This topic contains 48 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by ocrowe 6 years ago.
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Heya Mark,
Kudos to you for all the effort and trials. You are definitely passionate and determined!
Would using cow manure be another alternative? Would you be able to have easy access to these too?
Charles, do cow manure have any risk of having the aminopyralids too? Or just only horse manure?
I have heard of ap in green waste because of “Weedol” evil lawn herbicide.
That is not to say it is widely prevalent.
Its early to say re French beans (no true leaf) but the peas look ok.Charles, update on the Green Waste trial. The French Beans have now produced more leaves. Although they look a little veined they dont look too bad and they are growing well?
The other plants in the green waste trial bed look good apart from the Peas which are looking tired and starting to yellow, whereas the peas planted in B & Q Verve at the same time are still looking good and have much larger leaves.
The first Broad Beans I planted in Green Waste are now not looking too bad? and I planted further Broad Beans in the trial bed which have emerged and look OK.
I have also been trialling Mushroom Compost and everything looks good, including French Beans and Broad Beans.
Clearly the Herbicide is present in the Green Waste but in very small quantities.
Based on my trials would you be inclined to discount Green Waste from my supply?
The Mushroom Compost looks good but I am cautious about buying large quantities for fear of herbicide contamination.
The other option I have been considering, is to buy a Peat Free Compost from Melcourt Compost (recommended by Which?) for the bulk of my requirement. and then I have a limited quantity of Herbicide free manure from adjacent fields which I could top it off with.
I would appreciate your thoughts.
French Beans
French Beans
Green Waste Trial Bed
First Broad Beans
Second Broad Beans in Trial Bed
This is encouraging, I see no aminopyralid damage in your pics.
The yellowing peas could be combination of them going out of season and shortage of N from the wood ingredients taking it. Not a problem in the longer term.
Melcourt would be brilliant but pricey.
All the options you mention sound good. Initially to fill beds you need larger amounts so some green waste is a good option, with your field manure.
Best of luck with it.Hi – interesting to read this topic. I have been put off using horse manure from my local livery yard but because of the wormers that horses are given routinely so it is interesting to learn about the aminopyralids.
I have a ‘nice’ maturing heap of organic cow manure on my front lawn! I had to pay for it but the farmer brought it round on the tractor and think we paid £80.Charles, update on the Mushroom Compost.
Until recently everything in my Mushroom Compost trial has been looking good but new growth on Broad Beans is now curling which suggests that AP could be present??I also have a tomato plant in the Mushroom Compost which looks ok so far, but I have found that in previous trials the new tomato growth is not always affected early on.
What do you think??
I am not sure Mark, the broad beans do not look good but other veg including the French bean do. Growth looks all very healthy except that one thing.
Charles,
Unfortunately I can now confirm that AP is present in the Mushroom Compost I have been trialling. I have sent images to Dow Chemicals and they have confirmed.This was purchased from a well established business which has been trading in Top Soil etc for over 50 years. They tell me that they have never had any previous problems with AP !
Broad Beans and French Beans are now showing distinct symptoms.
All very disappointing.
Just a query, would Melcourt peat free compost have enough nutrients to put on raised beds and not have to add supplementary feeds later on?
Eliza
Ekiza, I am unsure, its not organic so I would apply it say before planting, then watch plant progress.
Mark – this is terrible news.
Those plants do indeed look dramatically ap’ed.
Horrible stuff.
I am puzzled and worried that it took so long to show up, is the tomato now affected?Didn’t realise it wasn’t organic, Charles, so I won’t be using it then. I need to source some compost/manure for this year as all of mine needs another six months and probablymore to rot down. So may as well buy in this year and leave mine for next year. So worrying though where to get safe supplies from. Purchased horse manure from Mr Muck previously to fill some raised beds so may go back to them unless anyone has experienced problems there?
Eliza
Mark, again thanks for your feedback.
I have similar experiences with suppliers of faulty goods, they don’t acknowledge a problem.
At least your greenhouse tomatoes made it, a sign I think that the ap is almost broken down.
My contact at Viridor compost says
“Regarding chlopyralid, I would like to see such weed killers removed from the marketplace, but until that time, I agree that we need to be vigilant with testing and perhaps test for peas as well as tomatoes as they are particularly sensitive to these chemicals. Composting at high temperatures does however break down the complex chains and hormones rapidly even if it is present in small quantities.”
Clopyralid is the ap equivalent which is present in some lawn weedkillers. I find it unbelievable both that gardeners worry about “weeds” in lawns, and then use a lethal poison to kill them.
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