Is horse Manure Killing our plants ?
scott13
Posts: 3
Hi there , we built some planters at the back of garden 2 months ago and filled them with compost . When we were filling them we added some horse manure , thinking that this would be good for the soil and for growing . We then proceeded to plant some plants .
We were telling someone about what we did and we mentioned the horse manure , they asked if the manure was old stuff , which it wasn't , it was 'straight from a stable' , she then told us this was bad for plants which we didn't know . I have now noticed that some of the plant leaves have developed holes in them and I'm starting to think that this is either the manure or some little bugs perhaps ?
If this is the manure that is causing it , is there anything I can now add to the soil to try and get the soil back to normal . I assume maybe it messes with the PH levels of the soil ?
Posts
Not holes in the leaves, no. That'll be small slugs or a beetle. Too fresh, manure will burn roots and leaves will go yellowed and drop off, but you might get away with it if it's well mixed with soil.
H-C
I think it's more that fresh manure will burn the plants and also that seeds (of weeds mostly) will germinate and grow. It really needs to decompose before it's used in the garden.
Other more knowledgeable people can probably give you a better explanation.
Fresh horse manure needs to be composted for a good six months if not a year before applying to beds. Fresh contains too many acids which will be harmful to plants.
Yep , we didn't know this before , but it makes sense now that we know .
My question if now how do we go about mixing the soil ?
the manure was mixed in nearer to the bottom of the planter so I'm hoping that will help
This doesn't sound like manure overdose to me. Holes in leaves could be a number of pests. You don't say what you've planted.....perhaps post some pictures of the plants and the damage will help people with their diagnosis'.
Manure is best well rotted as others have said but used in moderation you can still use it fresh. You say you put it in the bottom of the raised beds. Did you mix it in? How much did you use? Depending on how much other soil in direct contact with the roots, you will probably be OK. Too much manure will burn roots and cause plants to suffer but if it's not too much, you've added goodness.
They must have trained those horses very well.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
Hi Scott - if there's a decent amount of soil above the manure, your plants might well be ok. It does depend what you've got in there, as the roots may not get down far enough for it to cause a huge problem. If the only damage you have is some holes, that's not the manure.
As Verdun says, probably best to leave them alone...and cross your fingers
The alternative is removing everything, cleaning them up and replanting with manure free soil and compost. Bridge too far
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...