DE Disposal

[northwoods_forestry]

Does anyone know if used DE from a filter press can or should be disposed of in compost?

[mapleack]

I don't know why not, its food grade. And it would be a natural slug repellent if it ended up in your garden.

[802maple]

Yes it is alright to put in the ground and like mapleack said it will work great on slugs

[KenWP]

DE is organic and if you dry it out spread it around the garden in the spring and summer and it chews up the slugs coating so they dehydrate and die.

[Haynes Forest Products]

It about as organic as it can get. I was told that the DE was razor sharp and as the slugs slide over it it cuts them....is this true.

[TF Maple]

Yes DE was formed from Diatoms, little calcium shelled creatures, and their shells are sharp. It is sometimes used to keep seeds and other things insect free. Insects would get a lot of tiny cuts and scratches and loose body moisture and fluids and get dehydrated. Or they won't like it and will go elsewhere.

[pelz]

yeah, i use it on my dog for fleas

[Haynes Forest Products]

Pelz doesnt your dog clog up the filter press?

[TF Maple]

A few years ago my chickens had mites and I gave them a pile of DE to dust themselves in. Worked great to get rid of the mites and no chemicals needed.

[trackerguy]

I dump mine on the ant hills in my yard.

[sfsshadow]

had 2 different old farmers tell me that if you fertilize your tomatoes with used d.e. they would grow to the size of watermellons???

[TF Maple]

That might be an exaggeration on the tomato size, but it will help stop blossom end rot in tomatoes which is a calcium deficiency.

[driske]

I used to take it out to the woods were the coon, rabbits, and bear cleaned it up.
3 years ago I offered it to our beefers in their mineral feeder. They will positively kill for the stuff. Some day I'm gonna take a sample to the local ag lab and find out what's actually in it.

[TF Maple]

Here is a link with the mineral content so no analysis is really needed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

[driske]

Thanks for the link. Great info.
I'm still curious about the nature of minerals being filtered from our syrup, and what that might be in relation to our soil type.

[erhino10]

I put some in with my bear baits and give some to my hounds in their food it deworms any critter that eats it i guess.or so i was told.

[buxtonboiler]

I actually just read an article on organic flea and tick control that recommended DE. It is made from tiny fossils and supposedly scratches their exo-skeleton and kills them. Also said a 6" "moat" around the house will keep ants out.