Soil Treatments

[zazen999]

So, I had contaminated manure on my plot; supplied by the local farmer - he took his £30, and when I found out it was contaminated he didn't even show his face down the plots to apologise to all the lottie holders whose growing seasons [and for a few years after it would seem] he has destroyed. I got in touch with Dow who paid another local farmer £300 to take mine away and spread it on their land and just rotavate in. So I lost 90% of last year's crops, plus all the seed potatoes, and all the seeds, compost, allotment fees and they made money - nice. [Beware - check your sources very very carefully]

This year, the beans and peas, and lots of other crops [including brassicas which are usually not affected by this poison] are badly affected - I can see it being a while until all the effects are gone - even though most of it was raked or dug back out and taken away. The worst bed was where the manure sat for 3 months, it didn't even get dug in. Shocking.

In order to get some life back in the soil [which was fine until we put this muck on it] I am doing all sorts of things to different patches. I also have white rot so am treating the whole patch over the next 2 years with garlic treatment.

Where leeks, overwinter onions or garlics are going this winter, I am splitting the areas and treating with one of these: seaweed feed, revive treatment [from Agralan] and mycorrhizal fungi and the final area with all 3.

Where non-alliums are going, I'm treating with Garlic treatment, and then splitting all crops in 4 to do the same trial as above.

In areas where no alliums are going but also no other crops, I'll treat with Garlic treatment and then just sow a green manure.

I'll post results, if it in some way helps anyone else who has to deal with this disgusting poison on their plots.

[Snadger]

You can't even use stuff like Calliente mustard as a green manure as this too will be affected?
We can get loads of 'soil conditioner' delivered by the council (at a price) but maybe you could do likewise and send the bill to the farmer who originally polluted your soil?
Good luck anyway Zaz........at least you know it won't last forever and that one day you will be free of it!

[Florence Fennel]

Hope everything works for you Zaz, good luck.

[zazen999]

You can't even use stuff like Calliente mustard as a green manure as this too will be affected?
We can get loads of 'soil conditioner' delivered by the council (at a price) but maybe you could do likewise and send the bill to the farmer who originally polluted your soil?
Good luck anyway Zaz........at least you know it won't last forever and that one day you will be free of it!

Well, I've sown Caliente mustard in the main onion bed for next spring and it's germinated ok; so here's hoping it does the job. It had been affected by the manure so lets hope the levels in that bed are slowly getting back to normal. Even the crimson clover that I put in one of the beds had horrible shrivelled leaves - and I don't even want to think how much food has had to be composted or just hasn't grown properly since the day I ordered that muck.

Anyhow - leeks are in the 4 trial beds now.

[Two_Sheds]

... this disgusting poison on their plots.

I am so sorry for Zazen and everyone who has been affected by aminopyralid. When people say "I will use so-and-so chemical because the label says it's safe ..." I take a deep breath. They used to think thalidomide was safe too.


I have never (by luck, not design) used farmyard manure on my allotments.

I have also had great veg crops for 15 years.

Which just goes to show that you don't NEED horse muck: you can indeed keep your soil fertility up by using and incorporating those green manures that we keep wittering on about. Incidentally, it's green manure that comes out of the bums of Orses

[zazen999]

I am so sorry for Zazen and everyone who has been affected by aminopyralid. When people say "I will use so-and-so chemical because the label says it's safe ..." I take a deep breath. They used to think thalidomide was safe too.


I have never (by luck, not design) used farmyard manure on my allotments.

I have also had great veg crops for 15 years.

Which just goes to show that you don't NEED horse muck: you can indeed keep your soil fertility up by using and incorporating those green manures that we keep wittering on about. Incidentally, it's green manure that comes out of the bums of Orses

Absolutely - we were only using it to try and break the soil structure up as our plot is on subsoil [the topsoil had been scraped off a few years back by people across the way and so the clay is rock hard in the summer if not mulched] - big mistake. The more we publicise the fact that it can ruin your plot for years the better.

[thepict]

Have you not got any recourse against the farmer?

[Snadger]

Have you not got any recourse against the farmer?

The problem is that it may not have been the farmers fault. If he had bought in the hay or straw that he had used for fodder or bedding, which had unbeknown to him been treated with aminopyralid?,probably not. If he had used his own home grown material and sprayed it with the above..............then thats a different matter!

[zazen999]

Have you not got any recourse against the farmer?

As Snadge said - the farmer had bought in straw from another farm that had been treated when that farmer was ill [apparently]. The worst thing is, he also sold the straw on to other farmers and to horse owners around the village. So, my chum who gave me the farmer's number in the first place, and who had dug all his in and didn't have his taken away - he barrowed [for free] what he thought was 'clean' horse manure to try and remedy the situation and just made it worse.

Another bloke, who bought a load when I did, who is very very old - was in hospital when the guy came to remove mine and I didn't have permission for them to take his away - so he left it. Problem is, it doesn't start to break down until it is 'in the soil' - so being piled up somewhere does nothing and so when he gives his plot up which he probably will do next April - the person who comes next who will probably dig it in as soon as he thinks he has manure for free, will just be poisoning his plot. So, we are poised to get in there next spring as soon as we know what is happening.

Only one other person had theirs carted away - the rest just dug it in and when I think how bad mine was and it WAS taken away, I do feel for those who just lived with it.

[realfood]

I know how you feel as I suffered from aminopyralid contaminated manure. From experience on our plots, the effect is still seen three seasons later on sensitive crops!! No longer curly leaves but obviously stunted crops.

[zazen999]

I could not believe the effect it had on our swedes to be honest. The leaves looked like they had been melted - and brassicas are supposed to be immune - well they aren't!

[snohare]

Does it have an effect on potatoes, does anyone know ? I ask because I half filled a bed with manure from a local cattle farmer, and the rogue tattie plant that has popped up has some very weird leaves.
I was leaving it in the hopes of getting tatties but I don't fancy Russian Roulette with food, not least because I know that I am very sensitive to pesticide residues...I'm not sure what consumption of aminopyralid-contaminated food would do to human beans ?
Excellent idea to set up and publicise these trials anyway zazen, just the very thing that will have use in a broader context on many brownfield sites.

[zazen999]

Yes, it's the potatoes that show the mangled leaves first.

[Snadger]

I could not believe the effect it had on our swedes to be honest. The leaves looked like they had been melted - and brassicas are supposed to be immune - well they aren't!

To aminopyralid a brassica is a 'Broad leafed weed'

[zazen999]

To aminopyralid a brassica is a 'Broad leafed weed'

When we first had it, it was reported that brassicas were fine, and we did grow them in the affect areas last year and they were ok. This year however, not good. The red cabbages in 'the worst area' patch are all growing fine.

Anyhow - the caliente mustard in one bed has all germinated. YAY. The leaves look ok, but then again they looked ok in other beds to start with so lets hope it has an effect.