Black oak and juglone poisining
 

I think my uncle received a load of black walnut leaf mulch; consequently,
his asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and other veggies are
dying.

Is there anything that will neutralize the affects of juglone toxicity, once
he removes the offending leaf mulch?

TIA,

Mark

In article , "Guyz-N-Flyz"
wrote:

I think my uncle received a load of black walnut leaf mulch; consequently,
his asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and other veggies are
dying.

Is there anything that will neutralize the affects of juglone toxicity, once
he removes the offending leaf mulch?

TIA,

Mark

Composting breaks down the juglone, so if you mix the leaves with soil &
keep it moist & add some nitrogen to speed up the process it will take
care of itself at the speed of composting, even without entirely removing
the leaves.

Since you indicate that your uncle will be raking out the walnut leaves,
that'll speed up the process dramatically. He can follow the removal with
deep watering now & then to flush any lingering juglone deeper into the
soil, where bacteria will take care of it before too long. Presumedly he
won't be planting any new veggies this time of year anyway, & the area
should have repaired itself by next spring's planting time. He's not
committed any end-of-world catastrophic garden booboo, it's something
gardens can pretty much repair on their own.

You say, however, "I think" it was black walnut -- if no one's sure there
were walnut leaves involved, there could be some other problem. I mulch
with fallen leaves of chokecherry & sweet cherry & plum trees which all
have juglone & this does't bother the plants at all, not even the azaleas
which can be juglone-sensitive, but of course the concentrations are a
fraction that of walnut, & I don't use these leaves for anything as
senstive as tomatoes.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

"paghat" wrote in message
...
In article , "Guyz-N-Flyz"
wrote:

You say, however, "I think" it was black walnut -- if no one's sure there
were walnut leaves involved, there could be some other problem. I mulch
with fallen leaves of chokecherry & sweet cherry & plum trees which all
have juglone & this does't bother the plants at all, not even the azaleas
which can be juglone-sensitive, but of course the concentrations are a
fraction that of walnut, & I don't use these leaves for anything as
senstive as tomatoes.

This is pretty interesting............I was not aware that juglone was
present in any plant outside of the Juglandaceae and not even present in
very high concentrations of most members of this family outside of the
Juglans genus itself. Since I can find no references which address this
phenomenon in any Prunus species, I'd be interested in being directed to a
source or link which discussed this.

pam - gardengal

"paghat" wrote in message
...
Composting breaks down the juglone, so if you mix the leaves with soil &
keep it moist & add some nitrogen to speed up the process it will take
care of itself at the speed of composting, even without entirely removing
the leaves.

Since you indicate that your uncle will be raking out the walnut leaves,
that'll speed up the process dramatically. He can follow the removal with
deep watering now & then to flush any lingering juglone deeper into the
soil, where bacteria will take care of it before too long. Presumedly he
won't be planting any new veggies this time of year anyway, & the area
should have repaired itself by next spring's planting time. He's not
committed any end-of-world catastrophic garden booboo, it's something
gardens can pretty much repair on their own.

Thanks! I sent your reply directly to my uncle.

You say, however, "I think" it was black walnut -- if no one's sure there
were walnut leaves involved, there could be some other problem. I mulch
with fallen leaves of chokecherry & sweet cherry & plum trees which all
have juglone & this does't bother the plants at all, not even the azaleas
which can be juglone-sensitive, but of course the concentrations are a
fraction that of walnut, & I don't use these leaves for anything as
senstive as tomatoes.

No we aren't sure, but where we live is plentiful with black walnut trees. I am only
guessin', and my uncle is havin' a soil test done, though I believe he will take your
advice regardless. He has worked very hard on his veggie garden and the asparagus is
his trophy--so to speak. Dick is around 77 years of age and his veggie garden and
fishin' are his greatest hobbies. Gardenin' is fairly new to him, but he has taken to
it like a duck to water, so I imagine he doesn't really need my assistance; however,
he isn't familiar with the availability of instant info via NGs. You have been most
kind and I thank you very much!

Mark


-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:6AJ5d.266224$mD.96644@attbi_s02...
This is pretty interesting............I was not aware that juglone was
present in any plant outside of the Juglandaceae and not even present in
very high concentrations of most members of this family outside of the
Juglans genus itself. Since I can find no references which address this
phenomenon in any Prunus species, I'd be interested in being directed to a
source or link which discussed this.

pam - gardengal

Here's a little something: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html

However, if you do a Google search you will find more than you ever wanted to know.

The reason that black walnut and juglone came to my mine was because of an article I
once read about black walnut shavin's and horses and cattle. From there I learn that
not only were the shavings poisonous to stock animals, but that thee reason my
tomatoes were doing so poorly was the 50' black walnut tree on the end of my veggie
garden. I'm told by mountain folk that walnuts were placed in burlap bags and placed
in streams to catch trout--many years ago. The toxin apparently paralyzes the
respiratory system of the fish and they float to the surface?

Mark

(paghat) wrote:

"Guyz-N-Flyz" wrote:

I think my uncle received a load of black walnut leaf mulch; consequently,
his asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and other veggies are
dying.
Is there anything that will neutralize the affects of juglone toxicity,
once he removes the offending leaf mulch?

Composting breaks down the juglone, so if you mix the leaves with soil &
keep it moist & add some nitrogen to speed up the process it will take
care of itself at the speed of composting, even without entirely removing
the leaves.

All species of the walnut family produce juglone. Black walnuts have
the highest concentrations. Relatively small amounts are found in
butternut, hickory, and pecan. Most toxicity problems are caused by the
black walnut. paghat's recommendation is right on.

In the meantime you can plant such veggies as: corn, beans, onions,
beets, and carrots.

Avoid: asparagus, cabbage, rhubarb, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and
eggplants.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

In article 6AJ5d.266224$mD.96644@attbi_s02, "Pam - gardengal"
wrote:

"paghat" wrote in message
...
In article , "Guyz-N-Flyz"
wrote:

You say, however, "I think" it was black walnut -- if no one's sure there
were walnut leaves involved, there could be some other problem. I mulch
with fallen leaves of chokecherry & sweet cherry & plum trees which all
have juglone & this does't bother the plants at all, not even the azaleas
which can be juglone-sensitive, but of course the concentrations are a
fraction that of walnut, & I don't use these leaves for anything as
senstive as tomatoes.

This is pretty interesting............I was not aware that juglone was
present in any plant outside of the Juglandaceae and not even present in
very high concentrations of most members of this family outside of the
Juglans genus itself. Since I can find no references which address this
phenomenon in any Prunus species, I'd be interested in being directed to a
source or link which discussed this.

pam - gardengal

Good catch, & wouldn't that explain why it doesn't bother the azaleas that
get chokecherry leaves as mulch. Just muddy-thinking & quick-writing
relying too much on an aging memory. It is of course cyanide-related
toxins in the roots, leaves, & fruitstones of the trees we have whose
leaves we use for mulching. The cyanide exuded from roots functions as a
growth suppressant to give these trees an edge over competing plants in
the immediate vicinity, the function also of juglone, but I've never seen
any negative effect from using the leaves.

-paggers

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

"Guyz-N-Flyz" wrote:

I think my uncle received a load of black walnut leaf mulch; consequently,
his asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and other veggies are
dying.
Is there anything that will neutralize the affects of juglone toxicity,
once he removes the offending leaf mulch?

In my experience, black walnut leaves are quite ephemeral. That is,
they don't even last long enough to be raked, much less piled up
and/or transported for mulch. Your uncle's problem may be something
entirely different.