Persistent herbicides in horse manure toxicity - Ask Extension
I have used composted horse manure in my home vegetable gardens. This manure has been composted a minimum of two years.
Without ever seeing an inf...
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Persistent herbicides in horse manure toxicity #799433
Asked July 05, 2022, 9:24 AM EDT
I have used composted horse manure in my home vegetable gardens. This manure has been composted a minimum of two years.
Without ever seeing an infestation but seeing cupped leaves on my tomato plants I have been battling what I thought were thrips of aphids with Neem oil on some of my plants. Never seeing any success with the neem oil I started researching other causes and now am leaning towards the manure I used may be contaminated with a persistent herbicide.
Can you tell me about the toxicity of any fruit I may eat from this garden?
New York County New York
Expert Response
I'm so sorry to see that you are having this problem. Vegetables are made from the earth they grow in and without having any specific information on the herbicide that was used, I would strongly advise against ingesting anything from a garden that you believe has strong toxins in the soil. The best people to advise you on the impact on the fruit grown in this garden are at a Poison Control Center. It would be helpful to know what herbicide is but as that is unknowable they are the experts you need to assess the situation.
- American Association of Poison Control Centers: Call <personal data hidden> or visit the AAPCC website
- For New York City visit NYC Poison Control
- For pets visit ASPCA National Animal Poison Center
You may also want to send a soil sample to your county's Extension Service Diagnostic Lab to confirm your intuition about the source of the problem.
