Horse manure properties

El horse manure It is one of the best fertilizers that we can find today so that our plants grow healthy and strong. It has many properties, and its price on the market is really attractive (a 45-liter bag can cost around 7 euros). So we no longer have an excuse to fertilize our pots or garden with one of the most interesting organic fertilizers.

Let us know why.

What are the properties of horse manure?

Horse manure, as its name suggests, comes from the feces of said animal. It is often mixed with remnants of herbs; in fact, it is the one with the most straw content. As we said, it has several very interesting properties for our crops. Among them we highlight:

• High rich in cellulose
• Nitrogen poor
• Eliminate harmful bacteria
• Prevent weeds from growing
• Improves the soil structure, making it more spongy

What is the composition of horse manure?

The composition may vary depending on the diet that the animal has followed, as well as on the brand itself in the event that we acquire it already packaged in sacks. Anyway, you can get an idea taking into account these average values ​​that we tell you below:

• pH: between 7,8 and 8,5
• Nitrogen (N): 10,34g / kg
• Phosphorus (P): 3,07g / kg
• Potassium (K): 5,4g / kg
• Cadmium Cd): less than 0,00015g / kg
• Chromium (Cr): 0,006g / kg
• Nickel Ni): 0,005g / kg
• Lead (Pb): 0,002g / kg
• Copper (Cu): less than 0,004g / kg
• Zinc (Zn): 0,031g / kg

Do you have any drawbacks?

The truth is that yes. If it is used fresh, it has two negative points: one is the odours that it gives off, and the other is that, being very hot, can burn the roots of the plants. For these reasons, it is much more advisable to buy ready-made bags of compost, as they do not smell and are at a more pleasant temperature for the crops.

Still, you can always mix it with the earthespecially if you have poor drainage or are poorly fertile. In this way, when you want to start planting plants, their roots will find excellent quality soil.

How to use horse manure?

Horse manure compost can be used to fertilize all types of plants, except carnivorous and acidophilic. To do this, you can add the amount you want, and mix it with the soil or substrate. There is no danger of overdose, nor are there unnecessary risks being low in nitrogen, so you don't have to worry about that  . Still, if you want to be on the safe side, I'll tell you that the recommended amount is as follows:

• Vegetables: between 20 and 30 tons per hectare.
• Fruit trees: 10-20 liters per planting hole.
• Ornamental plants and grass: the ratio 1: 5 of compost and soil is used; that is to say, one part of compost for five parts of soil. For example, we would put one square meter of compost for every five square meters of soil.

How is it used in pots?

It will depend on whether that manure is fresh, or whether it is dry. In pots, it is always very important to apply manures the drier they are the better, otherwise the roots would burn. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase it packaged (for example from this article), or let them dry in the sun for one or two weeks (more if it is autumn-winter).

As soon as it is ready, you have to mix it well with the earth. For this reason, we do not recommend its use in plants that are already planted in pots, but it is recommended when transplanting them to larger pots.

What plants is horse manure good for?

In general, being a compost of organic origin it can be really useful and beneficial for many types of plants: grass, palm trees, trees, flowers, orchard ...

But yes, because it has a very high pH, it should never be applied to acidophilic plants, such as Japanese maples, camellias, gardenias or azaleas, since otherwise their leaves will turn yellow due to the lack of iron.

We hope that everything you have read about horse manure, one of the most used organic fertilizers, has been useful to you.