Kitchen Garden Forum

I received this email last night from a friend in a panic. I've only ever used Jeyes for washing the greenhouse panes, so have no idea. Can anyone help please?

"Have slight emergency in the garden and need some advice! I have put some Jeyes fluid into our water butt to clean it out, I rinsed it but it still stinks of Jeyes, I have then used the water to water the greenhouse and all our seeds. Mark thinks we should now chuck the lot cause:

a) They wont be organic cause of the Jeyes
b) They might poison us when we eat them......
c) They will probably die anyway...

Am feeling unsure about best approach, can't bear the thought of throwing all my seeds away as they are all doing so well, but dont want to poison anyone!"

Thanks team

unsure,but didnt gardeners use jeyes to steralize the greenhouse borders?

Hi Chantal,
It really all depends on the concentration used.
The plants would be disqualified as Organic if they were a registered organic growers but lets not panic. If the plants survive they will not be poisonous.
The only reason Jeyes is not still a soil sterilizer is because the manufacturers didn't want to pay the swingeing registration fees.
With the new European legislation that is coming in it probably might well have been banned but people have been using it as a sterilant for many many years without any problems.
JB.

Jeyes is very smelly as you well know. If the butt has been rinsed the dilution of the water used for watering will be minimal and almost certainly harmless. As JB says the only thing that can be affected is the plants, if they live everything will be fine and they will do you no harm.
You don't say if the butt is wood or plastic. If it is wood it might be an idea to fill it leave for a day empty it and repeat this a couple of times if you are still (unnecessarily) worried. Forget the organic argument, get a life!

I used Jeyes for many years to sterilize my allotment. Fork or rake into soil, 12 ml per 5 litres of water at 10 litres per squire yard. Do not plant until at least 6 weeks after sterilization. I have been doing this for some years now, without any obvious problems. As johnboy pointed out, the firm did not want to pay the fee [seem to recall the sum of £30.000 being mentioned]

"As johnboy pointed out, the firm did not want to pay the fee [seem to recall the sum of £30.000 being mentioned"

Silly B's, it leaves the field open for someone to jump in, pay the £30,000 and grab all the sales with a name like Jays Juice. I am surprised that they take the risk.

Dear Larkshall,
the term jeyes fluid is a trademark and is thus registered and cannot be used by anyone else. It is still available as a household cleaner it simply cannot be used in the garden as a soil sterelant.
Regards Sally Wright.

Interesting word "cannot" - worked for me!

Chantal

Just to get the discussion off the merits and demerits of Jeyes Fluid and regulation and rules, here's what I would tell your friend:

a) If you washed out the butt well enough the dilution will be so great that the residue of Jeyes will be negligeable. The smell always lasts for ages.
b) If the seedlings don't suffer, then the resulting plants will be perfectly safe to eat. We're not talking systemic poisons here.
c) The crops will not be Organic (as in Soil Association certified), but they never would have been anyway. The will be as near organic (small o) as if you hadn't used Jeyes.

Hope this helps.

Alan

Thanks everyone for your input and thanks Alan for your synopsis, that's great.

Chantal

What was the result of your advice?

a) She's joined the forum (or is at least reading it)
b) She's keeping everything

Thanks again guys, what would I do without you all

Probably have a lot quieter life Chantal.