Which is the best organic matter? horse or cow?

**taff** · 21-01-2012, 09:06 PM

I use either, whatever I can get my hands on, haven't noticed much difference between them to be honest, except cow poo seems ot give more of an initial boost

**Two_Sheds** · 22-01-2012, 10:02 AM

Neither: comfrey is more nutritious, as a fertiliser.

Manures are soil conditioners though, not feeds. They bulk up the soil (which is made of rock dust etc), enabling it to better conserve water, and encourage beneficial micro-organisms to populate the soil, further enriching it.

You can achieve the same end result with composted vegetation.

You can achieve the same thing with properly composted humanure (yep, I got it in there)

**gardenpassion** · 22-01-2012, 10:17 AM

Ok, thanks, can comfrey be used as a green manure on the plot? not sure about the last suggestion :/ !!

**Nicos** · 22-01-2012, 12:14 PM

I THINK..although I'm not so sure..that you will get more weeds with horse manure as they don't digest as well as cows.
Just make sure they are very well rotted!

**Two_Sheds** · 22-01-2012, 02:08 PM

Originally posted by gardenpassion View Post

can comfrey be used as a green manure on the plot?

Of course, that's its job (though bear in mind it's permanent: once planted, never gotten rid of).

I have 50-60 plants lining 3 sides of my plot. The leaves are cut at least 4 times a year, to make "tea feed" or as a mulch for fruit, or for filling up the daleks.

**VirginVegGrower** · 22-01-2012, 02:10 PM

I use hen poop in my composting unit.

**Kleftiwallah** · 22-01-2012, 02:10 PM

A green manure is a crop you grow in spare ground and dig in when mature. Comfrey will spread and be difficult to control if used as a green manure. I wouldn't. Cheers, Tony.

**Two_Sheds** · 22-01-2012, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by Kleftiwallah View Post

Comfrey will spread and be difficult to control if used as a green manure.

Common comfrey spreads by seeding ~ so cut it before it seeds.
Bocking 14 spreads by root cuttings ~ so don't chop up the roots, just use the leaves.

I've grown & used it for 8 years now, it's no problem to control at all

**donnakebab** · 22-01-2012, 02:42 PM

Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post

Neither: comfrey is more nutritious, as a fertiliser.

Manures are soil conditioners though, not feeds. They bulk up the soil (which is made of rock dust etc), enabling it to better conserve water, and encourage beneficial micro-organisms to populate the soil, further enriching it.

You can achieve the same end result with composted vegetation.

You can achieve the same thing with properly composted humanure (yep, I got it in there)

Please tell me more. I can't afford the book right now but have always wanted to build an outside loo up the end of the garden since visiting CAT years ago. Have neighbours though so probably not feasable. But I reckon I could do it meself without assistance of builder OH.

Just telling OH about it. He said 'You're a strange person you are.'

**donnakebab** · 22-01-2012, 03:11 PM

My mom and dad used to have a greenhouse and they once grew the most prolific cucumber plants ever and it was the cow poo that did that. They got it from friends that ran a dairy farm. So I'm guessing cow poo is good for cucurbits (but not straight off the farm i'm thinking it would need to mature a little.

**Aberdeenplotter** · 22-01-2012, 04:17 PM

Originally posted by Nicos View Post

I THINK..although I'm not so sure..that you will get more weeds with horse manure as they don't digest as well as cows.
Just make sure they are very well rotted!

that's my understanding as well, the difference being that bovines have a few stomachs.

cows are ruminants and have four stomachs. The first stomach chamber is called the rumen. This is the chamber in which large amounts of food are stored and softened.

After the food is processed and softened in the rumen, it is regurgitated. This substance is called the cud and is chewed again. The chewed cud goes directly to the other chambers of the stomach. In the cow, these chambers are, in order, the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. Once the cud arrives in these chambers, additional digestion occurs.

**kfan** · 22-01-2012, 06:09 PM

I thought that the straw in the horse manure is better as it further improves the soil - but I know that most of the people I know who have horses keep them on shavings these days so not sure at all if this has the same effect.

**Scarlet** · 22-01-2012, 06:29 PM

Well I'm with AP and Nicos I have alays been lead to believe less weed seeds in cow manure - so that what I put in my compost bin along with the chicken poop!

**Snadger** · 22-01-2012, 06:30 PM

The best manure, is the one you can get for free!

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