Very mature manure uses - daft question!

[JMCKG]

I have a never ending supply of well rotted horse manure 5-15 years old. Would it be ok to use that in place of compost for tomatoes, potatoes etc. ? Or would it still be too strong? Should I continue to mix with compost, spent hops?

[Aberdeenplotter]

Just beware the older stuff isn't contaminated with Aminopyralid which causes huge problems to growing veg. Regulations were introduced I think in 2009 which should mean that horse muck produced since the should be problem free. Some info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aminopyralid.

Anyway, to your question. I personally wouldn't use any kind of farmyard manure neat no mater how mature. I would be mixing with soil/compost.

[Jay-ell]

I've used pure manure partially rotten on spuds and squash - although this was stable sweepings and have a lot of woodchip. The stuff I've gotten recently is mostly fresh padlock pickings and I'd probably mix that with compost once it's aged a bit although I'd use in neat on the squash beds in spring (been cooked and turned a few times, now sitting till spring).

[Bill Door]

In the main I am with Aberdeenplotter.

However, I have an unlimited supply of paddock picked poo and clay soil. So I am not adverse to "mashing" up the very fresh poo then spreading it around trees/shrubs/some empty spaces [Particularly now] and letting the worms do their business.

Everyone mentions the weed seeds but the paddocks are pretty bare and I can see more weed seeds over the allotment fence than anywhere else. It just means I might work the hoe a bit harder.

Bill

[Jay-ell]

Bill, if you stack it for a few days it gets hot (if you have a big enough pile) and with a turn or two all the manure can be treated at 60+ deg centigrade for a day or two which will kill off most seeds and the e-coli as well.

[Bill Door]

Jay-ell, I already have two plastic compost bins full of poo and a stack of weeds and horse poo mixed. The problem is that even then the piles/stacks do not get that hot but I do turn them several times and top up as the needs arises. I also have a smaller bin in the back garden and filll that with newspaper/vege peelings/horse poo and that never gets that hot either.

For expediency mashing the horse poo and spreading like i have indicated serves my purposes.

Bill

P.S. as I have said I can get more than sufficient horse poo direct from the paddock.

[Jay-ell]

Jay-ell, I already have two plastic compost bins full of poo and a stack of weeds and horse poo mixed. The problem is that even then the piles/stacks do not get that hot but I do turn them several times and top up as the needs arises. I also have a smaller bin in the back garden and filll that with newspaper/vege peelings/horse poo and that never gets that hot either.

For expediency mashing the horse poo and spreading like i have indicated serves my purposes.

Bill

P.S. as I have said I can get more than sufficient horse poo direct from the paddock.

I had the same problem using plastic bins and daleks. They don't have the volume to get and maintain the heat. With an unlimited supply you might want bigger bins so you can mature more at a time. It seems that once it's got hot and turned a couple of times it breaks down quicker. I cant be bothered doing the turning every 2 days malarchy so as I've turned mine enough to hopefully kill off the weed seeds it can sit till spring when it goes (mainly) on the squash beds - I poke air holes in from time to time so the bacteria can breathe.