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How to tell if soil's comtaminated and solutions.

 
Blake Lenoir
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Good morning. I wanna find out how can we tell if our soil's contaminated with slag, waste and stuff that make it unhealthy for crops to grow. How we clean up the mess been left behind from polluters past or present? How we prevent that? If anybody has any ideas. please drop in. Tae care.
 
Matt McSpadden
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Hi Blake,
The easiest way to check for herbicides would be to plant some peas or beans or something that is easily affected. Most other things would have to be soil testing. Beyond what the county extension office does, there are some labs that do much more extensive testing.

To prevent it from happening again, don't let anyone put junk on it :)... but seriously, for the cleanup and whatnot, I have heard good things about both fungi and biochar for locking up the contaminates.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis

 
Anne Miller
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Matt is right about planting peas or beans as these will quickly show signs.

If I suspected that my soil was contaminated I would learn to grow mushrooms.

https://permies.com/t/175645/Choosing-Fun-Guys

https://permies.com/t/174814/Step-Step-Instructions-Growing-Wine

https://permies.com/t/176222/Experiences-Growing-Mushrooms

https://permies.com/t/154906/Mushrooms-Permaculture-Garden-picture-blog

There are also plants that you can grow that will help with contaminated soil, bracken fern is one.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Blake Lenoir
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Beans, peas and mushrooms are a good idea! It's August up in the Midwest and it's too late to plant beans or peas. Is there still time to plant mushrooms for fall?
 
John F Dean
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I am a long way from being a mushroom expert, but I have put in mushrooms much later in the year  than this.

At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.

 
Matt McSpadden
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Hi Blake,
Just to clarify, its not too late in the year to put in beans and peas for testing. You will know in the first couple week after they have germinated whether there is any herbicide affecting plants left. They will be gnarled, or yellow, or sickly looking, etc. You don't need them to actually produce anything, only to watch how they grow over the first month or so. Or if they even germinate.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis

 
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