[garddwr]

thank you gardwer , just how polite can a man be on the subject of shite?

Its garddwr actualy and I'm sure a simple sorry would do.

[Clampit]

We have had two horses for about 4 months, I am obviously interested in using the dung after it has rotted. Does anyone know if this chemical is still in use please? I know it wont have been used in their paddock, but could it be present in the hay which was harvested last autumn?
I would be interested in running that test myself, but it's a bit fresh yet.

[Gwiz]

I think that it was banned (pending further tests....)

[Aunt Sally]

thank you gardwer , just how polite can a man be on the subject of shite?

Its garddwr actualy and I'm sure a simple sorry would do.

Don't worry garddwr I've sent peabody a PM  

[woodburner]

We have had two horses for about 4 months, I am obviously interested in using the dung after it has rotted. Does anyone know if this chemical is still in use please? I know it wont have been used in their paddock, but could it be present in the hay which was harvested last autumn?
I would be interested in running that test myself, but it's a bit fresh yet.

It is definitely possible that hay harvested this autumn has got this stuff in it as the growing season was well underway before it was banned. Next years crop should be ok (assuming it was grown in the UK).
Can you trace the source?
Also if you incorporate the manure into the ground now, it should be clear of the stuff by spring, but I'm not sure of the effect(s?) it might have on the soil. (I know fresh is bad for plants, but does it matter if it is spread fresh?)

[Clampit]

I was going to leave it at least a year before I used it, i'll keep an eye on this thread and maybe run a similar test myself before I spread it on my plot.

[azubah]

When I read the title I had visions of him tasting it     Yeah, that's perfect, bit sloppy but otherwise fine  

I won't be testing my manure, I'll just be throwing it on. I like to live dangerously
 

 

I prefer custard on my rhubarb, compostqueen, but there's no accounting for taste.
Can you suggest any improvements on my little experiment? I have labelled each pot and area where the sample was taken from.

One of the plants has died, but I think that may be due to damping off as all of the plants had poor roots from the beginning. One of the control plants has died, too, from the same symptoms. It is a little early for growing tomatoes as the light is poor and a windowledge is either too hot or too cold.

[DD.]

Mmm - not helpful if your plants keel over & die anyway.

The only thing I can suggest, as I assume the plants are weak & leggy, is to grow some using the good old aluminium foil trick.

Place some foil vertically behind the plants to reflect the light from the window. This will not only practically double the illumination, but ensure it's all round as well.

[Parsnip]

Actually the subject of manure bothers me a bit..I've taken on a plot- overgrown etc that has been cleared and rotavated ( just)...we are going to dig it over when it's a bit drier, there are serious weed roots there..


But looking forward...would putting manure on it in spring be a bad idea or should I leave it and how do you know if it's well rotted?

[azubah]

update on my manure test

None of the tomato plants showed signs of hormone damage but none of them grew very well either including the control ones.

They are dying of neglect at the moment so I must get around to throwing them out.

My DH found sweet bags buried in the manure dated year 2000 so that is one way we know that the manure is well rotted.

[DD.]

They could have been thrown in it 8 years after the sell by date!!!

[azubah]

True, DD, but we had to excavate a hole to get the stuff and not many litter bugs dig 4 ft deep to bury their sweet bags!

[vegmandan]

Have a look at this if you will.

Someone trying to show the effects of Possible Hormone Weedkiller Contamination in Compost.

Once you get to the 2nd link you'll see that the effects don't seem to become apparent until later on in the growth of the plant,so just sowing succeptible seeds and seeing if they are affected early on  doesn't seem to be a reliable test as to whether or not you have any contamination.

It appears that some plants are only affected later on. :?

Nightmare !!.

http://the-gardener.blog.co.uk/tags/weedkiller+contamination+hormone+aminopyralid+compost/

http://the-gardener.blog.co.uk/tags/aminopyralid/