From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

our local treatment center has called me wanting me to haul of about 70 tons of "class a " sludge..for every 1000 lbs of sludge they add 500 lbs of lime..it has been tested and it supposed to be completely safe to put on your garden or pasture land.. my question is once i get it how much can i put on my patch??i dont know if to much will burn the plants of make them grow?? thanks,keith

6/17/2003 8:24:58 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Keith,
Get a hold of the county ag agent. They'll have rate data & more importantly, timing ideas. So far as I know, now isn't the time to apply sludge.

Which might explain why they're looking for someone to haul it now that I think about it. Their regular hauler may have run out of places to use the stuff if every field around is planted.

Steve

6/17/2003 8:36:04 AM

Western Pa.

Beware of heavy metal build-up! I know of a lot of industry that "dumps" into our sewer system!

6/17/2003 2:24:22 PM

Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

wouldnt that make the pumpkins heavier???

6/17/2003 4:30:03 PM

Montoursville, PA

My community will not let me have it for a home garden! I did not investigate content or value further upon learning of the house rules. Local problems exist. Do gooders right or wrong have made it impossible to even haul it out to help reclaim strip mines. State agencies were hauling it to the Elk Feed Plots and that was stopped. Cripes it can't be that bad or can it?

6/17/2003 7:55:58 PM

porterville,california usa

i used to work in my cities` treatment facility. here we send our treated water to a farmer for use on secondary crops.(animal feed only). we tested regularly for heavy metals (metallica, ac-dc etc.) although the levels were minimal, we noticed over time his soil had a build up far exceeding epa limits. now he can`t use his land for any crops in our food chain. just a thought.....

6/18/2003 1:13:04 AM

porterville,california usa

i guess heavy metal would make a pumpkin weigh more. like a led zepplin. unless it`s into country.

6/18/2003 1:16:28 AM

Puyallup, WA

TAGRO is the local bio-solids product. It is 50% bio-solids and 25% sawdust and 25% sand. This year the demand is so great, that one has to order it one week in advance of the wanted delivery date. Last year, I used 60 yards of the stuff......pumpkin roots just love it! Heavy metals are well below EPA requirements.

6/18/2003 1:36:20 AM

Covington, WA

I use the same stuff Stan does in the patch. Your states branch of the EPA or Department of Ecology should have a sheet available, actually, the treatment plant should have it for you that will give you your basic NPK ratios and levels of metals such as lead, zinc, copper, mercury and nickel. They have to test the stuff on a regular basis. The treatment plant in Tacoma is a modern double digestion system and the stuff they produce is awesome. The sand and maple sawdust they add make it easier to handle and the nitrogen is toned down a bit as some gets tied up while the sawdust breaks down. It is also available as a cake form, eewww! without the sand and sawdust and as a liquid. Like Stan, I use it to bury the vines in the patch. I've been using it for a number of years in the vegetable garden, roses, and top dressing the lawn. I've avoided using it on the lawn for a while because I got tired of mowing it twice a week.

6/18/2003 2:27:25 AM