Aminopyralid contaminated manure

[emilymup]

Just recently all my potato crop has been affected by a 'virus'. It has now affected all my tomatoes planted in the greenhouse border which were well mucked too. Strangely though, considering it was supposed to be an airborne virus, the two chaps either side of me -who have not mucked their plots, have not been affected but the next door but one plot has - and he did use the same manure.

I would love to know if anyone has been affected with contaminated manure and how they overcame the problem and how soon did they plant on the affected areas. And, very importantly, did they eat the crops that were grown on those areas.

Any of your comments would be very gratefully received

[zazen999]

Grow Your Own - Growing, How To Grow Tomatoes Growing Fruit & Veg - Recipe Advice, Organic food Gardening, Chickens, Seeds for Sale

I don't use manure but alot do......have a look through some old posts to see if any of them help, until someone who has got some experience comes along.

[Two_Sheds]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ems_33882.html

[emilymup]

Thank you Zazen and Two Sheds! I have read the sites you recommend and it does point more and more to the same thing.

I was hoping someone would be along who had this dreadful problem last year and could advise how they progressed and were they able to carry on as normal this year. My plan of action is to repeatedly dig the beds and hopefully the microbial action will rid me of this awful problem so that I can plant as normal next year.

OH has said he has now given up and will not bother with lottie after so much money and time invested in setting up our plot. He is really pi@@@ed off.

[chriscross1966]

I'd suggest digging out the crop and then rotovating the ground several times to break it all down really fine, then you should be OK next year. It might be an idea to grow a tolerant crop (sweetcorn leaps to mind) next year. I think the only way around this ATM is to field-collect manure from unsprayed pasture where you know the horses aren't eating brought-in hay as well..... As a lot of stables pretty much depend on gardeners removing their manure they will pretty quickly get the message that aminopyralid is a horror and will insist on uncontaminated hay......

chrisc

[zazen999]

Emily

Where did you get the manure from?

[Flummery]

The suggestion last year seemed to be to dig often to help the aminopyralid to break down, as Chriscross has just said. 'Official' advice from the producer of the weedkiller was, they couldn't say if it was safe to eat the produce - lot of help, that! It was reckoned then that it might take 2 years to break down if composted. After petitions to the government (I signed and I know many here did) it was withdrawn from use. Not before time. If it does that to the crops grown by people who are growing their own because the DO CARE about their food, it shouldn't be in the food chain at all.

I remember suspecting this when you first had problems with spuds, Emily. Spuds and toms are the ones that have the most difficulty with the comtaminant.

Try and persuade your fella not to give up. There are other seasons - you're bound to have more seasons ahead of you than me - and I wouldn give up!

[teakdesk]

Emily, I'm interested in the timescales involved here as I thought tomatoes could be used as a quick growing indicator to check for this problem in manure before using it.

Could I ask you

1/ How much manure went into the greenhouse ?
2/ How rotted was the manure ?
3/ Did the manure seem to contain a lot of straw ?
4/ How well was it dug in ?
5/ When were the tomato plants planted ?
6/ How long did it take for the tomato plants to show symptoms ?
7/ Exactly what are the symptoms on the tomato plants ?



There are so many problems that can affect potatoes and tomatoes it would be a shame if you stopped growing on the land if it isn't the manure.



For what it is worth, I'm not someone who refuses to use chemicals completely out of principle (although I've not used any on the veg plot for a few years) as I do believe a little "poison" ingested can be useful for the body.

For instance, fluoride is a nasty poison in large quantities yet I don't mind it in my toothpaste (which I use in small quantities) but I don't want any adding to my water (which I use in large quantities).


I'd want to be sure of the cause before giving up.

[Johan]

I have not yet experienced the same problem with pesticide residue in manure or compost here in South Africa, but I have heard (read) about it. I do however completely agree that it can happen as I have encountered nematode infestations several times after I have added manure or compost, commercially bought.
Fortunately I have Cropguard (Organic cure extracted from sugar cane) that can rid the soil completely from this pest.

[emilymup]

Thank you all so much for replying to my thread

Just to answer a few questions, the manure was delivered to the allotment site last August time by a lady who has horses quite nearby and has been supplying the lottie for years. Lots and lots of people took some from the huge pile.

1/ How much manure went into the greenhouse ?
The greenhouse is 6' by 6' so a good few spadefuls.

2/ How rotted was the manure ?
We let it stand all winter and applied it to beds couple of weeks before planting spuds in March. Was in big clods when we got it so I don't think that well rotted.

3/ Did the manure seem to contain a lot of straw ?
Yes, lots. Hasn't broken down very well either. You can go along bed and pick up lumps of it. (Which I have been doing to get rid of it).

4/ How well was it dug in ?
Not rotovated in, just dug by hand, leaving some on top for worms to do their bit.

5/ When were the tomato plants planted ?
Tomatoes were in pots of compost in greenhouse doing fine. Planted them directly into borders about 3-4 weeks ago.

6/ How long did it take for the tomato plants to show symptoms ?
About one and half to two weeks. All extra tomato plants went into big pots of compost as well as peppers and are sat side by side with diseased tomato plants. These are positively thriving and not affected one bit.

7/ Exactly what are the symptoms on the tomato plants ?
Same as potatoes. Leaves on the top are curling into little spoon shapes and looking long and deformed.


Not quite sure whats going on as Marshalls analysed someone elses potatoes and said it was potato leaf curl virus. But, as I keep saying, that is an airborne virus and everyone should have been hit, not just selective plots.

My main concern is whether or not to eat the produce. I planted chard, sweetcorn and squashes in the beds after destroying the potatoes and digging them over really well as the thinking was potato leaf curl virus. They don't seem to be affected at all after 3 weeks or so.

Will talk nicely to OH and try to get him motivated!

Thank you everyone for your support

[teakdesk]

6/ How long did it take for the tomato plants to show symptoms ?
About one and half to two weeks. All extra tomato plants went into big pots of compost as well as peppers and are sat side by side with diseased tomato plants. These are positively thriving and not affected one bit.

Thanks for the extra info, Emily.

The speed at which the tomato plants were affected is certainly in keeping with what I had been led to believe happens with infected manure.

So sorry you have this trouble; hope you manage to get a strategy to cope with it.

[realfood]

I and many of my fellow plotters have suffered manure contamination this year and we have all been asking similar questions to those asked here.
I have collated various sources of information and produced a dedicated page to add to my website.
manure_contamination
Today, officials from Trading Standards arrived to take away samples for testing. I was able to point them in the right direction.

[Reks]

Sorry to jump here with my siutation but all this is a big shock for me!!!!

I have lately seen that my potato plant has curly leaves exactly the same as in the links provided (thansk to realfood, . I was about to post a picture on this forum as I realised they did not look right. Similarly my beans (only 5 seeds )that I sowed direct, sprouted very late and has curled leaves, rest were grown in my green house and planted and are doing ok.

I used manure from a lady who had an advert on my allotment gate and I know another couple who bought some manure from her (they used this manure only on beans, so need to check the status with them)

I am so gutted. The other day I picked up some free well rotted manure and based on feedback I received on this forum I have sowed some broad beans to do a bean test.
So the big question for me is should I get rid of all the spuds I grew using the manure. I have also used the manure to grow -

Jeruselem artichokes(few of the new leaves are curled),
cabbage, cauli, brussel sprouts (brassicas are doing good)
French, Runner and Kidney beans (as mentioned above)
Broad beans (seedlings were planted)
peas (no effect so far)
Raspberry canes (new leaves just showing)
No manure used to grown sweetcorn/carrtos, raddish, beetroot, shallots, onions, garlic.

I was about to use the remaining of my 1st set of manure to plant my tomatoes, but now will not.

What should I do with all these plants? Get rid of them? Is it safe to eat the produce? This is my first year with an allotment and I can't express my anguish! Too much hard work gone into this since last 2 months. What a diaster trying to grow organic. Your help is appreciated.

[Reks]

Grow Your Own - Growing, How To Grow Tomatoes Growing Fruit & Veg - Recipe Advice, Organic food Gardening, Chickens, Seeds for Sale

I don't use manure but alot do......have a look through some old posts to see if any of them help, until someone who has got some experience comes along.

zazen999 - That link does not seem to work for me

[Snadger]

I have just taken delivery of about a cubic metre of fresh horse muck and shavings.
I have it stacked at the mo and covered and have no idea of it's heritage (fell off the back of a trailer)
I think I may uncover it to let the weather at it and sprinkle some of my remaining veg seeds on it to see what happens!