calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
Just because its Organic doesn't mean it's safe or acceptable.
Mmmm Heavy Metals (AZOMITE)
- Thread starter calvin.m16
- Start date
Rurumo
Well-Known Member
Organic grows are almost always higher in heavy metals, especially if any rock dusts are used. There are some really bad offending products out there. I have a friend who is a commercial grower in WA and we traced his failed heavy metals test to his diatomaceous earth use, that stuff is off the charts high in Arsenic. I just checked the CA Fertilizer heavy metals database for it out of curiosity, and there is only one Diatomaceous earth brand listed, and it's not what my friend used. Just go here https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/fertilizerproducts/ and type "diatomaceous" into the product line and it will pop up, crazy arsenic levels in that brand too. If you type "rock dust" or Azomite in the product line, then just look at the arsenic, lead, and cadmium levels, it's pretty scary.
I went into detail about a bunch of brands in another heavy metals thread, but if you want to avoid them, you have to look at third party results for every single product/soil/media/amendment etc you use in your grow. That includes things like "fabric" pots, some of which have been found to be contaminated with lead. Perlite is another big offender in the past with high levels of lead contamination. Even Coco Coir varies greatly particularly in lead and cadmium levels, due to the machinery used to process it in other countries. It is mostly being contaminated during processing in tainted Chinese machinery. A lot of herbs and spices from India and Indonesia are likewise contaminated during processing. Whole sea kelp is also very high in arsenic to the point it can fail a heavy metal test all on it's own, if someone uses large amounts of it.
I love organic gardening, it's all I do outside, but I'm always careful about what I put into my soil and I never use any rock dusts. It was actually hard for me when I realized how tainted a lot of the organic stuff for indoor cannabis gardening is compared to coco coir/mineral salts. Maxibloom usually tests BDL "below detectable limit" for arsenic, cadmium and lead. These days I'm always looking for deals on coco coir, but I ALWAYS check that database before buying a cheaper option. One of the most popular brands of pre-bagged mixed Coco/perlite was responsible for a commercial grower's entire crop being lost due to heavy metal content recently-I forgot if this was in WA or Or.
This is a good topic to bring up once in a while for the new growers!
I went into detail about a bunch of brands in another heavy metals thread, but if you want to avoid them, you have to look at third party results for every single product/soil/media/amendment etc you use in your grow. That includes things like "fabric" pots, some of which have been found to be contaminated with lead. Perlite is another big offender in the past with high levels of lead contamination. Even Coco Coir varies greatly particularly in lead and cadmium levels, due to the machinery used to process it in other countries. It is mostly being contaminated during processing in tainted Chinese machinery. A lot of herbs and spices from India and Indonesia are likewise contaminated during processing. Whole sea kelp is also very high in arsenic to the point it can fail a heavy metal test all on it's own, if someone uses large amounts of it.
I love organic gardening, it's all I do outside, but I'm always careful about what I put into my soil and I never use any rock dusts. It was actually hard for me when I realized how tainted a lot of the organic stuff for indoor cannabis gardening is compared to coco coir/mineral salts. Maxibloom usually tests BDL "below detectable limit" for arsenic, cadmium and lead. These days I'm always looking for deals on coco coir, but I ALWAYS check that database before buying a cheaper option. One of the most popular brands of pre-bagged mixed Coco/perlite was responsible for a commercial grower's entire crop being lost due to heavy metal content recently-I forgot if this was in WA or Or.
This is a good topic to bring up once in a while for the new growers!
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
Love it, I swear there is so much deception its like treading through a mile of quicksand. I noticed a lot of "guano" products are packed with heavy metals too.. Bro check out the numbers on this shit!
I know someone running this in their rockwool tables, his weed tastes like I'm smoking resin scraped out of a bowl, I wonder if that's all the copper I was tasting?
natureboygrower
Well-Known Member
Isn't one dust a bit safer or do they all contain azomite? I recall switching to glacial because i thought it might be safer. What about basalt? I started halving my RD amount and adding more oyster flour instead. I should just try all oyster flour next run
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
I'd use this link to search products to know generally whats up, https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/fertilizerproducts/
I personally don't grow using organics so I couldn't answer your question. One basalt could be more contaminated than another depending on how it was made/processed etc. Usually organics can't be processed which is why they tend to contain a higher level of icky contaminants.
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
I use Mother Earth Coco/Perlite it is used by many commercial grows here in Michigan and passes all testing.
