Composting Method
How to Use Compost from Horse Manure as an Effective Garden Fertilizer?
Mar
Horse Manure Compost As Nutrient-Rich Source
One of the major problems that most gardeners have is to ensure that their soil remains in top condition. And one way to do this is to add compost which is rich in nutrients and will benefit plant growth. Horse manure compost is a good source of nutrients and common addition to many home gardens. Indeed it makes a suitable and inexpensive fertilizer for plants.
It is a great resource to provide nutrients for your soil. Also, it offers new plants a jump start while delivering essential nutrients for continual growth. While compost management requires your commitment, it also gives you a free source of a valuable soil amendment. And undoubtedly, over time, it provides better results in your garden and saves you money.
Caitlin Price Youngquist, Ph.D., a soil scientist, says, “Composted horse manure is a great source of slow-release soil nutrients for a pasture or garden.” Hence, Composting is an excellent manure management technique. In fact, all organic matter, which includes horse manure, eventually decomposes. There is no ideal time for how long to compost horse manure, yet typically it takes two to three months if you do it adequately.
A Successful Horse Manure Composting Steps
1. Choosing the right composting system
You can choose an area with easy access that is convenient for you. You can tailor your composting system to meet your needs, the space and equipment available, and how intensively you plan to manage the compost pile. Pick a well-drained site far from waterways so any runoff will not contaminate groundwater.
2. Having a compost bin or pile
Making compost does not need an expensive and special structure. You can indeed create a simple yet effective compost pile or bin. Having a bin system naturally helps keep things cleaner and easy to manage. Also, careful consideration of your location is needed to avoid the leaching of nutrients.
3. Monitor its moisture, heat, and air
Moisture is required to allow biological activities and sustain chemical processes. Therefore, you need to find a way to water your compost, especially during summer. Hence, it should be damp yet not dripping. Also, compost requires to reach at least 130–150ºF for at least three days to kill pathogens and parasites. It is necessary to regulate the temperature and oxygen levels by turning your compost pile regularly. Moreover, oxygen is essential for the respiration of the microbes while breaking down the materials.
4. Giving your compost enough time to make it stable
The longer your compost pile cures the more stable it becomes. At the same time, it is less likely that nutrients will leach out at the first drop of rain. Additionally, Covering the pile with a tarp prevents rainfall from soaking in, and regular turning of the pile also speeds up the process. Hence, Compost piles can cure for a month or year.
5. Active monitoring of your compost
You will eventually know your compost is ready when the material looks evenly textured, dark-colored, crumbly, and earthy-smelling. A well-managed compost pile is free of the odors mostly associated with an uncomposted manure pile. Moreover, it will look like soil and odor-free when ready.
The Advantages Of Horse Manure Compost
- Protects water quality
- Minimizes manure volume
- Helps preserve natural resources
- It supports important soil bacteria
- A popular additive to many home gardens
- More marketable than uncomposted manure
- Increases high-quality yields, soil fertility, and regeneration
- Preserves nutrients used as soil enrichment for plants’ continual growth
- It builds up plant nutrients in the soil resulting in little need for fertilizer
- Kills most bacteria, parasites, and weed seeds that is a great concern for human health
The Horse Manure Compost As Fertilizer
Animal manure contains calcium, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and other nutrients which enhance soil fertility. In fact, these days horse manure is considered a valuable organic fertilizer resource instead of waste. And using it as a soil amendment is helpful and feasible. Moreover, to produce a good horse manure fertilizer, composting is your first step in the production line.
Using horse manure in your garden is simple, and takes multiple forms. You can use it as a soil amendment, a fertilizer, or just as the soil itself. Also, it is an effective liquid fertilizer. Yet there are points you need to consider such as; temperature, water, ph level, and oxygen in proper proportion. To optimize the benefits of manure compost in the garden, the right application is important.
Furthermore, you can indeed improve your soil in so many other ways. Yet, if you are seeking an organic solution, horse manure is about as organic as you get. Certainly, it is easy to work with and is convenient in a smaller garden, yet it works great in a larger garden too. Fertilizers vary counting on what the horse has eaten. For example, when horses eat grass, they also eat anything which is on the grass.
Aside from being organic, it is also mild on plants, unlike any other animal manure. It creates a valuable and rich resource that most gardeners long for. Additionally, for good results, you should consider giving it to nitrogen-hungry plants such as; garlic, potatoes, corn, and lettuce. And is also great for boosting your grass lawn.
Conclusion
To sum it up, using horse manure in your garden needs to be done so carefully. If you want to use horse manure as fertilizer it is good to use thoroughly dried and well-aged manure that worked into the soil without risking or burning the roots of your plants. Horse manure is Nitrogen-rich although it does not have extremely high quantities of Phosphorus and Potassium.
No doubt that horse manure can be a fantastic way to give your garden a boost. So what are you up to? Give it a try and be the best gardener in your own simple way. It is all about seeing horse manure as a valuable resource instead of a waste product. In addition, it is necessary to have a perfect working process from movement to composting.
