was delivered yesterday. Now, I don't quite know how to treat it. I garden on a red, clay, rocky hill and have my garden well mulched at the moment with chopped oak leaves and pinestraw (which I do every spring and fall) and now I need to know if I should spread this Gold now, or if I can wait 'til Fall and spread it then under my mulch...or, do I have to work it in? I'd like to postpone using it and let my garden finish blooming before I disturb it (And it's hot as Hades in Louisiana right now). If I don't use it, I suppose I should cover it with a large tarp?

Pat

PATDART- I would wait till fall.

I dont know what the appropriate action would be, but I'm supposed to pick up some aged horse manure myself....

I was thinking to remove the mulch and spread the manure as top dressing then replace mulch....

WAIT until Fall... both of you!

Thanks to both of you for your advice. My son-in-law saw it while he was here and rushed out and bought a large tarp and covered it so I can wait until Fall to use it. I believe I'll just top dress with it and then mulch it again with my leaves and pinestraw...next Spring should bring some happy plants up!

Pat

HI Pat: I just read your message and agree to wait til fall. Do be ready for lots of weeds from the horse manure. I got a load two falls ago and have been pulling nutsedge ever since but it was worth it. The horse manure really perked up my two front beds by the house which had a lot of foundation sand in it. All the best.

Bobbe

The other thing that occurs to me is that you want this great stuff down there where the roots are, as the structure, as well as the nutrition of the vermicompost would be a great improvement on clay.

If you aren't thinking of creating any new beds/borders, then it mightn't be a bad idea to wait until October, then dig up the plants that would most benefit, fork some compost into the soil at the bottom of the hole and knock some of the soil from the rootball before replanting, that way the roots will get a structural treat as well as a nutritional one.

If you are going to create a new bed, that's the ideal place for it as it can then be put where it is most needed...