Unaged compost?

[sans]

Hi All,

I've been lurking here a bit, but this is my first post.

This past spring I decided to expand my vegetable growing area and purchased some manure-based compost from a very reputable local gardening center. I dug the compost into the new beds and planted everything once the night temperatures were warm enough.

Unfortunately all of my tomato transplants in those beds died within a few days. They all had purple stems and leaves and severe curing of both leaves and stems. I'm also having various troubles with peppers, some varieties of cucumber, and bush beans in those beds. zucchini and other squash seem to be doing ok.

A variety of plants (including tomatoes) in older beds where I didn't add the compost are doing great.

I dug the dead tomatoes out and put in another 10 or so with some fresh soil mixed in. They are doing much better, but still show some of the same symptoms to a lesser degree.

What do you think is going on here? Was the compost not aged enough? If so, what is happening chemically in the soil? Too much Nitrogen? Is this what folks mean by manure-based compost "burning" plants?

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[grunt]

I may be off base here, but it sounds like you have some sort of chemical contamination in that compost. If it was excess nitrogen causing the problem the plants would look burnt, not purpling and curling up. It is possible that they mixed in too much phosphorus (which shouldn't need to be added anyway) while mixing it. What did it smell like when you were applying it? If it was just too "young" it would smell very strongly like manure, not compost. Any idea of the manure source (cow, horse, pig...)?

[mnjrutherford]

I'm not the most knowledgeable on this, but I would have to concur with Dan's assessment. It certainly sounds like you have a rather serious imbalance. I suggest that you collect 2 samples, take one to your local Cooperative Extension for testing. Here in North Carolina, the Cooperative Extension provides free soil testing. Then, take the other sample back to the garden center where you purchased it. You've said they are reputable so I'm sure that once you've told them what has happened they will be happy to take any necessary steps to correct the situation. Good luck! I'm interested in hearing the outcome!

[PapaVic]

The herbicide Milestone (aminopyralid) is used for broadleaf control in pastures and on wheat fields. It will carry over in manure and compost made from manure where the cattle has eaten the pasture grass or hay, or when wheat straw from wheat treated wit Milestone is used for mulch or as part of the compost, like from stall bedding.

Aminopyralid can remain in the soil for several years and cause severe damage to tomatoes and other solanaceae crops, in particular eggplants and peppers. You have to be careful anymore when obtaining compost, manure or straw that the farmer doesn't use Milestone or feed the animals fodder or pasture treated with Milestone.

Symptoms with tomatoes sometimes mimic Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus or in milder cases, just causes severe leaf cupping, rolling or twisting.

[mnjrutherford]

What would you want to ask for if you were sending a soil sample to a lab? Could one test for it without taking it to a lab?

[sans]

Thanks for the responses.

Out of habit from another planting area I (stupidly, I know) added a handfull of epson salts to the hole under each tomato transplant. Would that have a created a toxicity to cause that extreme curling and death of the plants?

Most (but not all) of the replacement plants that I put in with fresh soil are doing OK. Things are looking much better after the inch and a half of rain we received in the last week (possibly diffusing the toxicity?). The bush beans I planted look better after the rain, but not as healthy as in the beds without the suspect manure.

I did some reading on the issues with Aminopyralid - it certainly fits the profile but I have more stem curling on the surviving plants than leaf curling. I'll do the "Bioassay Test" recommended by Washington State and look for a soil lab that can test for it. I also used hay around the tomatoes, another possible source of contamination. So I've got three suspects:

1. Magnesium Sulfate (epson salt) toxicity.
2. Herbicide in compost.
3. Herbicide on hay.

Thoughts?

Thanks again, Matt

[sans]

Update: I called the gardening center where I bought the manure. They test twice a year for any synthetics (including herbicide) and their source tests more frequently. Although I guess an herbicide could have sneaked through, I think that's pretty low on the suspect list.

Although the epson salt was dumb on my part without a soil test indicating the need, any problems it may have caused don't explain why bush beans that sprouted through the hay are doing so poorly. I'll get the hay off the beds immediately as a precaution and do the bioassay test with peas or beans under the hay vs without the hay.