I know you said that you was devastated with this I was wondering what is the best way forward for these unfortunate lottie holders is it
A) carry on regardless (using the muck that gets delivered)
B) use other stuff such as Growmore / Chicken pellets
C) home made teas like nettle comfrey etc
D) get as much compost on the go as possible
Thx in advance for any advice i can pass on to these unfortunate people
There is plenty of other options than muck...
Using green manures..still used so little..and so good for the ground..
Yes..pelleted/ commecially bagged manure fertilizer
Well you more and less have listed yourself other options..
I rarely use muck anymore as it will always bring so much weed seeds into soil as well..and I've been managing very well without..
Compost is the answer....and it doesn't have to be perfect brown stuff neither..
Half way composted stuff can be used as mulch and let nature do the finishing touches.. ;)..soil undernearth will be nice and moist and as it slowly breaks down does feed the plants too..
..I'll shut up now ..I could go on and on about compost..so B, C, D + green manures..but if you have good much supply that you know is not contaminated..well it's golden bonus..
A. isnt an option unless the manure is guaranteed safe.
B. an C. are fertilsers, manure is a soil conditioner so not the same things.
D. is one alternative and green manure another
I'm going to stick with mushroom compost from now on. There is a sale on at the moment.
QuoteA) carry on regardless (using the muck that gets delivered)
Was discussing this with other plotholders today and my input was; our soil is light so needs bulky soil improvers such as farm yard manure.
I have not given up on my existing supplier (yet!) more so knowing that he has used a different weedkiler this year!
My problems occurred in areas that were manured then planted within days of each other, i.e. areas that were pre-winter dug seem OK.
I am thinking in changing my rotation plan i.e. now my brassicas follow my potatoes so next year I will muck my brassicas but not my potatoes then the following year my potatoes will not be mucked again. The only problem I see with this is; if we get a very dry summer, there will be minimal moisture for my potatoes unless I water. Which might encourage another problem; 'blight'
AS I said I am only thinking at this stage and subject to the crop I get from my aminopyralid affected crop!
Plus I will be able to make a comparison as I have a bed that is unaffected i.e. it was dug the previous October!
QuoteB) use other stuff such as Growmore / Chicken pellets
C) home made teas like nettle comfrey etc
These are both fertilisers not soil improvers.
QuoteD) get as much compost on the go as possible
I have thought of this as I have two compost heaps that have only been emptied once in the last fifteen years so the stuff in there might not be bulky enough.
Basically everything is on the back burner waiting to see what the final outcome is this year!
thx for the responses the only problem using a green manure is that as i am led to understand is that it will draw up the contamination (aminopyralid) out of the ground store it in the stems / leaves and when you rotavate it back in you are once again in trouble ?? would i be right in thinking this
and one of the best green manures is seriously affected with this i.e Beans and peas
Hi
It is very difficult to replace, I plant with chicken pellets and then mulch with whatever i have including grass clippings, comfrey leaves, straw, woodchip depending on whats underneath.
Thing about mushroom compost is that its alkaline and might not suit everything, some folks are lucky enough to have locally avaialble things such as spent hops. It might be worth asking around.
good luck
x sunloving