Author Topic: Lest we forget - re contaminated manure (Read 6713 times)

Alex133 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 14, 2011, 08:01:44 »

How can you be certain your supplier's isn't contaminated - is it just some parts of the country that were affected?

Digeroo · « **Reply #2 on:** July 14, 2011, 08:03:02 »

Digeroo · « **Reply #3 on:** July 14, 2011, 08:11:44 »

This one is from compost contaminated by plants grown on contaminated manure.

Digeroo · « **Reply #4 on:** July 14, 2011, 08:13:56 »

The best way to test manure is to grow broad beans on it. Fat hen also shows signs so it is worth watching the weeds that are growing on it.

Having been affected last year some people have source horse manure and that is just as bad.

brown thumb · « **Reply #5 on:** July 14, 2011, 08:54:47 »

my allotment neighbours have just had a huge pile manure delivered i only hope he knows that its safe ( aim too frightened ti bring any thing like manure into the plot in case its contaminated so just use home grown compost and chicken manure pellets ) he seems quite the :expert: so lets hope for his sake he checked first

Digeroo · « **Reply #6 on:** July 14, 2011, 09:59:09 »

I sourced some from a new source and planted some Dwarf beans in it before I released it onto my plot and even then only used it for courgettes and brassicas just in case..

It is my personal opinion that it has entered in the aninal feed food chain and not just limited to hay.

Tee Gee · « **Reply #7 on:** July 14, 2011, 10:21:34 »

I have a load that I purchased last October which is contaminated and have purposely left for now.

My normal " mucking" programme is to muck for potatoes then follow on the next year with brassicas.

My plan this year is to muck for brassicas as these don' t seem to get affected, then I will follow on the following year with potatoes.

Not ideal but my ground is desperate for some humus so this is my way of trying to get over the situation, and not waste the manure.

ceres · « **Reply #8 on:** July 14, 2011, 11:23:02 »

Digeroo,
These don't look to me like aminopyralid damage. The first picture is very clear and there is no sign of the characteristic fern-like growth or cupped leaves. The leaves look a normal shape which have just rolled inwards. Aphids and virus can cause leaf roll and I think also a wide swing in temperature too. The second picture looks like more of the same. It's hard to tell anything about the third picture as it's only a single leaf.

Have samples been sent to the RHS and photos and details to CRD/Dow?

That said, a reminder of the havoc aminopyralid wreaks is worthwhile for those that haven't come across it and who may be thinking of mucking their plots in the Autumn.

Amazingrotavator(Derby) · « **Reply #9 on:** July 14, 2011, 17:05:37 »

If you have contaminated manure in a heap you will not get rid of it. It will stay for 4 or 5 years. It must be spread and rotavatored in regularly so the bacteria can beak it down.
Digeroo, that doesn't look like mine did, you might be lucky.

Digeroo · « **Reply #10 on:** July 15, 2011, 08:25:53 »

These are definitely the results of aminopyralid After a while the leave begin to unfurl and if the contamination is less severe then there is less leaf rolling The leaves also have that crispness.

I am sure that this is manure contamination.

I will post a tomao/potato so you can be really sure.

If it is very strong will also affects brassicas.

Digeroo · « **Reply #11 on:** July 15, 2011, 16:20:12 »

Perhaps you will recognise this.

They look slightly different when they start to grow on.

Digeroo · « **Reply #12 on:** July 15, 2011, 16:22:30 »

This one is horse manure.

Digeroo · « **Reply #13 on:** July 15, 2011, 16:32:46 »

And this one is from compost made with last years contaminated plants

Digeroo · « **Reply #14 on:** July 15, 2011, 16:34:19 »

A do assure you all that these are the effects of manure problems.

After awhile it starts to grow out somewhat and the plants begin to look different, the cupped leaves become opened and misshapen.

chriscross1966 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 15, 2011, 16:34:48 »

I've got spuds and berasn that look like that and they're all in bits of ground which got manured just after the livery I get my manure from swapped fields on the farm they're on with the other livery there.... pretty certain the other guys sprayed for ragwort whereas my lot hand-control, looks like I've lost most of my drying beans and a fair chunk of my spud crop is affected.... that said I have enormous quantities of spuds in cos I was using it for a clearing crop adn even the badly affected ones are giving me 2-3 days worth of potatoes (earlies) ... hopefully the mains should make a bit more.... luckily my long-storers (PFA, Sarpo Axona, Sarpo Mira, Congo) are at the end that's unaffected, adn given there's only me to feed 140 potatoes was probably a bit OTT.... that said it measn I have to repeat the experiment next year to work out what grows well... though anythgin that survives well in a bad bit is a definite keeper.....

chrisc

Digeroo · « **Reply #16 on:** July 15, 2011, 16:49:57 »

Any chance of finding out precisely what he sprayed on the ragwort. We have a bit of ragwort here, so maybe ask for a friend who wants to get rid of theirs. If you talk about contamination people clam up. It would be nice to be able to prove that people do not read the labels on the bottles.

Sorry to hear you have problems, it is very frustrating. Sorry to say likely to last until next year and maybe longer. Next year suggest you grow sweet corn and brassicas on affected areas. Do not put the contaminated crops in your compost. IF you spread it on other crops such as brassicas which are still ok, these also should not go on the compost either even if they look ok.

Always worth doing a bean test before much spreading. It is also my impression that tap water exacerbates the problem so I try and stick to rain water with affected crops, though that is not always easy. I have some runner beans which have two stripes of problem up the plant which seem to correlate to watering with added calcumn carbonate.

Alex133 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 16, 2011, 14:23:16 »

When you say 'do the bean test' do you mean just sow some broad beans and see how they get on and how big would they have to grow before showing signs of being affected? Soil very poor so have to get some manure in early autumn.

Digeroo · « **Reply #18 on:** July 16, 2011, 18:07:27 »

Broad beans show a problem quite quickly by the time they are perhaps four or five inches they will show problems if they are going to the leaves start to curl inwards. The idea is to grow two pots one with and one without manure and compare the two. I did some recently with dwarf beans just because I had some in pots and I potted them on into a bucket full of manure. If there is a problem the leaves soon curl up. With a freshly sown bean they are ok to start with because there is strength in the bean.

I had hoped that manure well mixed in autumn would be ok, but this in not the case. Also first year all wore off by next year, but last years problem persisting. You do need to perhaps do several tests on a batch because we have found one bucket load can be fine and the next a problem. Big lumps seem to be the worst because the bacteria which break it down do not penetrate.

Alex133 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 17, 2011, 07:25:43 »

Thanks, that's helpful and will try. Apreciate problem may be intermittent in loads dependent where stuff collected.

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Author Topic: Lest we forget - re contaminated manure (Read 6713 times)