Forum home› The potting shed
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Horse Manure Ratio

Dave115Dave115 Posts: 25
in The potting shed
What is the opinion of gardeners as to the best ratio of "poo" to straw ?
I have always sought the brownest mixture but was dissapointed to collect
a couple of bags of largely straw from my local supplier. Does it matter that much ?

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    so long as you leave it all to rot down together, I'd not worry much
    Devon.
  • Chris-P-BaconChris-P-Bacon Posts: 943
    Dave115 said:
    What is the opinion of gardeners as to the best ratio of "poo" to straw ?
    I have always sought the brownest mixture but was dissapointed to collect
    a couple of bags of largely straw from my local supplier. Does it matter that much ?
    No..you're way overthinking it..
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Typically you'd have more manure than straw or shavings. It won't matter other than the fact that it'll be less nutritious if there's more straw. It all improves the soil though.

    The folk who were mucking out clearly weren't very good at it - there shouldn't be masses of straw if you're doing it properly   ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • MikeOxgreenMikeOxgreen Posts: 812
    Compost thread here: The make your own compost thread — BBC Gardeners' World Magazine (gardenersworld.com)

    Yes of course it matters, 50/50 is best with enough water to keep it happy. More poo, less water. Less poo more water.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    If you muck out properly there will be poo and wet straw but straw is much more bulky than poo. And if half what you take out of the box is poo, I reckon your bed (stable) must stink to heaven. I never put my old boy to bed on anything I couldn't lie down on myself....
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    We get a huge variation in what is delivered from our local stables, to our allotment site. Most of us want more poo, but as others say above, it's all good stuff. We fill builder's dumpy bags with it, and water it, and covered with a tarpaulin. We water it every other month or so during Summer, and ideally leave for one year. 

    It would probably be broken down enough after 6 months, but we find one year sees it turn into dark gold.
  • Dave115Dave115 Posts: 25
    Thanks everyone for your thought provoking replies. I'm thinking that
    poo is still vegetable matter, just a bit more processed.
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    It depends what straw is being dumped - I always deep littered my horses' beds, so a clear out would be just pee-soaked, half rotted straw. If it's still dry & yellow, they're wasting it. 
    You could find a local field and ask to collect poo from their field pile, and add it to what you have.
Sign In or Register to comment.