Horse Manure
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thistlebloom
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To kill weed seeds you have to get the pile really hot ( a compost thermometer helps to know ). What all are you adding besides HM? I've composted straight HM before and its neccesary to keep it damp, like a wrung out sponge, and turn it every two or three days.
freemotion
Chillin' In The Garden
Giving chickens free access to the pile helps, too.
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thistlebloom
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Well, it did heat up because it "smoked" when I turned it.
Now whether that was hot enough to kill weed seeds I don't know.
I used it regardless, because it was from my horses and I had a lot of it. The heat part also depends on the age. If it's been sitting around and has lost that special "freshness"
then it's not going to get as hot. Mine was just straight HM, no bedding. If it has bedding in it that will change things up too. Shavings would take longer to compost than straw bedding. A lot of gardeners kinda look down on HM as a garden additive but I found it did a fine job in my soil. But I love all things equine, so I'm biased.
One word of caution, if the horses have been on bermuda hay ,you better make good and certain the pile heats up HOT or you will forever and ever be fighting bermuda in your beds
. I can't tell you how long it took cuz I don't know. I always had several piles going and wasn't in a particular rush to use it. If you forced me to guess i'd say 2 or 3 months-ish (?).
Chickens aren't a reliable way of turning your pile IMO. Sure they like to "help", but they kind of scatter it, and what you want to aim for is about a 4x4x4 foot pile, and let it stay compact and "work" for some days in between turnings. Whew! Hopefully this is at least a tiny bit helpful and not just a lot of b.s.!
Now whether that was hot enough to kill weed seeds I don't know.
I used it regardless, because it was from my horses and I had a lot of it. The heat part also depends on the age. If it's been sitting around and has lost that special "freshness"
then it's not going to get as hot. Mine was just straight HM, no bedding. If it has bedding in it that will change things up too. Shavings would take longer to compost than straw bedding. A lot of gardeners kinda look down on HM as a garden additive but I found it did a fine job in my soil. But I love all things equine, so I'm biased.One word of caution, if the horses have been on bermuda hay ,you better make good and certain the pile heats up HOT or you will forever and ever be fighting bermuda in your beds
. I can't tell you how long it took cuz I don't know. I always had several piles going and wasn't in a particular rush to use it. If you forced me to guess i'd say 2 or 3 months-ish (?).Chickens aren't a reliable way of turning your pile IMO. Sure they like to "help", but they kind of scatter it, and what you want to aim for is about a 4x4x4 foot pile, and let it stay compact and "work" for some days in between turnings. Whew! Hopefully this is at least a tiny bit helpful and not just a lot of b.s.!
boggybranch
Deeply Rooted
A good way to compost horse manure is to pile it up, cover in black plastic (securing all the edges) and let it do it's "thang" for 12 months. Pile it, cover it, forget about it. (Sounds like a certain infomercial, doesn't it?)
Organics North
Leafing Out
I have access to horse manure, so I compost it. I do big piles, 12 foot around and 6 feet high piles and turn them weekly. (Tractor) Keep the "fire" burning by bringing in material from the outside into the core of the pile. Also bringing in oxygen so I get a nice low odor, aerobic compost action..
I like to mix in browns and if the manure is aged, I will spike it with chicken manure to spike it up..
Heck last fall I tossed a deer carcase in the core, it was almost completely gone in a little over a month.. Weed seeds that are rotated through the core are killed.
ON
I like to mix in browns and if the manure is aged, I will spike it with chicken manure to spike it up..
Heck last fall I tossed a deer carcase in the core, it was almost completely gone in a little over a month.. Weed seeds that are rotated through the core are killed.
ON
journey11
Garden Master
Mixed in with old wet hay, it will heat up very well on it's own. We just pile ours behind the hog barn and leave it. It cooks down to almost nothing!
