manure

[stocko75]

hi there, have just had a big load of manure delivered on my plot,would it be wise to cover the whole plot or just half? am i right in saying its not good for pots and alliums? help appreciated!!! thank you..

[stocko75]

[saddad]

Good for everything except roots... they grow well but fork...  :-[

[Eristic]

am i right in saying its not good for pots and alliums?

No.

Manure is good for most veg, particularly pots and alliums. Manure is best not applied where long-rooted veg such as carrots and parsnips are to be grown as it can cause the roots to fork.

Remember the manure may well be contaminated with Dow's toxic waste so due care must be exercised before deployment.

[Unwashed]

Potatoes are very happy in a newly manured bed - you can dig a planting trench and line it with dung and put the seed potato on top then cover - it's more work then just dropping the seed potato into a hole, but it gets the manure to where it's most appreciated.  Squash are gross feeders and appreciate a good load of dung too.

I'd never put alliums on a newly manured bed because I'd be concerned about the manure encouraging rot.  I wouldn't grow green stuff either as it might grow too fleshy and nesh.

[stocko75]

what is this and how do i know or test for it?
so its only root veg ie carrots and parsnip that dont like the muck? thanks all,,, stocko

[stocko75]

re;dows toxic wate

[ARV]

By "Dow's Toxic waste" Eristic is referring to aminopyralid. A persistent weedkiller that is/has been used by farmers on grazing/grassland.

From previous posts on the subject, here are a few links.
There are some pictures of potatoes affected by aminopyralid at the beginning of this thread:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,42629.0.html

and also some information and images here:

http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/261/contaminated-manure-aminopyralid-update/

A search would also bring up a wealth of information.

The "Test" that Dow have recommended involves germinating and growing broad beans (I think) in pots containing some of the suspect manure.

[Eristic]

The "Test" that Dow have recommended involves germinating and growing broad beans (I think) in pots containing some of the suspect manure.

Now let's get this straight.

The test that Dow is claiming as theirs was actually devised by me and published in this forum a year before they got round to pinching it. Not that I mind as long as the message gets through that from now till forever, all manure, hay straw, compost and almost any other herbivore byproduct or product containing any of those items must be tested by the gardener before using it. Even just storing Dow's toxic waste will contaminate your own local environment with potentially devastating consequences.

[earlypea]

I've got some hay and am wondering how that can be tested?  Thanks.

[Digeroo]

If you do not have a broad bean a french bean also shows problems very quickly. 

Can you chop up a bit of hay and mix it with some soil and see what happens to a bean? 

Remember the manure may well be contaminated with Dow's toxic waste so due care must be exercised before deployment.

I like this I think we should try and ensure that it is posted on every manure thread.

Preventing climate change is difficult but stopping Dow's toxic waste would only have taken one "No".

[Le-y]

ok this may be a really silly question but hey, i'm usually known for them..
My mother inlaw gave us a big bag of broad beans from her garden to eat, can i just plant a few beans from these?

[ceres]

If they're green, no.  If the seed is unripe, it may not produce a plant or may priduce a poor one and you won't be able to tell if the manure has caused the problem. 

[Le-y]

Thanks ceres, do you mean the actual bean can't be green? what colour should it be?

[ceres]

Buy a pack of beans and do the test properly then you won't have to worry about what colour the bean is.

[Chrispy]

I've got some hay and am wondering how that can be tested?  Thanks.

What are you going to do with your hay?

I would grow say 4 broard beans in 4 pots in a multipurpose compost.
Get a couple of bottles, fill 1 with tap water, withe the other put in some of the hay and also fill with tap water.
Water 2 of the beans from 1 bottle, and the others from the other bottle and compare the results.

[ceres]

I would grow say 4 broard beans in 4 pots in a multipurpose compost.
Get a couple of bottles, fill 1 with tap water, withe the other put in some of the hay and also fill with tap water.
Water 2 of the beans from 1 bottle, and the others from the other bottle and compare the results.

Why?