Is Horse Manure Good Fertilizer For Grass?

Have you been wondering: Is horse manure a good fertilizer for grass?

You may be confused by all the conflicting information online about how to properly prepare horse manure for backyard use. Or just seeking the best way to keep your lawn lush and green so you can win the neighborhood lawn competition? 

Don’t worry! I’m going to tell you exactly when you can and can’t use horse manure on your lawn. 

I’ve also included detailed information about how to properly prepare your horse poo for backyard use. The preparation stage is very important!

If you’re wondering what fertilizer you should use when horse manure isn’t a good option, well I’ve got you covered on that front too. 

Keep reading to have all your questions answered!

At a glance, we will be looking at: 

• Is Horse Manure A Good Fertilizer For Grass?
• What Is The Best Natural Lawn Fertilizer?
• How To Use Horse Manure To Grow New Grass
• Why Does Horse Manure Need To Be Composted Before Use?
• How To Properly Prepare Horse Manure Compost
• Is Horse Manure Good For Gardens?
• What Manure Is Best For Grass?
• Is Horse Manure Good Fertilizer?
• Is Horse Manure Green Or Brown?
• Is Horse Manure Good For The Garden?
• How Long Does Horse Manure Take To Rot?
• Is Chicken Manure Good For Lawns?
• When Should I Use Manure On My Lawn?
• Is Horse Manure Good For Vegetable Gardens?
• How Much Horse Manure Should I Add To My Garden?
• Can I Put Horse Manure Straight On The Garden?
• Which Is Better, Horse Or Cow Manure?
• How Good Is Horse Manure For Gardens?

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Some of the links in this article are affiliate links and I may earn if you click on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. I hope you find the information here useful! 

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Is Horse Manure A Good Fertilizer For Grass? 

Composted horse manure is a great organic fertilizer for growing new grass. However, it is a poor choice of fertilizer for established lawns.

Let me explain why…

The nitrogen in horse manure mainly comes from the uric acid content. Unfortunately uric acid evaporates when it’s exposed to air. 

This makes horse manure a poor choice for top-dressing your lawn. Most of the nitrogen will evaporate before it can be absorbed by the grass. 

So composted horse manure is only an effective fertilizer when it is able to be tilled or dug into the soil. 

What Is The Best Natural Lawn Fertilizer?

The best organic fertilizer for grass will have sufficient nitrogen to promote healthy growth. It will also have a high phosphorus content to help the grass establish strong roots. 

Composted poultry manure or worm castings are the best natural fertilizers for grass. They are both very easy to use: just spread or rake over your lawn and water in. 

The best time of day to apply these natural lawn fertilizers is early morning. 

Ideally, you would apply once in early spring and once again in early summer. However, you can apply as often as every six weeks if your lawn grows prolifically.

Worm castings would be my first choice due to their well-balanced nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratio. However, poultry manure compost is also a very popular option with great benefits for your lawn.

Creating your own worm castings from household waste is a very simple way to make your own natural lawn fertilizer. 

Here’s how to turn your household scraps into magical wormy compost:

• Start with a simple vermicomposting setup like this one. Or create your own with buckets and a drill.

• Prepare a bed for your worms. Layer small strips of wet paper, a small amount of garden soil, and some sand or ground-up eggshells into the second tier of your worm farm. (The lowest tier is for collecting worm wees: a great fertilizer for your plants).

• Add your composting worms to their new bedding. Tiger worms or Red Wrigglers are the best choice for your worm farm.

• Feed them regularly with small pieces of fruit and vegetable waste, ripped-up paper and cardboard, tea leaves, coffee grinds, and crushed eggshells. A farm with 1000 worms can eat 3-4 cups of scraps a week.

• When the second tier is almost full of dark worm castings prepare a new bed in the third tier and start adding worm food to this layer only. Within a few weeks, the worms will migrate upwards to their new home.

• Remove the second tier and empty out the worm castings. Use immediately on your lawn or store in a container until needed.

This well-designed Vermicomposting System (worm farm) can even be kept in your garage or kitchen for easy access.

How To Use Horse Manure To Grow New Grass

Is horse manure a good fertilizer for grass? It is good for new grass. But how to use it?

Horse manure should only ever be used when it can be mixed into the soil. So it is perfect to use when preparing the ground for a new lawn. 

The high nitrogen content of composted horse manure will take your grass seed and turn it into a luscious green lawn very quickly.

Here’s how to make your dream lawn happen:

• Prepare your horse manure via one of the methods listed below. Hot-composting is recommended for killing off any weed seeds.

• Remove all existing ground cover with a sod cutter. Then apply a natural pet-friendly weed killer.

• Till the soil to a depth of six inches. Then water the area thoroughly.

• Wait 1-2 weeks for any remaining weed seeds to sprout. Then reapply natural weed killer.

• Till the soil again and mix in the composted horse manure at a ratio of 20 pounds per 100 square feet.

• Sow your grass seed and water regularly. Early morning or late evening is recommended.

• Fertilize twice yearly with worm castings or composted poultry manure.

• Enjoy making your neighbors jealous of your luscious green lawn!

Why Does Horse Manure Need To Be Composted Before Use?

Fresh horse manure can contain harmful bacteria and a high level of acidity which can burn plants. It will most likely contain weed seeds also and no one needs more of those in their garden.

Let’s be real: it smells pretty stinky too!

To reap the greatest rewards from your horse manure you need to age it or compost it first. 

Aging your manure is the more simple hands-off option. However, it is a much slower option: this process can take anywhere from 3-12 months.

Hot composting is a more labor-intensive process but will yield you a luscious pile of earthy compost in as little as 5 weeks. This method also has a much higher success rate for destroying any weed seeds that are present.

How To Properly Prepare Horse Manure Compost

Preparing your horse manure for use can be done in two ways: Aging or Composting.

Aging horse manure is a simple but slow process.

• Simply leave horse manure in a large pile somewhere far away from your house. 

• If the manure contains any wood chips or sawdust you will need to layer the pile with some grass clippings for extra nitrogen content.

• If the manure pile contains only manure or is mixed with a small amount of straw it will decompose fine without help. 

• Come back in a few months and check the pile. 

• You’ll be able to tell when it’s ready because it will be dark brown and crumbly like soil. It will now have a soft earthy smell as opposed to a stinky one.

• You can speed up the aging process significantly by turning the pile regularly with a pitchfork. This will also help to heat up the pile, killing off much of the weed seeds and harmful bacteria present.

Composting horse manure is a much faster process but also more labor-intensive.

• Pick a spot far away from your house and start building a pile that’s around six feet across.

• The first layer should be horse manure directly onto the ground. Make this layer around 6 inches high.

• Old stable bedding is your best choice for the second layer. Make this layer around 8-12 inches high.

• If you don’t have stable bedding, use any combination of lawn clippings, leaves, vegetable scraps, and hay. You will also need to add a small amount of high nitrogen fertilizer to this layer.

• Water each layer as you build. The pile should be thoroughly damp but not soaking wet.

• Repeat these two layers until your pile is at least three feet high.

• Cover the pile with damp old sacks or similar and leave for 3-4 weeks. 

• Uncover your pile and turn it thoroughly, moving the outer edges towards the center. 
• Add more water if needed and replace the covering.

• Turn the pile once or twice weekly until the compost is completely dark brown, earthy smelling, and crumbly like soil. This should take another 2-3 weeks.

• If you don’t want to use immediately leave it covered and keep it damp until use.

• Allow the pile to cool down uncovered for a few days before use.

FAQ’s On Is Horse Manure Good Fertilizer For Grass:

Is Horse Manure Good For Gardens?

Is horse manure good for gardens? Horse manure is good for plants of all kinds. It’s a great fertilizer that contains plenty of phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen: the three most important nutrients for healthy gardens. Horse manure also helps to build healthy soil, attracts earthworms, and feeds the microbiology within the soil.

What Manure Is Best For Grass?

So, what manure is best for grass? Poultry manure is the best choice for fertilizing your lawn. It contains a high concentration of phosphorus which supports root development for grass. Poultry manure also has a high nitrogen content and it’s less likely to contain harmful diseases than other types of manure. 

Is Horse Manure Good Fertilizer?

Is horse manure good fertilizer? Horse manure is a readily available and inexpensive fertilizer that is suitable for most plants. It contains the three essential nutrients for healthy plants: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Composted horse manure gives young plants a great head start and supports long-term healthy growth.

Is Horse Manure Green Or Brown?

Wondered if horse manure is green or brown? Horse manure is considered a ‘green’ material as it is high in nitrogen and aerobic bacteria. When composting it needs to be balanced out with plenty of brown matter like dry leaves, straw, and hay. Hot composting is ideal for preparing horse manure to kill off the weed seeds present in the manure.

Is Horse Manure Good For The Garden?

Is horse manure good for the garden? Use horse manure in the garden to grow strong, healthy, flourishing plants. It’s an inexpensive and readily available organic fertilizer that is relatively simple to use. Horse manure is well-loved by beneficial earthworms, provides essential nutrients for sustainable plant growth, and also feeds beneficial microbes in the soil. 

How Long Does Horse Manure Take To Rot?

So, how long does horse manure take to rot? Horse manure left alone in a pile will take around 3-4 months to decompose as long as it contains minimal carbon matter. Turning the pile regularly with a pitchfork to aerate it will speed up the process. Properly decomposed horse manure will be brown and crumbly with a fresh earthy smell.

Is Chicken Manure Good For Lawns?

Wondering if chicken manure is good for lawns? Chicken manure is a great fertilizer for lawns! All lawn types respond well to chicken manure fertilizers including Sir Walter, Couch, Buffalo, and Carpet Grass. The nitrogen content encourages healthy green growth and the high concentration of phosphorus helps lawns to grow strong roots.

When Should I Use Manure On My Lawn?

Asking yourself “when should I use manure on my lawn”? The best time to spread manure on your lawn is just after you’ve mown it. This allows the most time for it to sink in before being disturbed by the lawnmower.  Early morning is the best time of day to apply the composted manure and water it before the heat of the day. 

Is Horse Manure Good For Vegetable Gardens?

Is horse manure good for vegetable gardens? Horse manure for the vegetable garden is a great idea! Just make sure you age it or compost it first as fresh manure is too acidic for most plants and can burn them. Leafy green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, cabbage, and kale particularly love the high nitrogen content of composted horse manure.

How Much Horse Manure Should I Add To My Garden?

Wondering how much horse manure you should add to your garden? The ideal application of composted horse manure is up to one pound per square foot of the garden. Adding too much can cause salt damage to plants and cause too much leafy growth at the expense of healthy fruits and vegetables. Ideally, it should be applied at least 60 days prior to harvesting.

Can I Put Horse Manure Straight On The Garden?

Can you put horse manure straight on the garden? Fresh horse manure should not be put straight on to the garden. It can burn the roots of your plants. Fresh manure also contains harmful bacteria and weed seeds. Compost it or leave it to age and then feed it to nitrogen-hungry plants like lettuce, corn, potatoes, and garlic.

Which Is Better, Horse Or Cow Manure?

Curious as to which is better – horse or cow manure? Horse manure is richer in organic matter than cow manure is. This is because horses don’t digest their food as thoroughly as cows do. However, this means that horse manure can contain unhelpful weed seeds. Horse manure contains significantly more nitrogen than cow manure, while cow manure has higher levels of potassium. 

How Good Is Horse Manure For Gardens?

So, how good is horse manure for gardens? There are many advantages to using horse manure for a garden soil addition. It contains the primary nutrients for healthy plants: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Horse manure helps to create healthy soil, is very popular with earthworms, and feeds the beneficial microorganisms within the soil. 

Final Thoughts

As you’ve now discovered, composted horse manure is an amazing soil fertilizer because of its high nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content. 

It is a godsend for flower and vegetable gardens or preparing the soil for planting a new lawn.

But is horse manure a good fertilizer for grass? Unfortunately not so much for your established lawn.

That’s ok though because as I discussed above, there are other amazing natural fertilizer options to make your grass healthy and green. 

Wishing you all the best with your grass-growing endeavors!

Feel free to share the glory and fame when you win the neighborhood lawn competition!

Here’s a helpful video if you’d like some more poo-formation: 

Which Poo Is Right For You

Is Horse Manure A Good Fertilizer For Grass?