Composting of horse bedding and waste liquids to produce a soil improver

Dry horse-stable bedding consisting of shavings, straw and paper, was combi ned with agricultural semi-solid wastes and liquids and sewage sludge. Mate rial was combined and then placed into a windrow 4 m in width at the base a nd 1.5 m in height. Windrows were aerated on a schedule with a windrow turn er. Products produced were compost/soil improver/soil conditioner and mulch .. The name given to the compost product screened to remove any wood shavin gs was Paddock Dressing. Replicated trials conducted on horse paddocks with Paddock Dressing applied at 15 t ha(-1) were compared with urea applied at 63 kg ha(-1) and a contr ol. All plots were treated with 251 kg ha(-1) of 0-9-9 fertilizer four mont hs prior to the application of the treatments. Two months after application of the Paddock Dressing, the flora of the compost-treated plots was signif icantly greener, showed greater diversity of nora with increased amounts of clover, and an absence of Red Thread Disease compared with control and ure a-treated plots.