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| I mulched my newly planted tomatoes with hay chaff (from a friend's horse barn) that had been sitting in a pile decomposing for over a year. A week (and a lot of rain) later, my tomatoes' new growth was stunted and corkscrewed. I think this is another variation on "killer compost" contaminated with the clopyralid family of herbicides. I am betting that the hay farmer sprayed his field with the new herbicide, and of course I never thought of that when I used the spoiled hay as mulch in the garden...
My question is how to deal with the tainted area. I have dug out all my lovely strong tomato plants and excavated the soil from the planting holes. Is this enough to get rid of the effects of the herbicide? I've already discovered that just replanting new plants in the same soil doesnt work -- they are starting to show the same symptoms as the original plants. I dont have the space to plant tomatoes elsewhere -- all my other beds are already planted for the season. I am so bummed that I poisoned my beautiful organic soil, after years of hard work. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with this ultimate organic garden spoiler and restored the health of your organic garden. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| See the info at Washington State University for answers. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/soilmgmt/Clopyralid.htm |
Here is a link that might be useful: your answers are here
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| With one of my favourite sayings in mind, (laziness breeds efficiency) I'd call the horse owner and ask if they know if the hay had been sprayed and, if they didn't know, could they ask their supplier for information. Telephone calls are pretty easy and knowing what, if any, chemicals had been used may change your whole plan of attack and save you some grief and/or a lot of work. To quote Mr. Gene Krantz (one heck of an American icon) "Let's work the problem people. Let's not make things worse by guessing.". In order to "work the problem" one has to first know what the problem is. Good luck. Lloyd |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Sat, Jun 4, 11 at 22:06
| And there is always the possibility of growing your tomatoes in containers. Many home gardeners swear by this method and it has an advantage as being less prone to blights and fungal issues that tend to be soil borne. |
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- Posted by joepyeweed 5b IL (My Page) on Sun, Jun 5, 11 at 10:26
| If you don't have space and you want to try to save those plants, I would go with containers. I have a lot of shade and the only place that we have sun is in the street, so I grow tomatoes in a large pot parked at the end of the driveway. |
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