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Horse manure?
Geir Harris Hedemark wrote:
Rob Halgren writes: Messy, a bit. Unsanitary? I strongly doubt that horse manure is a vector of human disease. It is. Tetanus and other nasty germs thrive in more or less all kinds of soil and manure. Tetanus is anaerobic, I believe. Not likely to pick it up from simple skin contact. But I think the point is "is it any more unsanitary than garden dirt"? I don't know of any diseases that are passed from horse to human via a fecal route. Other animals, sure. I could be wrong, of course (say it ain't so!!). If you know of a specific human pathogen in horse manure, then by all means let me know so I know to take appropriate precautions. E. coli might be a danger, but the only hazardous strains of that that I have seen are from bovines. Of course there all sorts of microorganisms in any biological sample, including what comes out of the back of a large grazing animal... But it isn't biohazardous waste, requiring orange bags, gloves, and a ventilator. I might use a shovel or pitchfork, and some of those kitchen gloves if I was feeling particularly squeemish. Immune compromised individuals should probably run screaming the other way, of course. I've gotten far more diseases from my daughter's day-care center than I have ever gotten working outside in the garden. But I thought the trick of growing in horse manure involved using ....medium... fresh off the horse, so to speak. Anyway, I think that as long as you don't eat it, grind it up and inject it under your skin (or poke yourself with sharp objects in its presence), or snort it, you shouldn't be able to harm yourself with fresh horse dung. You would really have to go out of your way. It has a bit of a fragrance, but not terribly offensive. It certainly doesn't smell like human waste. Wash your hands after repotting. You should do that anyway, regardless of what you pot in. Once manure (of any kind) has been properly composted, it is safe, however. Proper composting involves getting the pile to pretty warm temperatures for a considerable time, which kills any remaining pathogens. At that point it is as safe or safer than dirt. And smells better, too. I wouldn't use other than barnyard manures on food crops. Some 'organic' regulations (if you want to be certified as an organic grower) require that no manures be applied to food crops within a few weeks of harvest. Whatever. Some people compost dog or cat waste (not I), or even human waste (again not I), but I think the general recommendation there is that even if it has been well composted it is best to use these manures on non-edible crops. It is quite easy to pass human disease through human waste, so don't be stupid. I partially compost my 'horsey gold' before putting it on the garden. That means that when my neighbor drops it off (in big piles in my yard), it usually takes a few days or a week or so before I can move it. By then it has cooked a little bit. For a gardener, living next to a horse farm is like finding diamonds in your soup. Rob -- Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren 1) There is always room for one more orchid 2) There is always room for two more orchids 2a. See rule 1 3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase more orchids, obtain more credit |
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