Horse manure has been used successfully in the garden for decades. We show how you can benefit from using horse manure as fertilizer in your own garden.
Even the great aunt swore by the effect of horse manure for rose fertilization and the lovely scent of the apple-shaped legacies does not seem to contradict this. However, you should use fresh horse manure with caution, otherwise some plants in the garden will not grow as they should - or die directly.
To make it easier for you to use valuable horse manure, this article deals with the effect, procurement and use of this natural fertilizer. To ensure that no sensitive plants are damaged, you will also find information on the suitability of the very nutrient-rich horse manure.
How does horse manure work as fertilizer?
Horse manure is a mixture of horse droppings, urine and bedding. It is considered a particularly valuable organic fertilizer because, in addition to the important main nutrient elements, it also contains a lot of magnesium and many trace nutrient elements. It is also rated as a plant fertilizer, so it quickly provides quite large amounts of nutrients. In contrast, the soil-improving properties, such as humus reproduction, are rather moderate.
However, the composition can be quite variable: If you buy horse manure directly from the animal owner, more or less litter can be mixed in as structural material. The more litter the manure contains, the more its effect shifts in the direction of a soil fertilizer. So fewer nutrients are released, but humus reproduction and soil life are encouraged. As a result, soil qualities such as water storage, nutrient buffering and aeration can improve. Storage in the open air also changes the properties of horse manure: As decomposition begins, nitrogen and fresh organic matter disappear and the plant-fertilizing effect is increased. After longer storage, the nutrient content drops again and composting begins.
Summary: How does horse manure workas fertilizer?
- When fresh, horse manure acts as a strong and rapid source of organic nutrients and as a moderate soil conditioner
- Short exposure to air further enhances nutrient delivery
- Long storage and composting decreases nutrient levels and increases soil-improving properties
- The more bedding material (straw, shavings, hay) in the manure, the more horse manure improves the soil
Which plants can be fertilized with horse manure?
The plants that can be fertilized with the horse manure depend on its condition. Since fresh horse manure or horse manure that has only been stored for a short time is extremely rich in nutrients, it is not suitable for young plants and herbs, among other things. Nutrient-rich horse manure can cause overfeeding damage to medium and low nutrient requirement plants. While slight over-fertilization only results in nutrient-specific growth changes, severe over-fertilization can lead to so-called exosmosis and thus to the death of the plant. You can use horse manure that has been composted over a year or has a very high proportion of litter on any plant. The table below shows which plants can be fertilized with fresh horse manure without being damaged.
| Suitable plants for fertilizing with fresh horse manure | Unsuitable plants for fertilizing with fresh horse manure |
|---|---|
| Summer Flowers | Fruit Trees & Shrubs |
| Seasonal Planting | Weakly consuming vegetables and vegetables with a short cultivation period |
| Heavily consuming vegetables | Shrubs and perennials |
| Deciduous hedge plants | Young plants and sowings |
| Roses | Herbs and Rock Garden Plants |
Tip: For reasons of hygiene, you should not fertilize vegetable plants that have been cultivated for a short time with horse manure, in order to avoid spreading diseases and worm eggs. Radishes and lettuce are considered vegetables with a short cultivation time.
Buy horse manure: Recommended sources of supply
You can find the best source for horse manure locally. Most horse owners are happy if something is taken from the often voluminous storage facilities - they usually have to have the manure disposed of at their own expense. However, some have also discovered that there is money to be made with fertilizer made from horse manure and offer their product in local shopsclassified ads or online. And there is another way to buy horse manure: Fertilizer manufacturers process the very water-containing manure into dry pellets. These can already be purchased in many garden centers and offer a much higher level of convenience when it comes to distribution - of course at a higher price.
Application of horse manure as fertilizer
If you use fresh horse manure, one kilogram per square meter is sufficient. This heavy fertilization is done only once a year and its effect wears off as the growing season progresses. Therefore, it makes sense to use an organic long-term fertilizer for re-fertilization by June at the latest, which will ensure the supply into the new year. For example, you could use one of our Plantura organic fertilizers, such as the Plantura organic universal fertilizer.
In general, you should not spread fresh horse manure in the fall, but better at the end of winter. There are two reasons for this: On the one hand, fertilizing with horse manure supplies a lot of nitrogen, which means that the fertilized plants are less frost hardy in autumn. On the other hand, large amounts of nitrogen can be washed out in the course of autumn and winter. This represents a loss for your bed and a burden on the groundwater. Fresh horse manure is worked deep into light, sandy soil. On heavy soils, on the other hand, incorporation is as flat as possible. The adapted incorporation ensures that nutrients are not released too quickly or too slowly.
You can use composted horse manure with less hesitation. It doesn't deliver very quickly, but it does provide small amounts of nutrients for a long time. The regular distribution of composted or litter-rich horse manure is a soil care measure and should be supplemented with more nutrient-rich fertilizers if necessary. Composted horse manure can also serve as a gentle fertilizing element in home-mixed potting soil.
Summary: Application of Horse Manure as Fertilizer
- Annual fertilization with horse manure should be done at the end of winter
- Of fresh horse manure spread one kilogram per square meter
- Horse manure is worked deep into light soil and shallow into heavy soil
- In June, additional fertilization with an organic long-term fertilizer makes sense
- You can use composted horse manure as a soil conditioner and as part ofUse potting soil
You can find comprehensive information on other natural fertilizers in our special article.