manure

Hi popped into the Range on Sunday and they are doing 3 for 2 on Westlands Manure. Tbh I have never used manure before but would like to this year. Are you supposed to dig it in, then leave for a few weeks before planting? And can I just put some round the plants which are already in the garden ie palms and bamboos? I think I read somewhere I can but not to let the manure touch the stems of the plant. I am going to add compost as well.

 

Hi Dorothy,if the manure is bagged up already then it should have gone already through the decomposing stage and should be safe to put round your plants.If Westlands was selling you fresh manure then by the time it had gone through the right stages and be ready for going on the land and around plants it would have shrunk down and out of your 3 for 2 bags you would probably get one bag instead of three

Only if the manure is the really fresh stuff that you can buy/get free from stables etc would you need to stack it and let it rot down before you could use it.

Your plants will most definetley benefit from anything you can give it after the wet year we had last year

 

Being lucky enough to have manure making "machines", from my experience of over 20 years you don't need to dig in manure unless you want a work out! I'd avoid putting the bagged stuff you intend to buy right up to the stems of plants so perhaps leave a circle of about 8 ins diameter from any stems.Unless the bags state otherwise I'd be confident to use it as part of your planting medium without digging in /waiting. I learnt from an expert gardener years and years ago that you can put newly produced horse droppings straight onto beds and let the worms do the hard work for you. If as is likely there is a good deal of bedding material if getting it direct from stables then yes you do need to let it break down, ideally until you can no longer distinguish what the bedding was if this makes sense, usually about 9 months depending on the weather and if shavings/paper/straw was used as bedding. Straw's the best but paper rots down quicker, shavings takes the longest. As Kandy has already said, the bagged stuff will have presumably already gone through the break down stage and therefore no need to wait. You wouldn't want to plant anything with fresh stuff but it works very well as a mulch around plants and is surprisingly good at keeping weeds down. Kandy is also spot on re amounts if the bagged manure wasn't rotted down. My manure heap which can reach alarming proportions! will shrink by at least 3/4 by the time it is ready to be used when planting.

 

Hi thanks for the info. I was hoping to plant out a few things at Easter, but if this weather does not pick up soon, could be in for a long wait