Soil Detox

If you or the previous owners of your home have used synthetic fertilizers, toxic pesticides or other contaminates, your soil is nasty or at least unhealthy and needs to be cleaned up. Digging the soil out and hauling it off is not the answer. That just moves the problem from point A to point B. If your soil has been contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic and chromium in treated lumber or creosote in railroad ties, or with lead and arsenic from iron supplements, or if the contamination is from pesticides or petroleum spills, the solution is the same.

First, stop the contamination. Synthetic fertilizers are my primary concern, but the neurotoxin pesticides are a close second. MSMA, for example, is an arsenic compound. Roundup is showing up in the water stream, so it does contaminate soil and water, and the list goes on.

Second, apply the activated charcoal product from NORIT called GroSafe. It’s very fine-textured and must be mixed with water to apply. Since it is so hard to find, any activated charcoal at recommended rates is the next best alternative. Fine textured humate is also a good choice. Zeolite will add to the cleanup when used at 40 - 50 lbs. per 1000 square feet.

Zeolite

The next step is to spray and drench the problem area with Garrett Juice plus orange oil or d-limonene at 2 ounces per gallon of mix. The carbon materials will tie up the contaminants; the Garrett Juice and orange oil will stimulate the microbes to eat the contaminants. Liquid molasses is in the Garrett Juice mix, but also adding dry molasses to the soil at 10 - 20 lbs. per 1000 square feet will help the decontamination process. Adding the microbe product THRIVE is the “icing on the cake” to complete the detox program. After that, just stay on the organic program.

Garden centers, nurseries, feed stores, hardware stores and mail order houses that sell toxic synthetic products are foolish. If they continue that business model, you should pressure them to stop.  If they don’t stop, maybe they will at least sell the ingredients to my recommended Detox Program.

If you have any questions regarding this newsletter or any other topic, join me this weekend for my Green Living and Dirt Doctor radio shows.

Visit the Green Living store for great garden, home, kids and pet products and to purchase the products for the Detox Program.

Naturally yours,

Howard Garrett