... a fellow I met last night at the Fort Worth Organic Garden Club said never to use horse manure because it is tainted with the herbicide clopyralid- from the hay they feed the horses.

I got manure that the stable owner said was 3 years old. It was all piled up out in the 'back forty'. I can't imagine she would be wrong by more than a year...I mixed it right into my beds, as I figured it was old enough, plus we are doing a lasagna type layering thing...

Has anyone ever heard of this?
Should I worry (even more than I already do??!!) I have literally put hundreds of dollars of seeds and seedlings in already!!! When I started this project i thought manure was a great find!!! i never imagined...
HELP!

thanks, merri

ps...see attached article

http://www.kingcd.org/new_imp_per.htm

eek....

Picloram and clopyralid are contained in the chemicals sprayed on some crops and hay. They have been proven to affect the ability of a plant to sprout and grow even after the source material has been composted.
Usually, compost breaks down harmful chemicals and neutralizes the inputs. All horse manure is not contaminated, ask the horse owner if she knows the source of the feed hay and find out what has been done to it.
You can test your compost by trying to sprout a few peas or beans before you commit to rows of crops. This can be done prior to the growing season so as not to delay your plantings.
Tony M

Hi Tony, thanks for your reply...
I can't get in touch with the stable owner - she is also a cpa and I guess she is still up to her armpits in taxes...

I took some of the manure and mixed it with water last night about 7 pm ...

Today at noon I poured it on a pepper plant still in a pot. I poured it in the pot and over the leaves. There was some left so I put it on some clover...(checking solanacae and legumes).

As of tonight, both seem unchanged.

I will let them sit in full sun again tomorrow, maybe try the same thing again...

thanks, merri

Excellent test merri. If your plants survive a full day, you're good to go.

These herbicides can damage plants without killing them. The stress can slow down growth and lead to pest problems. Peanut plants which can be grown from raw peanuts are the most sensitive to the tea containing these chemicals. The foliage will fold up quickly if there is residual.