[mummylonglegs]

I have recently got an allotment and was driving past some riding stables the other day that were giving away straw manure. I picked up a few bags and was looking forward to putting them on our allotment.

HOWEVER - was just surfing about horse manure and found all this alarming news about that weedkiller that is in straw...you probably all know about it.

Question is - do I put it on my allotment? It came from Dulwich stables on the south circular (London) - not sure if anyone has collected manure from there before? Have emailed my allotment assoc about it, waiting for a reply. Also, it appears that the manufacturers have suspended production of this weedkiller - but does that mean that the straw from this year is safe? Appparently the only test you can do is try and grow tomatoes in a pot with it - not really possible in Jan!

Should I just keep it (in black bin bags) on the site and if I find it's OK to use - use it? How long does it keep? When should you put it on the soil?

[Celery]

If I was you I would store it in a heap, and this year do the tomato test.In a year you will be surprised how much it will break down. :roll:

[out4nowt]

That's a bit worrying. My new allotment is covered in straw stubble and lots more lying on the surface. I've been digging it in!

[woodburner]

It's not necessarily in the straw, it could have been in the hay that the horse was fed, or both or, if you're lucky, neither.

The weedkiller (aminopyralid) won't break down by leaving it in a heap although if it's fresh it's advisable to let it rot for a while before using it as the ammonia can scorch roots. The weedkiller is broken down by microbes that live in the soil, so if you spread it on the soil and fork it in it will be safe to grow stuff in after errrm need to check here but I think 2-3 months.

[Yorkie]

John posted a series of articles about this problem last summer, have a look at these links (the earliest is first)

Aminopyralid Herbicide Residue in Manure Killing Crops

Contaminated Manure Aminopyralid Update

What to do if you have Aminopyralid Contaminated Manure

[crowndale]

my pile of horse poo grew loads of weeds last year so am assuming its safe to use!!

[woodburner]

my pile of horse poo grew loads of weeds last year so am assuming its safe to use!!

As long as it's not just grass.

[Brixton Crack Squirrel]

I have used manure from these stables and had no problems. Picked up a load myself at the weekend.

[mummylonglegs]

Brixton CS - wow, that is good news! Can I ask when you used it in the past?

The Dulwich stables were very helpful and gave me the telephone number of their feed and straw suppliers who told me that the straw the riding school horses are bedded down on was definitely not treated with amniopyralid but as they had 4 suppliers of feed for the stables, they couldn't guarantee that it wasn't in what the poor nags had eaten.

Anyway. I heaved it all the way up to the plot (it was sitting in front of the house) and thought I'd leave it for a couple of years and then use it. But now you say its ok to use...

Incidentally, an old guy at the Rosendale allotments said he'd taken manure from the stables in Landoor Road (north clapham) and his crops had been affected. So perhaps steer clear of them!

[vegmandan]

A mate of mine found to his horror that the stuff may have managed to find its way into some multi purpose compost too. :shock:

He was growing Lambs Lettuce in pots,and the leaves all turned out deformed and stunted ,so he tried growing the same in normal soil and in the compost again,both in pots, and the soil grown ones were normal but the compost grown ones were all deformed again.

So it's like russian roulette these days.

[mummylonglegs]

that's awful. I suppose now that it is affecting 'bought' compost, the industry may take it more seriously. Especially if people start to sue over their lettuces...

[Brixton Crack Squirrel]

I used the manure last year - at Rosendale Allotments. Dug some in around December/January time, mixed some in to the compost and put some into potato trenches (although I really should have let it rot down a bit more).

[mummylonglegs]

I'm at Rosendale too - plot 30. What one are you?

I presume you had a fantastic crop of potatoes then?

[Brixton Crack Squirrel]

I'm on plot 77. It was my first year last year so my results were mixed. My two types of earlies were a little disappointing, perhaps I dug them up too early, but the foliage had all fallen over. My mains - king edwards - were much better - maybe 10kg from an 8ft row (is that good, average or bad?). The mains were grown using the lazy bed method and perhaps was more successful because I used more manure. My lates - pink fir apples - were also prety good and produced many amusingly shaped tubers! I'll look out for you when I'm on site.

I'd recommend the lazy bed technique. The soil (now growing onions and garlic seemed to be much better and asier to work than the rest of the (heavy clay) plot....
http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/tech/lazybed.htm

[mummylonglegs]

Oooh - interesting. I like the idea of the laziness anyway, so this looks an ideal way to spend your time.
Our plot was in pretty good nick when we got it - no grass really to speak of, just weeds and gone to seed spinach. Have never grown a vegetable in my life (apart from 3 courgettes when I was a student) so this is all a steep learning curve for me. So don't ask me what's good or not - I haven't a clue. Though I've spent enough time researching it, I could probably write a PhD on contaminated horse manure alone....