Kitchen Garden Forum

Westi wrote:Pa & Peter - it's a naturally occurring treatment so not a chemical as such. To over ride this law you could just try the real willow.

Westi

As far as I am aware If something is to be used as a herbicide, pesticide, Insecticide or any other side, for the treatment of plants etc it needs approval even if it is a 'natural' product, it certainly was the case during the 12 years I was working for a company making treatments for water gardening which came under same rules as normal veg & flower rules

Our council was about to detail an "organic weedkiller recipe" on the plot clearance advice before I stuck my oar in. Vinegar and dishwasher tablets were two ingredients, organic my arse!

I'm surprised about them thinking dishwasher tablets could be part of an organic recipe, they've got all sorts of things in them, but perhaps they are found naturally -surfactants, enzymes etc. Didn't Christine Walkden do an experiment using various home made weed killers?

They all damaged the foliage for a few months, but didn't kill the roots as far as I can remember. And wasn't there a complaint from the public when their council were using just vinegar as a weed killer on their pavements -smelled
like a chip shop. They could have used salt as well, that's quite effective.

But mushy peas and curry sauce would make the surface dangerously slippery

Luck of the draw I think Monika. Could be something to do with your location. I'm sure the spores will get to you eventually but perhaps you have harvested by then. I generally find that my greenhouse tomatoes are fine, but those outside get slaughtered. Some blight resistant tomatoes and potatoes can show some signs of blight, but generally recover or resist it for long enough to produce a crop. Of course all resistance is only temporary and breeders need to constantly come up with new varieties. 'Mountain Magic' and 'Crimson Crush' tomatoes worked for me last year and the Sarpo potatoes continue to be good despite having been available for a while now.
I have always been told that the spores only survive in plant tissue - mainly potato volunteers so they should never be put on the compost heap and should always be disposed of when they pop up (if they look OK, pop them into the pan!)
No we can't recommend aspirin as it isn't an approved fungicide as Pa Snip points out.

One thought - and purely hypothetical this and just for my own interest - but if breeders started using GM techniques to breed new potatoes/tomatoes and promised they could eradicate blight as a result - would you guys grow them?

Afternoon Steve, i think when GM techniques do get accepted in this country, they will only be for commercial varieties, as that's where the money is. Now i would have thought that most gardeners grow for flavour and texture and not just for highly productive varieties, that come to harvest all at one time.

But blight resistant potatoes and tomatoes would be nice, we just want them in every variety.

Is that asking too much.

I think we might have a GM trial (or maybe medicinal marijuana), down here outside Lymington! Loads of greenhouses, big fences & hedges, security & dogs & warning signs everywhere - either that or Boris' new digs after his current foot in mouth moment!

GM crops - Hmmm? Controversial Steve!

Westi

I have no trouble whatsoever with GM potatoes. I just wish the half wits had not been allowed to drive this project to America where others are going to cash in on the brilliant British progress. On flavour etc., they had introduced genes that gave blight resistance to an existing variety and as far as I know it retained its character. The anti-GM movement should be composted!

I would need to know exactly what the modification was before I would consider any GM products and knowing how large companies can manipulate what they want to tell us when they can make lots of money I would be wary. I can see the uses and would think GM potatoes relatively safe from crossing/having any effect on other crops. Herbicide resistance is another matter.

KG Steve wrote:No we can't recommend aspirin as it isn't an approved fungicide as Pa Snip points out.

One thought - and purely hypothetical this and just for my own interest - but if breeders started using GM techniques to breed new potatoes/tomatoes and promised they could eradicate blight as a result - would you guys grow them?

Actually Peter pointed it out before me.


As far as GM goes put me in the No Thanks section. When it comes to giving companies carte blanche to modify and thereby make profit I would be worried.

The GM potatoes were being developed by part of the John Innes Centre not a big commercial company, I haven't so far found an up to date reference https://www.jic.ac.uk/news/2014/02/gm-s ... at-blight/

Ok so what I am writing is totally hypothetical, and maybe complete rubbish.
I haven't stopped to think it right through.

What happens if GM crops get approved, it wont be some scientific centre marketing them. From then on might it not be possible that hybridisation of GM crops is likely.


Is not John Innes owned by Sinclair Holdings these days

Yes I think that is a concern that many environmentalists share - the danger of GM crops 'escaping' out into the wider environment and perhaps posing problems by crossing with natural varieties, although I've read that in many cases this should not be possible. I guess we don't really know until it happens!

The JI Institute is a registered charity and gets funding form the government and many other sources. I believe that compost manufacturers may pay to use the formula developed there, but couldn't swear to that.