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18-06-2004, 06:03 AM

(Jay) wrote in message . com...
(Bob S.) wrote in message . com...
(Jay) wrote in message . com...
I have horses and an abundant supply of manure. I hot compost the
manure, turning frequently, until it is no longer heating.

My question is, is this a good source of fertilizer, (nitrogen, et.
al.), for my veggie garden? I'm fairly new to gardening but my plants
look rather weak and yellow. I started the garden with lots of
compost but didn't add any other fertilizer. Is compost enough or
not?

No. Plant matter passing through an animal's intestine only partially
breaks down. About 20% breakdown for a rabbit, 40% or so for a horse,
and about 60% for a cow. (A cow's is higher because they chew it
twice). So 60% of horse manure is plant material very little different
from when it was eaten.
All plant material requires nitrogen to decompose into compost. If
manure is put into the garden before it is fully composted, it will
pull nitrogen intended for your vegetable plants. A sign this is
happening is your veggie leaves turning yellow. Make sense??
Add some water soluable fertilizer, like miracle grow, to your plants
followed by a slow release granular fertilizer. This will get you
over this year's hump. Start composting your horse manure now for next
year's garden. Because composting material is not hot does *not* mean
it is ready to use. No matter what I do to mine, it produces very
little heat. That is why it takes a year or more to compost all the
way.

Bob S.

Bob,

Thanks for the advice, I suspected what you said was very likely my
problem and I am planning a miracle grow treatment for today.

Regarding the slow release granular fertilizer, what type should I
use. I see miracle grow is 15-30-15. Should I look for this or would
a turf fertilizer, which is typically much higher in nitrogen, be more
appropriate?

Thanks again to everybody.

The first number, 15, is the nitrogen content, and I wouldn't go
higher than 15 for vegetables. In fact, 10 would probably be ok. The
second number, 30, (potassium if I recall correctly) gives me a little
doubt. If the soil hasn't been fertilized much over the years, 30 is
probably ok. If the soil has received a lot of fertilizer over the
years, it should be much lower. In poorer soil, it promotes a strong
root system for the plants. However, it never ever leaves the soil
and just keeps building up year after year. If it gets too high, it
blocks the roots from absorbing needed nutrients. And there is
absolutely nothing you can do to correct it other than hauling off the
soil and starting over. That's why a soil test is so important.
My property used to be a cotton field and got fertilized heavily every
year. A soil test showed a very high level of potassium. All I can
use on my lawn & garden is 15-0-15. If I had not gotten the soil test,
eventually nothing would grow and I wouldn't know why.
Good luck.

Bob S.