In article , ex@directory says...
On 10/08/08 15:02, Sandy wrote:
Bob Hobden wrote:
Some kind person has dumped two lorry loads of fresh horse manure at
the side of our gates to our allotments, a large grab lorry was seen
dropping it over the fence.
Considering what's going on these days regarding herbicides I wonder
if there is any way to tell if this mountain of manure is contaminated
before some of our gardeners start use it.



No, I'm afraid there's no reliable way of testing for the presence of
aminopyralid in manure or compost without actually growing something in
it to see if it becomes affected.

Also, contamination may not be uniformly spread throughout the
manure/compost (gardeners have reported irregular patches of affected
crops on a single plot) so even if there was a reliable test available
it would be impossible to test it all!

I strongly suspect that the manure you have had dumped near your
allotment may well be contaminated so would advise against using it.
Many farmers are going to be faced with huge disposal bills to get rid
of affected manure so we will be seeing more and more of it dumped over
the coming weeks and months.

Would it not be ok if it were left to rot in a pile for a year or so?

Ed


unfortunately a year is a bit short, you get similar problems with grass
mowings after hormone weedkiller use and its normally 2 seasons before
the effects go
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea