Poisoned Soil

[Spike Silverback]

Dear Folks,

 

Any thoughts or recommendations of how to remediate 5 acres that have been synthetically fertilized and sprayed with pesticides and fungicides for a decade?

 

Thanks.

 

Frank

[freeztar]

The most effective method would be complete soil replacement.

My company does a lot of remediation work and this is the method most often used, though the sites we work on are typically laden with much more toxic chemicals.

 

For a simple and pretty effective method, you might try growing crops on the field for a few seasons. Phytoextraction, as it is called, seems to be the most cost-effective strategy, though it can take a lot longer time than other methods. I'm not sure what the best plants for this would be, but if you tell me your general area I should be able to help you find out.

 

Take a look at this wiki for phytoremediation:

Phytoremediation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Something else to consider is your motive. If you are trying to remove the chemicals so that you can grow certified organic produce then it might be wise to check with the USDA and get their recommendations.

National Organic Program Home

[Cedars]

Dear Folks,

 

Any thoughts or recommendations of how to remediate 5 acres that have been synthetically fertilized and sprayed with pesticides and fungicides for a decade?

 

Thanks.

 

Frank

 

Only a decade? Thats not too bad.

 

Do you know what crops were grown? Better yet do you know what products were used?

[Queso]

What if you covered the land with mushrooms?

Would this detox the soil?

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Dear Folks,

 

Any thoughts or recommendations of how to remediate 5 acres that have been synthetically fertilized and sprayed with pesticides and fungicides for a decade?

 

Thanks.

 

Frank

wow... only a decade?

 

We're starting to see the effects of nearly a century of chemical pollution from local farmers here in the form of high cancer rates.

 

Three of my fathers neighbors have died in the past month from various cancers of the digestive tract caused by pesticides leaching into the ground water and of course the produce grown here.

 

I wish you luck...get your soil tested. Also if you have a well on the property get it tested! You really need to know what chemicals your dealing with.

 

Here we're dealing with DDT and a host of other banned nasties as well as nasties that haven't been banned....Yet.

[freeztar]

What if you covered the land with mushrooms?

Would this detox the soil?

 

Good call Orbsy! :)

I was going to save it for later, but you had to bring it up. ;)

 

See this thread for more info folks:

http://hypography.com/forums/earth-science/11799-mycological-innovations.html?highlight=paul+stamets

[freeztar]

Three of my fathers neighbors have died in the past month from various cancers of the digestive tract caused by pesticides leaching into the ground water and of course the produce grown here.

 

I wish you luck...get your soil tested. Also if you have a well on the property get it tested! You really need to know what chemicals your dealing with.

 

Indeed. Knowing the depth of groundwater can help you determine the actions necessary. If the water table is shallow, then you could potentially have a big problem. If the vadose zone is perched upon bedrock, you could have an even bigger problem.

 

We need the specifics. :)

[Spike Silverback]

Thanks freezstar and all. Much appreciated. See comments below.

 

>

The most effective method would be complete >soil replacement.

>My company does a lot of remediation work and this is the method most >often used, though the sites we work on are typically laden with much >more toxic chemicals.

 

I am assuming the worst on this field. Not from a heavy contaminent viewpoint but from a general agriculture one. This is a part fescue/bermuda/overgrown honey locust/briar acerage that is in the third year conversion for an organic wine grape vineyard. Don't/can't get the history. May have had cows over that 10 years and possibly been hayed. Best I know is it may have gone on for the last 50 years.

 

>For a simple and pretty effective method, you might try growing crops on >the field for a few seasons. Phytoextraction, as it is called, seems to be >the most cost-effective strategy, though it can take a lot longer time than >other methods. I'm not sure what the best plants for this would be, but if >you tell me your general area I should be able to help you find out.

 

I'm in NW Arkansas @ the MO border. I'm slightly familier with phytoremediation. And it makes good sense, since the plants, in general,

get 66% of their chemicals out of the air, the growth and death of the plant will take the other 33% from the soil and break down whatever chemicals are uptaken from the soil. I planted my third fall cover crop in August. A fairly large diversity of legumes, mustard, bee and beneficial insect support plants. Mostly perennials. Have switched to no till after two years of clearing, ripping and discing.

 

Something that hasn't been mentioned though, is that in order for these various plants to grow, one needs to add back amendments in the form of compost and minerals, no? I have had the soil tested several times for agricultural chemical and biological needs but not poisons. Honestly don't know a lab that does testing for synthetics.

 

After two years of 8T ac. of humified compost, minerals, mychorrizal fungai and cover crops, I'm beggining to see some change in the numbers to get where I need to be b4 the grapes go in.

 

>Take a look at this wiki for phytoremediation:

 

Thanks for that above.

 

>Something else to consider is your motive. If you are trying to remove >the chemicals so that you can grow certified organic produce then it might >be wise to check with the USDA and get their recommendations.

 

Working towards certified. I do have their info. (205.202 sect © Land Requirements). This leads me to believe that the USDA feels that after 3 years, any residue of prohibited chemical ag substances will have dissapated.

 

Water isn't an issue YET. Locals say the ribideux is a 1000 feet and there is no agriculture above me that would provide a harmful flow onto my property.

 

Thanks once again for your thoughts and comments. Anything else you may add would be greatly appreciated.

 

Best.

 

Spike

[Michaelangelica]

Dear Folks,

 

Any thoughts or recommendations of how to remediate 5 acres that have been synthetically fertilized and sprayed with pesticides and fungicides for a decade?

 

Thanks.

 

Frank

Can you find out what was used? How much and when?

 

Have you done a soil analysis?

 

Activated carbon will collect many poisons but is expensive

 

Pumpkins are said to collect many poisons including heavy metals.

 

Best maybe just to start adding tonnes, literally, of organic matter to the soil to encourage soil bacteria.

 

see also the 'Organic farming gardening' thread and 'Terra preta' sub forum.

[Spike Silverback]

Can you find out what was used? How much and when?

 

Have you done a soil analysis?

 

Only an agricultural chemical soil and biological tests. Not

poisons testing. Don't know a lab in the central US.

 

Activated carbon will collect many poisons but is expensive.

 

I put a ton of 1/2 inch graded charcoal on already from a plant in Arkansas

before it was made into briquets.

 

Pumpkins are said to collect many poisons including heavy metals.

 

Interesting. I'll file that away. Might come in handy. Thanks.

 

Best maybe just to start adding tonnes, literally, of organic matter to the soil to encourage soil bacteria.

 

I've got 40 T of humified compost and 20 lbs of mychorrizal plus minerals on now.

 

see also the 'Organic farming gardening' thread and 'Terra preta' sub forum.

 

I started a thread on char volumes a few weeks back. Need to revisit that and look at homeopathically applied char.

 

Thanks Michaelangelica. Much appreciated.

 

Spike

[Cedars]

Thanks freezstar and all. Much appreciated. See comments below.

 

May have had cows over that 10 years and possibly been hayed. Best I know is it may have gone on for the last 50 years.

 

I'm in NW Arkansas @ the MO border. I planted my third fall cover crop in August. A fairly large diversity of legumes, mustard, bee and beneficial insect support plants. Mostly perennials. Have switched to no till after two years of clearing, ripping and discing.

 

I have had the soil tested several times for agricultural chemical and biological needs but not poisons. Honestly don't know a lab that does testing for synthetics.

 

After two years of 8T ac. of humified compost, minerals, mychorrizal fungai and cover crops, I'm beggining to see some change in the numbers to get where I need to be b4 the grapes go in.

 

If it was hay cropland, I think your sitting pretty good. Not alot of herbicide or fungicide usage on those types of crops. Grazing land also usually has limited additives except for ferts and a possible herbicide for initial clearing depending on the 'weed' content to begin with. Its pretty much high nitrogen ferts used on clovers, alfalfa, grasses.

 

Corn crops will used pesticides. I am not as sure about soybean, but I know fungus is an issue in some areas for them (plus I imagine their insect pests), along with their ferts.

 

You havent spend any time talking to old timers in the neighborhood for what the farms usage was over the years?

 

It really doesnt sound like your land is 'poisoned' and the methods your using are fine for your goals.

[Michaelangelica]

It really doesnt sound like your land is 'poisoned' and the methods your using are fine for your goals.

I tend to agree

It sounds like you are on the right track.

 

Keep testing your soil pH as it will change every few months with what you are doing.

The only chemicals really to worry about are chlorinated hydrocarbons and organo-phosphates. These have a very long HALF-life (10-18 years). Perhaps also synthetic pyrethrins -but no one knows about them yet.

 

Give your soil a few years to settle down and and grow some wee beasties (a little sugar too might help).

You might find it takes 3-4 years to get a good-bug /bad-bug ecology going above ground too:goodbad: :hihi:

so don't be tempted to spray with anything not organic in that time.

 

Good luck, you are off to a great start.

May the Lady be kind to you.:)

[freeztar]

Give your soil a few years to settle down and and grow some wee beasties (a little sugar too might help).

 

Hey Mich, where is that sugar reference from. I remember reading it somewhere in regards to TP, but I can't remember where.

 

(edit: 2000th post!!)

[Michaelangelica]

Hey Mich, where is that sugar reference from. I remember reading it somewhere in regards to TP, but I can't remember where.

 

(edit: 2000th post!!)

There was a facinating discussion of this on the TP mailing list 3-4 months back.

Tom would have archived it in the 'library.':)

 

I have always used it to prevent root-knot nematode damage to plant roots.

The Indian Guy who was talking about it was using it as a fertiliser!

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Terra Preta | Intentional use of charcoal in soil

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[diazotrophicus]

There was a facinating discussion of this on the TP mailing list 3-4 months back.

Tom would have archived it in the 'library.':)

 

I have always used it to prevent root-knot nematode damage to plant roots.

The Indian Guy who was talking about it was using it as a fertiliser!

 

Hi,

farmers in India spread sugar or a sugary solution on the ground one day before seeding. Reported various times by Dr. A.D. Karve on the stoves list. Seems to work.

 

I also mentioned this trick

http://hypography.com/forums/terra-preta/13404-char-volumes.html#post196832

 

in connection with char as a thin vertical column to get the TP effect going, hopefully, at least it worked with my test plants.

 

For your poison problem, especially chlorinated compounds, it might help to spread magnesium carbonate (magnesite MgCO3) on or into the top soil. It is alkaline and reacts with acids, would form MgCl2 and thus capture the chlorine. And Magnesium is essential for chlorophyll.

diazotrophicus

[diazotrophicus]

Hi,

did a quick search:

[stoves] Terra preta and organic farming

[stoves] Re: reply to message nr 4( adkarve)

diazotrophicus

 

 

Hi,

farmers in India spread sugar or a sugary solution on the ground one day before seeding. Reported various times by Dr. A.D. Karve on the stoves list. Seems to work.

[Spike Silverback]

[quote name=Michaelangelica;

 

Give your soil a few years to settle down and and grow some wee beasties (a little sugar too might help).

You might find it takes 3-4 years to get a good-bug /bad-bug ecology going above ground too:goodbad: :D

so don't be tempted to spray with anything not organic in that time.

 

Good luck' date=' you are off to a great start.

May the Lady be kind to you.:D[/quote]

 

Thanks Michaelangelica

 

The Lady has been very good. I started a thread on a biodynamic NG

regarding molasses (sugar) Add the http. I can't post urls yet.

 

://lists.envirolink.org/mailman/private/bdnow/2007-December/subject.html#start[/url] Scroll down to Molasses Soil

 

Spike