Horse not only can make a great recreation for sports, they can also produce beneficial elements for the plants such as their manure, which can be produced as mulch if it is composted in the right way. According to the University of Massachusetts, you cannot simply place a big pile of horse manure to be used as garden mulch. The horse manure will only become great mulch if there are helpful microorganisms given the needed time to grow inside the manure. The best thing is that they are not only useful even the smell of the horse manure will change to soil-like smell. If you decide to make your own horse manure, here are the steps on how to do it.
You will need:
- Horse Manure
- Compost Thermometer
- Multiple Compost Bins
- Pitchfork
Horse Manure
Steps:
- In order to kill any parasites and insects inside the horse manure, the temperatures should be at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the temperature should not be over 160 Fahrenheit as the beneficial microorganisms will die. It is important to check the temperatures regularly using a compost thermometer that you can purchase in any home improvement or gardening stores.
- Turn the horse manure using a pitchfork and check if the manure changes into soil and not into dust or slime. To heat up the manure faster and make it ready to use than a pile, use multiple of compost bins to heat up the manure faster.
- When the horse manure smells like soil and appear blackish in color, you can use them as mulch for your planting process.
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Additional Reading:
Prospering as God’s Sharecropper: Vegetable Gardening Made Easy
