[TINTIN]

Please help. I think i may have used some manure with some bad stuff in[as read in posts on this site].
   I have toms in a new bed in my greenhouse which had a load of manure put in and they are looking very sick compared to the same toms still in pots in the greenhouse. Also i have some potatoes in a small bed with the same manure in also looking poorly. The leaves don,t appear to be forming and unfolding very well compared to other plants elsewhere. Please advise..............Thanks   

[compostqueen]

that could be cold weather rather than the manure

[TINTIN]

Possibly but the toms still in pots in the greenhouse look so much more healthier than the ones in the bed in the same greenhouse

[paintedlady]

When repotting, it is easy to disturb/damage the roots which take a little while to recover, meanwhile the plant looks like it has keeled over, especially if it is warm and using up more water than it can replenish (only temporary problem and should recover within a couple of days when new roots are generated)

On the off chance it is bad manure, I don't think there's a lot you can do about the affected crops.  Leave them a little while longer, but if I recall reading from literature, the leaf deformation is really quite distinctive and if there is no improvement then it looks like you'll have to lose them (I'm not sure if they produce a crop, but I personally wouldn't like to eat something that potentially still had a chemical residue in it)

If manure is to blame, then turn the soil over.  I understand the chemical does eventually breakdown but it takes time, so digging the soil over increases the chance of soil bacteria coming into contact and doing the job quicker than if you just left it idle for a year.

[TINTIN]

Thanks for the reply, do you know of any pictures of affected crops anywhere 

[paintedlady]

Surprisingly very few photos, but loads of blogs and different gardening forums chatter, but this is the Gardener's World page http://blog.gardenersworld.com/2008/06/20/jm-pesticides-manure-20062008/ and a web-page/blog about aminopyralid with photos to identify the damage http://www.muckinthemuck.com/identifying-aminopyralid-damage

Also some info in John Harrison's blog you might find of interest if you haven't already seen them:
http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/257/aminopyralid-herbicide-residue-in-manure-killing-crops/
http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-diary/273/aminopyralid-contaminated-manure/

[Yorkie]

Just checking whether the manure was well-rotted (i.e. no longer smelt of manure)?  If it's too fresh plants can't cope.

[TINTIN]

I have looked at the pictures on the links provided [ many thanks by the way] and do seem to be some similarities. I will continue to monitor and see what happens.
P.s The manure was collected outside a large house in the village of Wannock just outside Eastbourne. It is placed in bags and sold for 50 pence a bag. I would be interested if any body else has used this

[TINTIN]

im now sure that my manure was bad.Greenhouse and beds at home are affected and so is 3/4 of my allotment plot im gutted. Its so frustrating, all the digging, shifting bags of manure about, planting and nurturing a waste of time!

[gawk]

I'm gutted for you tintin, all that hard work gone to waste and now more work to put it right. We have access to some manure (which our soil desperately needs) but I'm nervous about using it for this very reason.

Maybe you can plant stuff up in containers while you are working to resolve the problem, you will at least get some crop?

[TINTIN]

thats the plan i guess,growgags and containers. At least my carrots should be ok [no manure]

[gawk]

I did read somewhere that some certain crops aren't affected by the chemical, hopefully someone can add more info on that subject.

[TINTIN]

At the allotment some of the spud rows are only half affected seems very weird. And radishes seem ok but it would be good to know what else i can grow

[paintedlady]

At the allotment some of the spud rows are only half affected seems very weird. And radishes seem ok but it would be good to know what else i can grow

Any variations could be due to concentration of the weedkiller (some of it may have already degraded, and then there's your digging technique where some areas may have more of the affected manure than others/roots have not reached contaminated soil)

I'm really very sorry to hear you have got caught out with the contaminated manure TinTin- I know many people on my site have looked at their manure pile at the bottom of the plot with suspicion and have been too worried to use it.  I don't know which other crops you could try (sweetcorn perhaps?  I don't know and wouldn't even like to make a guess)

[Oliver]

Just checking whether the manure was well-rotted (i.e. no longer smelt of manure)?  If it's too fresh plants can't cope.

I would say this is probably the problem - fresh manure round anything but established roses and shrubs will cause the poor chaps to struggle - too strong. It would be horrible if you have been unfortunate enough to get some of the chemically enhanced stuff. My sympathy!
Oliver