Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[gloria@aquaponicfarm.com]

I have seen this happen using horse manure from a stable that buys hay  
from a broker who called it organic. Composted for a year in large  
pile and still killed the tomatoes

Gloria
Reliance Community Farms

On Mar 21, 2010, at 3:00 PM, "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net> wrote:

> I'm afraid there's a lot of room for differences of fact and opinion  
> on this. For this article, I can't verify much of what they claim.  
> There's a lot of details in it with no references, and somebody said  
> it doesn't make it so. I do think it likely that some level of those  
> chemicals can affect plants, tho we haven't seen anything about  
> harming humans. As for compost materials from roadsides, I wouldn't  
> touch it anyway due to highway pollution.
>
> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>
> Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.
> --  my grandmother
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Residues of Picloram, Clopyralid or Aminopyralid Herbicide Create  
> Killer Compost
> http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/picloram.html
>
> Minute concentrations of picloram, clopyralid and aminopyralid, as  
> low as 1 ppb (parts per billion), can be lethal to sensitive garden  
> plants such as peas, beans, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and potatoes.
>
> Most pesticides, including herbicides, break down quickly in the  
> composting process. Picloram, Clopyralid and Aminopyralid do not.  
> These chemicals are
>
>    * Easily absorbed by plants.
>    * Remain chemically stable and intact in both live and dead plants.
>    * Do not breakdown substantially in animal digestive tracts so  
> contaminate manure, urine and bedding with residues.
>    * Breakdown very slowly in composts and soils with an estimated  
> half life of 1 - 2 years.
>    * Affect sensitive crops at very low concentrations - 1-3 ppb.
>
> The only way to handle this potential threat is to keep materials  
> contaminated with picloram, clopyralid and aminopyralid out of your  
> garden in the first place.
>
> Trade Names Please
>
> When you're talking to a farmer supplying hay, straw or manure  
> asking about picloram, clopyralid and aminopyralid is probably not  
> enough. You'll need to ask about specific trade names of the  
> herbicides.
>
> These herbicides are sold under the following trade names.
>
>    * Picloram - sold as Tordon, Access, Surmount, Grazon, and Pathway.
>    * Clopyralid - sold as Curtail, Confront, Clopyr AG, Lontrel,  
> Stinger, Millennium Ultra, Millenium Ultra Plus, Reclaim, Redeem,  
> Transline.
>    * Aminopyralid - sold as Milestone, Forefront, Pharaoh, Banish.
>
> Where and Why are Picloram, Clopyralid and Aminopyralid Used?
> These herbicides are used to control broadleaf weeds such as Canada  
> thistle in the following situations
>
>    * Turf such as golf courses.
>    * Pastures for animals such as cattle, horses and other animals.
>    * Grass family crops such as wheat, barley, grass hay.
>    * Transmission line rights of way.
>    * Ditches along roads.
>
> Two things make these herbicides a popular choice. First, they are  
> persistent so do not need to be applied often. Second, they appear  
> to have little to no effect on the health of animals and people.
> How Do Picloram, Clopyralid and Aminopyralid End Up in your Garden?
> There are three main paths that could bring these herbicides to your  
> garden.
>
>    * Contaminated Mulch materials - hay, straw and grass clippings.
>    * Contaminated Manure and Bedding from livestock fed crops  
> treated with these herbicides. Ask whether animals have been fed hay  
> harvested from ditches or transmission lines. Avoid those that have.
>    * Contaminated Composts made from contaminated hay, bedding,  
> grass clippings and manure.
>
> Ironically, the people most likely to wind up with these materials  
> in their gardens are organic gardeners.
> What Crops are Affected?
> Even very small amounts of picloram, clopralid and aminopyralid - as  
> little as 1 ppb - can negatively affect sensitive plants. Dow, the  
> manufacturer of these herbicides, claims that only a few plants are  
> affected. The average home gardener may beg to differ. Sensitive  
> plants include:
>
>    * Legume family - including lupines, peas, beans and clover.
>    * Compositae family - including daisy, aster, sunflower and  
> lettuces.
>    * Nightshade family - including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and  
> eggplants.
>    * Umbelliferae family - including carrots.
>    * Many other vegetables and flowers.
>
> Sensitive plants are exposed to these herbicides develop cupped or  
> fern like leaves and twisted stems. They do not produce well, though  
> in theory the crop is safe for you to eat.
>
> What to do if your Garden is Contaminated
>
> This will pass. It may take a long time but eventually the  
> herbicides will disappear. In the meantime you can grow grass family  
> crops including corn, wheat and barley. Yippee!
>
> You can grow a lawn. If you have contaminated material left use it  
> on your lawn and grasscycle. Do not use these clippings for compost  
> or mulch.
>
> Some crops such as the squash and mint family are less sensitive -  
> they can handle concentrations of about 300 ppb before succumbing.
>
> Keeping testing using the bioassay method developed by Washington  
> State University until your soil tests clear.
>
> How to test Compost, Soil and Materials for Picloram, Clopyralid and  
> Aminopyralid residues
>
> Lab tests are very expensive and slow for these residues in large  
> part because they need to detect extremely low levels of pesticides.  
> However, you can do a fairly accurate test yourself using these  
> methods.
>
> To test manure, compost or soil you think might be contaminated.
>
>   1. Thoroughly mix 1-2 parts manure, compost or soil with 1 part  
> commercial potting soil in a clean bucket. Prepare enough to fill  
> three 4-inch pots.
>   2. Fill another three clean pots solely with commercial potting  
> soil. These will be the untreated comparisons.
>   3. Place each of the pots in a separate saucer to prevent water  
> from on pot reaching another.
>   4. Water the pots and leave to stand for 24 hours.
>   5. Plant each pot with three pea or bean seeds.
>   6. Observe subsequent growth for four-week period and note any ill  
> effects in the pots containing the possibly contaminated mix, such  
> as cupped leaves, fern like growth on new shoots or twisted stems.  
> These symptoms may indicate picloram, clopyralid or aminopyralid  
> residue in the manure, compost or soil. Signs of other kinds of  
> damage will most likely indicate other issues such as damping off or  
> bacteria-infected soil, etc.
>
> This link will give you more details on this bioassay method  
> including photos of herbicide damaged plants.
>
> To screen grass clippings, hay and straw you are thinking of using  
> as a compost or mulch material
>
>   1. Fill 6 clean pots with commercial potting mix. Three will be  
> for your tests and three will be controls.
>   2. Place each of the pots in a separate saucer to prevent water  
> from on pot reaching another.
>   3. Water the pots and leave to stand for 24 hours.
>   4. Plant each pot with three pea or bean seeds.
>   5. Soak the clippings, hay or straw in a clean bucket making a tea  
> colored brew. Use this brew to water your three test pots and  
> regular water for your control pots.
>   6. Observe subsequent growth for four-week period and note any ill  
> effects in the pots containing the possibly contaminated mix, such  
> as cupped leaves, fern like growth on new shoots or twisted stems.  
> These symptoms may indicate picloram, clopyralid or aminopyralid  
> residue in the hay, grass or straw. Signs of other kinds of damage  
> will most likely indicate other issues such as damping off or  
> bacteria-infected soil, etc.
>
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