Factory potash is mined. It is a salt type material about 1 mile below the surface of the earth. It is crushed and sifted and sized then put in bags to sell. Mother nature made the potash man only mined it and put it in bags to sell.
I am so tired of the forum loosing my password I had it saved for several months. I am tired of having to remember passwords for 30 different forums.
Mined products are usually allowed if they are in pure form. They cannot contain contaminants. The potash that is mined came from the beds of ancient oceans. While it does contain potassium it also contains a lot of salts so that needs to be taken into account. It is not a sourse that readily gives up its potassium to plants. Other sources may be better at actually getting the nutrients to the plants because they are in a more palatable form, but not all of them may be acceptable as organic.
The national organic program has a lot of stuff to wade through regarding what is allowed and what is not. However, it is a common misconception that only organic substances are allowed. Some non-organic and synthetic substances are allowed under specified conditions or where organic substitutes are not available or practical.
GMO is not allowed under NOP standards.
https://www.pda.org.uk/pda_leaflets/23-p ... c-growers/
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c= ... 2.7&idno=7
The national organic program has a lot of stuff to wade through regarding what is allowed and what is not. However, it is a common misconception that only organic substances are allowed. Some non-organic and synthetic substances are allowed under specified conditions or where organic substitutes are not available or practical.
GMO is not allowed under NOP standards.
https://www.pda.org.uk/pda_leaflets/23-p ... c-growers/
https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c= ... 2.7&idno=7
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7008
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
Look on YouTube you will find the video in How Its Made. Mining is central USA the company has 2 places they mine, 1 is 65% potash the other it 95% potash. The 65% is mixed with water, salt is removed and the water evaporated. The 95% has trace minerals ground up, sized, put in bags, both are organic. NO manufactured chemicals in this Potash.
Contaminants don't have to be manufactured. They can be naturally occuring like asbestos in vermiculite. Which is the reason why the U.S. vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana was shut down.
I do not dispute that mined minerals are not allowed in organic culture, only that some natural substances are not in pure form and may contain undesireable contaminants. Just as it is really hard to find organic fertilizers that have only a single component like amoniacal nitrogen. I can't really get compost without getting additional calcium or phosphorus which I don't need.
Organics are fine products and they do feed the soil because they have more biomass as well. It is just a little more difficult when you want to fine tune things to get pure organic elements that don't contain unwanted salts or other elements I don't want or need. I don't want to have to add a 100 lbs of organic fertilizer to the garden if I can get the plants the nutrients they need and without having to lift all that stuff.
I do not dispute that mined minerals are not allowed in organic culture, only that some natural substances are not in pure form and may contain undesireable contaminants. Just as it is really hard to find organic fertilizers that have only a single component like amoniacal nitrogen. I can't really get compost without getting additional calcium or phosphorus which I don't need.
Organics are fine products and they do feed the soil because they have more biomass as well. It is just a little more difficult when you want to fine tune things to get pure organic elements that don't contain unwanted salts or other elements I don't want or need. I don't want to have to add a 100 lbs of organic fertilizer to the garden if I can get the plants the nutrients they need and without having to lift all that stuff.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7008
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
I took, chemistry, biology, math, physics, engineering, gardening classes in college. I understand the science involved in making fertilizer that is 100% pure. Even though the organic people think it is bad it is not bad. I have no problem putting factory fertilizers on my garden as long as I know what it is. Most organic stuff is so weak it has little food value for plants. You can make a very good home made fertilizer with 85% organic material, 5% wood ash, 10% urine, after about 7 days in warm weather when it smells like ammonia it is very high nitrogen, high potash, high lime, high is lots of minerals. Cows and horses that pee in the barn full of organic material all it needs is a good mix of wood ash and some warm weather in a closed container like a large barrel. If you have a big pile cover it with a tarp in the hot sun for a few weeks. The more urine it has the higher the nitrogen and minerals 10% to 15% is good. 10% wood ash breaks down the organic material fast about 30 days. One year I made up about 20 trash bags of this mix left it in the garage all winter then put it in the garden in spring. You almost need an industrial size building to make enough fertilizer for a 25' by 50' garden can't make enough to be useful that is why I buy 15/15/15 fertilizer and Urea. Can't get much more pure and natural that triple 15, Urea and pellet lime in the garden. I have 2 dozen bird houses, birds eat all the garden bugs. My cat keeps out all the small animals like squirrels, rabbits, etc.
The W.R. Grace Company Asbestos Caseimafan26 wrote:Contaminants don't have to be manufactured. They can be naturally occuring like asbestos in vermiculite. Which is the reason why the U.S. vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana was shut down....
J. Peter Grace was CEO of his grandfather's W.R. Grace Company for 48 years.
"The Private Sector Survey on Cost Control (PSSCC), commonly referred to as The Grace Commission, was an investigation requested by United States President Ronald Reagan, authorized in Executive Order 12369 on June 30, 1982. The focus of it was waste and inefficiency in the US Federal government. Its head, businessman J. Peter Grace,[1] asked the members of that commission to 'be bold' and "'work like tireless bloodhounds. Don't leave any stone unturned in your search to root out inefficiency.'" LINK
Verify don't Trust
Steve
Some of the Grace company executives were acquitted in that case. The vermiculite in that mine was contaminated with tremolite, a form of asbestos. The executives said that they took steps to remediate the problems with the mine once they realized that the asbestos was causing the residents of Libby harm. There was countering testimony from workers that said that their concerns about the contamination were dismissed for years. Eventually the mine was closed. The mine had been in operation years. The asbestos problem dated back to the 1920's. The Grace company bought the mine in 1963. Asbestos was widely used as insulation and fireproofing in many products and at the time people did not realize the dangers with exposure. It wasn't until 1990 that mine was closed. Vermiculite mines are monitored now for contaminants.
Other organic products that have more or less been taken off the market that once were popular were rotenone, nicotine, sabadilla, and ryania. They were removed because although they were oganic, they were more toxic to higher animals and some were more toxic than the man made chemicals.
Organic fertilizers do feed the soil, but it takes a well developed soil ecosystem before it becomes anywhere close to sustainable. Organic pesticides are shorter acting so they have to be applied more often. They still need to be rotated since they are still at risk like any other pesticide of the pests becoming resistent.
Other organic products that have more or less been taken off the market that once were popular were rotenone, nicotine, sabadilla, and ryania. They were removed because although they were oganic, they were more toxic to higher animals and some were more toxic than the man made chemicals.
Organic fertilizers do feed the soil, but it takes a well developed soil ecosystem before it becomes anywhere close to sustainable. Organic pesticides are shorter acting so they have to be applied more often. They still need to be rotated since they are still at risk like any other pesticide of the pests becoming resistent.
I had in-law family friends in Libby Montana, home of that vermiculite mine. Only residents for a few years, we visited while they lived there in the 1970's. It is a very pretty part of the world and I still live about 150 miles from Libby. My brother's home is less than half that distance.
I worked in a commercial greenhouse. Nearly half my day during winter was tending the wood pellet, and earlier, coal furnace that heated the one acre under glass. There was a natural gas furnace, as well. Both furnaces were covered with asbestos and all the pipes that were not out in the greenhouses were covered with asbestos. When it weakened and fell off, we would mix an asbestos paste and patch the insulation.
The potting soil that we used in the spring was made with vermiculite from that Libby mine. That vermiculite was sold all over the United States. In fact, 80% of the world's vermiculite was coming from the Libby mine.
I have lived in a house with ceiling insulation made from that vermiculite for over 20 years. Apparently, we were supposed to have been informed of that when the home was purchased but were not told. The local health department had the advice - "do not disturb it!" Wonderful.
"The Libby mine closed in 1999, and nearly $600 million has been spent on the largest, longest-running asbestos cleanup project in American history and is just now wrapping up. The Environmental Protection Agency has investigated or cleaned more than 7,100 properties and is slated to finish another 700 before completion.
Health officials have estimated the mines killed more than 400 Libby residents and sickened roughly 3,000. W.R. Grace and Co. escaped most liability when it filed for bankruptcy after the extent of contamination was revealed. ... Exposure to asbestos can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a disease that causes scarring of the lungs. The latency period between exposure and diagnosis can span 20 to 50 years." the local Montana newspaper
Here is what Senator Max Baucus of Montana read into the Congressional Recordin 2001, "It is my judgment that W.R. Grace knew what was going on, knew the dust contained asbestos. This is a very serious form of asbestos called 'tremolite.' This is the worst kind of asbestos."
Steve
I worked in a commercial greenhouse. Nearly half my day during winter was tending the wood pellet, and earlier, coal furnace that heated the one acre under glass. There was a natural gas furnace, as well. Both furnaces were covered with asbestos and all the pipes that were not out in the greenhouses were covered with asbestos. When it weakened and fell off, we would mix an asbestos paste and patch the insulation.
The potting soil that we used in the spring was made with vermiculite from that Libby mine. That vermiculite was sold all over the United States. In fact, 80% of the world's vermiculite was coming from the Libby mine.
I have lived in a house with ceiling insulation made from that vermiculite for over 20 years. Apparently, we were supposed to have been informed of that when the home was purchased but were not told. The local health department had the advice - "do not disturb it!" Wonderful.
"The Libby mine closed in 1999, and nearly $600 million has been spent on the largest, longest-running asbestos cleanup project in American history and is just now wrapping up. The Environmental Protection Agency has investigated or cleaned more than 7,100 properties and is slated to finish another 700 before completion.
Health officials have estimated the mines killed more than 400 Libby residents and sickened roughly 3,000. W.R. Grace and Co. escaped most liability when it filed for bankruptcy after the extent of contamination was revealed. ... Exposure to asbestos can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a disease that causes scarring of the lungs. The latency period between exposure and diagnosis can span 20 to 50 years." the local Montana newspaper
Here is what Senator Max Baucus of Montana read into the Congressional Recordin 2001, "It is my judgment that W.R. Grace knew what was going on, knew the dust contained asbestos. This is a very serious form of asbestos called 'tremolite.' This is the worst kind of asbestos."
Steve
I have asbestos in my house too. Most people who have homes built prior to around 1985 probably have some asbestos in the house. I was told the same thing when I looked into renovating the kitchen. The person who came was a rep from the company who actuallly built the house in 1971. He said not to touch the walls, the dry wall had asbestos fibers for insulation. There was probably asbestos in the roofing shingles and in the vynyl tiles on the floor and in the ceiling drywall. He said it does not cause problems unless it is disturbed. If I wanted to remodel the house extensively, the cost to have the asbestos removed would be a few thousand dollars.