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  • From: "Ginda Fisher" <list@ginda.us>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] weirdly useless soil
  • Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2009 10:08:58 -0400

I wrote to them this morning and told them about the problem, speculating about herbicide.  It seems extremely unlikely to be a disease problem unless, as you say, it's specifically a soil-born disease of basil that the soil came pre-contaminated with.  I'll report back when I get their response.

-- Ginda

Road's End Farm wrote:

On the other hand, maybe, in all innocence, they used hay or straw in
their mix that they didn't know was contaminated with long-lasting
herbicide. Or, if it includes ocean products, maybe there was a spill
in the area these were harvested from that they didn't know about; in
which case it could be almost anything.


I would really hesitate to spread it anywhere until you know what is
wrong. Can you just set the pot aside somewhere and contact the
company? If it's a good company, they would probably appreciate
hearing about problems. You could also try googling their name to see
if any other complaints or relevant news stories turn up.


You could also try growing other things in the pot to see what will
and will not grow -- it's unlikely that a lot of different crops would
all have virus problems, though some people have had trouble with
basil as well as with tomatoes this year (it's a different disease,
but there is disease going around through both crops; though fungal,
not bacterial.) It also seems unlikely to me, if it's a disease
problem, that the diseases wouldn't have spread to the plants in your
other pots; though I suppose it could be something only that only
travels through the soil.


<smaller>--Rivka

Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly</smaller>



On Sep 2, 2009, at 6:02 AM, ghg3@heirloomorchardist.com wrote:


<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller>Ginda,</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller>I'm a New Englander,
and I think I recall hearing about that Coast of Maine stuff
advertised on the radio.  It's a compost mix isn't it?  Made with
local organics and shellfish waste
etc....</x-tad-smaller><x-tad-smaller>[ . . . ]</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller>I think you are right
on the money with your virus theory.  The Coast of Maine mix could
have had a lot of wilt in it.  I'd just dump the stuff where it won't
be mixed with compost that I'm apt to use for a few years.  Or maybe
you can distribute it under some rhododendrons...or other woody shrubs.</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller>George Gifford</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> --------
Original Message --------</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> Subject: [NAFEX]
weirdly useless soil</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> From: Ginda Fisher
Date: Wed, September 02, 2009 12:29 am</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller>[ . . .
]</x-tad-smaller><x-tad-smaller> this spring, when I bought a big new
pot for one more tomato</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> plant, I bought a
bag of expensive "Coast of Maine" soil to fill it.</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> I have 4 big pots,
each with one tomato plant and some smaller stuff.</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> (3 have basil, 1 has
a seedling currant I decided to try to grow out,</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> and one also has an
alpine strawberry that came from I know not where,</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> possibly it's a
feral seedling that I didn't weed out.) The tomato in</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> the new one looks
horrible. It lost all but one or two leaves, and it</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> just a 2.5' stalk. I
don't think it ever flowered.</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> I attributed the
tomato's failure to viruses and whatnot - it's some</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> random thing
advertised as being from Russia, and didn't claim to be</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> resistant to
anything. (The 4 tomatoes are each different</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> cultivars.) But I
just noticed that the basil in the pot has also</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> failed to grow. Yes,
the cold rainy summer wasn't kind to basil, but</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> the basil in the
other two pots is 2 feet tall and has gone to seed,</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> and the basil in
this pot is only a bit larger than when I planted it.</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> Any theories?</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> I'm also wondering
what to do with a giant pot of bad soil. I don't</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> really want to dump
it on the mulch pile, as I've started to mine that</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> for loam. I suppose
I could dump it next to the mulch pile, where a</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>

<fontfamily><param>Verdana</param><x-tad-smaller> pile of dirt won't
be an eyesore.</x-tad-smaller></fontfamily>


</excerpt></excerpt>
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