I've found out recently, to my great surprise and amazement, that yes, you can in some instances grow in straight horse manure.
I used logs for raised beds and filled them with pure stall siftings taken twice daily...straight from the horse, you might say. No hay or straw mixed in, and no composting time given at all since my projects dealt with strictly ornamental plants. I'd always before thought that I had to mix aged manure with other planting medium to thin it out, so to say, but some (a lot!) of plants seem to be thrilled with the extra nutrients/heat that fresher horse manure supplies.
I'm not saying that the very tender roots of seedlings would necessarily respond the same, but these transplants look happy to me. I suspect that young plants might at least grow tall and lanky, but
who knows?
On the left; not quite a month ago. Right side; taken today. Even the variegated Jacob's Ladder looks great, and I've never, ever had luck with those at all!
A few others planted in pure, straight, fresh horse manure and top-dressed with wood shavings to hide it/reduce smells.
(Top two of these four pictures are just focusing on the plants in front -the others are growing in other potting medium)
Now, my horse is older and semi-retired so she's on a diet that's as low in rich components as possible, and her fresh forage is on the low side right now due to a summer without rain. I don't know if the same results can be had in the spring when there's plenty of fresh greens to gobble up, but for right now these look pretty good to me.
I see no signs of nutrient imbalances or leaf burn whatsoever, and the plants are performing very nicely.
What kinds of experiences have you had? Good, not so good, or are you just wondering about it?
