I just received a truck load of composted horse manure. I would like to use it as a top dressing...or mulch. Is it OK to use it that way? I wasn't sure if that would be too much nitrogen but I seem to remember somewhere that you can mulch with compost. Any help you can provide will be much appreciated.
As long as it fully composted I would apply it. I use all of my yard waste (clippings and leaves) as compost/mulch every year. I apply yards and yards of it. The plants love it.
Was spreading horse manure around this afternoon, do it each year here and there. Does wonders. Its not really a hot manure like some others, so I don't even wait...often its straight from the horses mouth...well, the other end never had a problem!
I know this is away from the forum, but this is interesting.. I have allways heard it had to lay and damp off at least ½ to 1 year before you could use it in the garden.
It have been the reason I have never used it other than a bit added to the compost bin...
I live in the middle of a city... no words needed
But if it could b used fresh... it could be fun to see the face of the grosery shops custumers, just next door...
I have used it fresh in the greenhouse for heating up the temps for tomatoes and cucumbers...
Can it really be used straight in the garden
Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.
E-mail for pics hostapics@gmail.com
o.k. theres horse manure, and then there's horse manure! depends on the bedding, I guess. If its straw, yup it can get a little hot if heaped up, but if its sawdust or shavings, and the person doing the mucking only picks out the bad, you really don't have anything to heat it up. Personally I use both, depending whats happening in the barn, and a sprinkling never hurt, although fresh. All my raised beds are horse manure, some has sat for 4 months before I planted in it, and some not. BTW, I never notice an odor, but sure can tell when there's a cow close by
My rule of thumb for judging any manure-based compost for immediate use is easy...if it looks like sh!t or smells like sh!t...it isn’t compost yet and needs to age longer before use.
If it is a dark, lightweight, crumbly material that all looks the same (not much is recognizable as bedding, added plant waste or cow pies), has an earthy scent rather than manure scent and you wouldn’t mind sticking your bare hands in it...its ready to use.
Plants LOVE compost - it feeds them and improves the soil conditions at the same time. I build all my raised beds by adding 18-24” of a 50/50 mix of composted cow manure and leafmould, and add a few inches of the same mix for a mulch each year. Just don’t put the mulch down touching the stems of your plants.
Mud, thanks for your interest in the garden. I know it took quite a beating during the last freeze, but I think it'll be OK once the leaves are all the way out. If not...oh well, not much I can do about it.
Here are a few pics from last year while we wait for this years emergence.
Oh Poppi thanks for the hotsa fix! Love your yard, you will never bore me, I can never get enough.
Hope everything survived for you. I seem to have had some loss, don't want to even look until things start to leaf out...I know some are late arrivals. Patience is not one of my strong points! LOL!
~PIM~
°`°º¤ø,¸¸Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life¸¸,ø¤º°`°
I would like to use it as a top dressing...or mulch. Is it OK to use it that way? 
I wasn't sure if that would be too much nitrogen but I seem to remember somewhere that you can mulch with compost. Any help you can provide will be much appreciated.
never had a problem!
I have used it fresh in the greenhouse for heating up the temps for tomatoes and cucumbers... 
:lol::eek:
