wrote in message
On Mar 23, 8:50 am, "Dave T Scotland"
wrote:
Hi, - finding it difficult to come up with a clear answer to the
following. I'm sure there are some excellent knowledgeable people
out there....

We have 1/2 acre + huge polytunnel and try to grow good veggies for
ourselves... We also have access to lots of horse dung ('oss-
muck'),
but are not sure what we can use it on... The dung is fairly "pure",
i.e not much mixed up with straw bedding, and fresh-ish. Do we have
to compost it before we can use it? If so by mixing it with what? We
have access to lots of grass cuttings, but not hay/straw. Are there
any veggies that like it dug in "neat"? Or is it too strong for most
things???? Cheers....

Horse is not a very strong (ie hot) manure as it is high in undigested
fibre (the horse's gut is not particularly efficient) and low on
nitrogen (compared to chicken or other birds' manure) . Before you
use it do a test to see what germinates from it so that you don't
import a vast number of pasture weeds or start growing oats etc. If
it has many viable seeds in it you will have to hot compost it before
use. I don't have the problem as I feed the horses on my own
pasture. I use it three ways.

1) Around established trees and shrubs straight off the paddock.

2) Layered in the compost heap with kitchen scraps and trimmings/
prunings and grass from the yard. The compost is then used in the
normal way anwhere.

3) Heaped up to rot on its own. I am in a warm climate with many bugs
that live in the turds so it breaks down within a month or two. This
mellows it somewhat and breaks up the nuggets into a fine fluffy mix
that is easily dug in. I use this anywhere including the vege garden
in fairly large quantities. In a cold climate or one that does not
host so many dungbeetles, flies and midges it will take longer to
break down.

David

I agree with much of what David says.

I also live in a hottish climate and use it as it comes in most situations
as I bag is as I load it into my truck. I don't use very fresh stuff on
seedlings but I do use it around half grown veg as a mulch with straw or hay
or other materials on top or dug in ot just thrown on the veg beds at the
beginning of winter and then let sit till spring.

The reason why I use horse manure and lots of it is that I have very poor
soil (with about an inch of real topsoil if I'm lucky). I'ts mostly subsoil
and had no worms or signs of microflora before I started a heavy regime of
horse poop application. Now I have both worms and some life in my soil.

I love the stuff, don't get many weeds (because I mulch and just pull up the
few that do germinate), find it is brilliant for soil improvement and
provides a good growing environment for most things I've tried it on or
around or planted into it (mixed with the existing "soil", or what passes
for it here).