Is manure with cedar chips safe to use?
Friends of ours have horses and llamas. They use cedar chips for the stables. They said we could use the manure for the garden but I am concerned about the cedar chips. Will it change the pH of the soil drastically? Llama manure is one of the few you can use directly on garden beds. It has a great NPK ratio and isn’t “hot.” Other manures such as horse need to be composted for at least 8 months before it can be used in the garden. The cedar chips should not change the soil chemistry or alter the pH as it is very slow to decompose. It will eventually tie up available nitrogen that plants need, but at the slow rate of decomposition this is something you can take care of by adding nitrogen to the soil every few years. Don’t forget to wear gloves when working with any animal manure and get your tetanus shot up to date just in case.
