Contaminated Compost

Moni

I am assuming that some of you do other forms of gardening and if so, I have a new heads up for you.
This is a problem that has been hitting mostly the west coast although Penn State has also found the problem.
There is a herbicide called Clopyralid (Confront or Millennium) that is used by grass and hay farmers to selectively kill clover,thistle and dandelions. This is manufactured by Dow (natch) and we are just beginning to learn that the stuff doesn't break down at all. Even after cows eat the hay that has been treated with it, their composted manure is killing certain food crops. This has been affecting the homeowners out here in the northwest, too. As communities compost their debris, they are spreading the problem when the resulting compost is then sold. So it doesn't break down as it goes through the food chain. And it takes just a little teeny bit to harm certain crops. Peas, beans, tomatoes, potatoes and sunflowers seem to be the most susceptible to it so far. We are getting alot of calls about it already at our local extension office in Oregon. It takes about a month in the contaminated compost for the plants to show the damage and start to die. It is really going to impact the small farmer out here and will especially harm the organic growers. Just key in "contaminated compost" into your internet server for more info. This is something that will not stay limited to the northwest.

On another note, when it comes to using manures, even aged manures, OSU is now recommending that it not be used in vegetable gardens due to ecoli, which has been a major problem out here. It's alright on ornamentals and on tall growing vegies such as corn, but it should never come in contact with edible parts of vegies. That certainly knocks out any of the root vegies, lettuces, spinaches, etc.
That's it for now.
Moni

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TreeBay

Wow! I wonder what is going to become of all that steer manure? A friend told me a few years ago that the biomass of cattle on the earth was greater than that of humans, which is a scary thought. Maybe that movie should have been "Planet of the Cows!," Not Apes!

Regards,

Matt

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Moni

And........the gas that comes from all those cows! What is it? Something like ethanol?
Seriously, though, this issue is going to have huge repercussions. We are already hearing from greenhouse owners & nursery owners because the vegie transplants that they are readying for the public are dying. Plus, this is so new that nobody really knows all the plants that are affected by it. But you can use both the composts and the manures on any landscape plantings. So you need not have visions of mountains of ........ building up all over the place.
Moni

TreeBay

WOW! *Now we have millions of cows running around spreading poison dung that is toxic to plants and humans, hoof & mouth, mad cow disease, greenhouse gases, ethane emissions...

Bring back the buffalo!

Regards,

Matt

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bonsaial1

then: GOT MILK?

now: GOT RUBBER BOOTS?

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