Horse manure on grass
longhaul
Posts: 2
Hi everyone. We have just bought a property with a one acre paddock. we don't want to keep horses on the land, but have thought about putting a pollytunnel on there and also turning part of it into an orchard. The lady who owns the house has piled up horse manure for years and we were wondering if its possible to spread a lot of it over the grass paddock. would a thin layer help the grass to grow and will the grass grow through the manure? we don't want to kill off the grass and end up haing to resow a lawn.
Thanks
0
Posts
it should work fine, but a large pile of well rotted manure is an asset and i wouldnt waste it on grass, if you are thinking about growing in a ploy tunnel etc.
Have you checked if you need permissions for this? If its designated agricultural land, you need to check what you can do on it - its not garden.
HELLO LONGHAUL,
IT'S CALLED MUCK SPREADING AND FARMERS DO IT ALL THE TIME.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF READING.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
Thank you. The land has to be used for agricultural or horticultural purposes so I think my plans should be fine. I take your point about not wasting it.
As the manure is well-rotted, it would be great to boost your grass or fertilize borders.
Fresh manure is acidic and will contain a lot of undesirable seeds. Once manure has been left to rot (like yours has), the high temperatures inside the rotting heap will kill off all but the hardiest of seeds or weeds.