Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: mickleuk on June 15, 2009, 21:02
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Hi All,
I'm new here and new to the world of allotments.
I have some potatoes and the leaves are curling up really tightly. I have found a bit of info on potato leafhopper, but I'm not too sure if it is this, and if so, what to do about it.
Any info would be gratefully accepted, and by the way, it probably won't be the last question I ask :)
Cheers
Mike
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Welcome to the site Mike, and we like questions :D
Do you have piccies of the leaves?
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=19476.0
Had you applied manure to the area?
I'm not familiar with the leafhopper so can't advise specifically on that I'm afraid
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Hi,
I've been scanning through earlier posts and came across one about contaminated manure. The photo of the potato leaves on there were exactly like mine, very curled up. The allotment where I am, had lots of bags of chicken manure dropped off and I dug a lot of it in. I'm sure that's what it is.
How long does it last in the soil?
Feeling a bit cheesed off now >:(
Cheers
Mike
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Have a look at the various articles and bits of info here (http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/321/testing-for-aminopyralid-in-manure/)
I am a little surprised at chicken manure being the cause, though - previously it's only been horse or cow manure, as they are more likely to have either eaten or had bedding made from affected grass.
Can you run a check on the soil by growing test beans - see what the leaves do by about the 4th pair of leaves (it takes till then to show itself)?
If it is aminopyralid damage, the quickest way of getting rid of it is to rotavate / dig it, as it breaks down through exposure to something in the soil - don't just leave it stacked up, as that will take a lot longer.
Also remember that not all plants are affected by it, and any produce is said to be eatable - that's then a matter of personal judgement whether you choose to eat or grow immediately on that land.
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The chicken manure contained a lot of straw, which I assume makes some difference. The photo's of the potatoes and beans here,
http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/261/contaminated-manure-aminopyralid-update/
are identical to mine. so it looks like I've found the culprit.
The thing is, what do I do now?
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Hi Mike
I would be surprised that chicken manure has residues of weedkiller. Up to now it has only been associated with horse and cattle manure. The presence of straw will not make any difference as the chemical is only used on grass.
http//www.manurematters.co.uk will provide you with more details
Steve
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The thing is, what do I do now?
I've never heard of chicken manure being contaminated with aminopyralid either, but you could check with glallotments who is the focal point for all these aminoppyralid problems, here is her list of 2009 victims: http://www.glallotments.btik.com/p_Victims_2009.ikml (http://www.glallotments.btik.com/p_Victims_2009.ikml), its worth contacting her in case she knows of any similar cases.
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I would be surprised that chicken manure has residues of weedkiller. Up to now it has only been associated with horse and cattle manure. The presence of straw will not make any difference as the chemical is only used on grass.
Although conceivably the presence of straw will make a difference if the grass was treated with herbicide before becoming straw ?
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I would be surprised that chicken manure has residues of weedkiller. Up to now it has only been associated with horse and cattle manure. The presence of straw will not make any difference as the chemical is only used on grass.
Although conceivably the presence of straw will make a difference if the grass was treated with herbicide before becoming straw ?
Straw is the dried stalks and leaves of cereals ( wheat, oats or barley)
Hay is dried grass
It seems the herbicide has been used on grass not on cereal crops
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Well there you go, you learn something every day :D
Thanks celjaci