Weeds growing inside horse manure bags?

iamjowilson · October 2022

I have some local horse manure which has sat over the summer in black bags, tops rolled over. Opening it to use it now, some of the bags have lovely healthy looking crops of weeds (nettles, cinquefoil etc) growing inside the dark bags. Is there anything I can do to redeem these batches, so I can still use the manure?

Dovefromabove · October 2022

I’d fork it over and remove the weeds by the roots, then stack it in a heap to use next year.

Busy-Lizzie · October 2022

Horse manure always has weed seeds in it, unless it is the sterilised commercial sort. Horses eat weeds, hay and grass which contain them. I kept horses and used their manure and weed seeds seemed to survive. It was a good plant food and improved my soil but there were always weeds.

iamjowilson · October 2022

Ok - thanks - ill
fork it over and remove the roots. Could I then add it to my active compost heap?

MikeOxgreen · October 2022

Yes. Mix it in well, chuck some paper, cardboard or any other 'brown' too to give it a good balance if needed.

Fairygirl · October 2022

Interesting - I've never had weed seeds in manure, and I've handled a very large amount of it in my lifetime...
I'd do as @Dovefromabove and @Busy-Lizzie suggest - fork it through, then leave it over winter, either in the bags or in your compost bin, but if you have bare ground where you don't need to plant anything until next year, you could spread it there. Just keep an eye on it and give it a hoe now and again if you see anything sprouting.
No need to do anything else to it

Woodgreen · October 2022

The worst case I saw was an introduction of creeping thistle.....under a pyracantha!
Ouch....

iamjowilson · October 2022

Yikes Woodgreen. I have weeds but I def don’t want any new varieties introducing 😂

Busy-Lizzie · October 2022

@Fairygirl, maybe it was because my paddocks and hay were full of wild flowers and yours weren't.

Fairygirl · October 2022

I think it's probably volume too @Busy-Lizzie. We had upwards of thirty horses/ponies of various types stabled, and while some were out at grass for part of the year, most were inside for winter, apart from some liveries which had a couple of hours turned out, weather permitting. That meant our midden was a fair old size by spring - a small house! Any weed seeds would have been unlikely to survive. Our fields were big, and had plenty of good grazing too, although there was also plenty of weeds etc. Our hay was top quality stuff from Stirlingshire, but we moved over to haylage, and although we could produce a bit of our own, as it doesn't need the same process as hay, it's never easy on this side of the country. The east is the side for hay and grain.

One of the joys of 'sorting' the midden in the depths of winter was that it kept your feet nice and warm

Weeds growing inside horse manure bags?

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