I wouldn’t call it a replacement for ferts, but it could help some eventually especially if it has alfalfa. By burying it the rodents should leave it alone.

tj

Since horse feed is an organic and compostable thing, yes, you could dig it in like other compostables. How well it acts as a fertilizer might depend on the feed and it's breakdown. An alfalfa pellet or other pellets can have different stuff in them. But most seem to fall apart pretty quick. If it's grains or seed, it could be viable and want to sprout- either you could want that as a green compostable, or find that a nope in your beds. Hay or other grass feeds would break down at a slower rate.

Since it is feed, it would be more attractive to rodents than most inedible fertilizers. It would need to be buried just like other food compost.

I don't know the price point comparison between feed and fertilizers. Or if that is a factor for you. But if you need to dump a bucket, it can be composted. I'm not sure about it's use long term as a fertilizer replacement.

As is the case for most compost, it really won't be much of a fertilizer. Compost is poor fertilizer. For one, it doesn't have a lot of nutrients and, secondly, it takes a long time for those nutrients to be fully released. It's not about how long it takes the pellets to fall apart, but how long it takes for microbial digestion. Compost can be considered a fertilizer only in the sense that we use a lot of it. As such, one bucket of feed won't do much for you. But if you dig it in, it will certainly help improve soil structure in a very limited area.

Compost may not be a fertilizer, but it attracts fertilizers and not in small numbers. I pretty much depend on my subsequent worm population and their castings.

I don't think worm castings contribute much in the way of nutrients, but they are good for soil structure, like compost. They do feed the microorganisms that help break down compost. Actually, compost and worm castings do latch onto nutrients, and prevents them from being leached away. So if you do fertilize, it's nice to have compost and or worm castings around to hold onto it.

I don't think it can hurt, it's going to add organic matter that all the good guys in the soil are going to break down and make use of, same as compost. I would moisten it very thoroughly first and then dig it in -- it will probably turn into a mushy mess when wet, but dig it in dry and you run the risk of it taking a very, very long time to break down and it will act like a sponge and draw water to it. I did this with some alfalfa pellets after the horses passed away -- that stuff stinks when wet but I was already used to it because the horse that it was fed to was very old and had few teeth so needed soft foot, just like old people, and I had to moisten it in a bucket every day. Anyway, I dug it in when I planted a new tree, and all is well. Like I said, it's just organic matter. I actually have 1/2 bag left, I probably should use it up.

But wait a minute -- are there seeds in this horse feed? If there are seeds, don't do it. If you do, you're going to end up with a patch of oats or whatever else is in there. If seeds spread it out in the pasture where you don't care if the seeds that the birds and wildlife don't get to sprouts.

I'm curious about the content, and does it break down when wetted? I like to mix rabbit feed pellets into my soil and it really gives a boost to plants. I work it into the top layers of soil and water very well so it breaks down.

I don't use it as a replacement, but as a supplement.

It should be understood that what little fertilizer value you get from animal feed will be in the long term. As microbes eat the feed and digest it, they'll use up all the nitrogen in the soil. The decomposers consume the easy-to-digest carbon compounds and simple sugars and tie up nutrients like nitrogen in the cell membranes. So you don't get that nitrogen back until they die. That is, lots of microbes means less available nitrogen. Some bacteria DO nitrogenate the soil, but it takes a long time to do so. You'll end up (at least for a year) with some nitrogen deficiency. That's why composting first, rather than in situ, is useful. I have occasionally done in situ composting, where I dig raw material into the bed, but I always top-dress with ammonium nitrate.

My sandy soil is always in need of more organic matter - if nothing else, it helps with moisture retention.

Actually, alfalfa meal is rather fast acting for an animal feed/organic fertilizer. It breaks down and decomposes rapidly, to the point that it generates considerable heat and can actually burn plant roots if applied directly. It releases N almost immediately.........certainly much faster than other seed/plant meals.