Composed of fecal matter, urine and plant carbonaceous matter, horse manure brings many minerals and trace elements to the soil as it decomposes. These are all nutrients that are beneficial to the different plants planted in the vegetable garden. Find out in this article how to use horse manure to improve the soil of your vegetable garden and therefore the growth of your plants.
How do you use horse manure?
An excellent soil amendment, horse manure can be used in a variety of ways depending on the desired results and the state of decomposition of the latter:
Fresh horse manure
Useful for enriching the soil before planting, it is spread on the ground about 4 months before planting and not on the plants that are growing. Indeed, it can contain traces of urine, possible drug residues or bacteria that can contaminate the vegetables. The amount of nitrogen that the manure contains when it is fresh could also burn plant roots. It is advisable to apply 1 kg of fresh manure per m2 every 2 to 3 years.
The ideal time to apply fresh horse manure is in the fall. Copyright (c) 2020 Medvedeva Oxana/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
Decomposed horse manure
In this form, it can be used at any time due to the composting process that raises the temperature of the manure quite high and eliminates any bacteria. It is advisable to spread a quantity of up to 3 kg of decomposed manure per m2 per year in your vegetable garden. Depending on the state of decomposition of the manure, it will be said to be semi-ripe or mature.
When should you put horse manure in your garden?
The ideal time to apply fresh horse manure is in the fall. Thus, rain, frost, earthworms and other microorganisms will have plenty of time to act during the winter so that it decomposes and gradually integrates into the soil. This will improve the soil and be rich in the nutrients needed for the proper growth of the vegetables you plant in the spring.
Composted manure can be used in the spring. It is then to be applied to the soil of the vegetable garden in a layer of about 5 cm, about two weeks before planting. All you have to do is bury it under a little soil and then sow or plant the vegetables in your vegetable garden. It can also be used to enrich the soil of the vegetable garden from spring to late summer, even when the plants are in full growth. In this case, very small amounts are preferable.
What plant likes horse manure?
In fact, a multitude of vegetable plants, but also flowers, enjoy horse manure. In the vegetable garden, it is particularly ideal for meeting the needs of gourmet plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants or squash. Lettuces also enjoy manure, but only well decomposed.
What plants don't like manure?
Composted manure can be used in the spring. Copyright (c) 2022 kram-9/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
Some plants do not tolerate manure, especially horse manure, such as garlic, shallots and onions.
Where to get horse manure?
It is quite possible to collect free and fresh horse manure from an equestrian center or from breeders and compost it yourself, as long as you make sure that it does not show any traces of medication. It is also possible to buy some already composted at a garden centre. There is also dehydrated manure that comes in pellet form. Versatile and more compact, it is used to fertilize the soil as well as to support vegetable plants in their growth by providing them with the nutrients they need.