Disaster

Disaster

There are always set backs. Some bigger than others but over the last few weeks I've encountered a biggie!

I've done a lot of reading about this and have come to the conclusion that I have herbicide in my manure. I'm not 100% sure of the facts but I think I few years ago the EU changed a few rules and normal broad leaf herbicide was changed, or banned and farmers etc had to change the herbicide they used.

Anyway, while a "safer" herbicide was chosen this change had knock on effects. Instead of the herbicide decaying or being diluted with rain it was getting on to grass, normally in grazing fields. This was not a problem in itself, the weeds died and the grass didn't. The herbicide on the grass was eaten by horses and passed through them unaffected and without affecting the horses. But it ending up in the manure as far as I can tell.

The manure is then used by gardeners. It isn't a problem for many plants but Peas, Beans, Tomatoes and Potatoes are effected. Apparently it can take bacteria 2 years to break it down.

I have spread manure everywhere. I have 2 piles of it and have taken various loads of manure. I think some is / was effected and some isn't but I have been potting up tomatoes and cape gooseberries in a mixture of manure and compost. The main reason for this is that when selling large plants in pots the manure holds moisture far, far better than just compost. My manure is free so it also offers a cheap potting mixture for selling. The bottom 50 to 75% of the pots was this mixture while then top 25 to 50% was pure compost. The plants that have been placed in these pots were doing fine, as their roots were still in the shallow compost but as time has gone on and the roots go into the manure / compost mixture extreme leaf curl is being seen.

Luckily I haven't sold many Tomato plants in this mixture and the plants I have sold aren't affected.

Cape Gooseberry leaf curl

The photos of Tomato plants don't do the problem justice but Cape Gooseberry is also affected and shows the problem better in a photo. The plants are badly stunted and the new growing tips and leaves are curled in an extreme way. The growing tips of the tomato shrivel up and die. Existing leaves are unaffected.

Cape Gooseberry leaf curl

It isn't caused by mites or flies, because I'd see them. It isn't a virus because I think that this would show as discolouration, yellowing of leaves. On one website it was suggested that tiny amounts of herbicide can travel a long distance on the wind but I have discounted this because some plants have never been outside.

A virus would contaminate neighbouring plants but I have some side by side unaffected.

When planting out in the poly tunnel the manure was dug into the ground in patches, with the manure coming from different batches. Some are OK some not.

Cape Gooseberry without leaf curl

It was suggested planting peas and beans in the same place as the problem. If the herbicide is in the soil Peas and Beans would also be effected.  The test sowings of both Peas and Beans have also been effected, indicating that the problem is soil based.

My manure supplier says that he doesn't, and never has used herbicide, and when I first asked him I tried to stress that it didn't matter and that I just needed to know so that I could avoid using this manure for Tomatoes etc for a couple of years and use it for other plants. So I'm none the wiser as to whether it is in the manure, had he said he did it would have at least confirmed what I think.

Another possibility is that it is in the shop bought compost. This has happened to other people in the past. I can't rule out the bags of compost because although the Tomatoes that are OK are in pure compost I also have purchased compost from 3 different places and have had 4 batches of compost so this could also explain why some plants are OK and some not. 

All the plants in the greenhouse are OK - pure compost used here, half in the poly tunnel are effected and plants in pots outside are almost all affected.

It has stopped me from selling about 20 large tomato plants, and about 8 Cape Gooseberry plants. The others are for us, which is less of a problem although will have the knock on effect of not having their fruit to sell or eat.

If it isn't one problem, it is another but does highlight why commercial growers are paranoid about eliminating pests, viruses and having quality control on all inputs and why they try and control their environment to such a high degree. It also helps to explain why farmers are happy to kill soil bacteria and bugs with gay abandon and rely on applying liquid fertiliser. We may see it as destroying the environment but they probably see it as controlling the environment and eliminating as many unknowns as possible that could effect their crops and income.