Diatomaceous earth as amendment/dressing

[mountainoutlaw]

Diatomaceous earth is finely ground fossil shell flour and mostly comprised of calcium and has lots of silica as well.

I'm using as a top dressing for extra Ca in flower and for tomatoes blossom rot.

Anyone else use it this way?

 

[Creeperpark]

Diatomaceous earth is finely ground fossil shell flour and mostly comprised of calcium and has lots of silica as well.

I'm using as a top dressing for extra Ca in flower and for tomatoes blossom rot.

Anyone else use it this way?

Hello friend. I have seen it used as a top dressing before. The important thing is not allowing the DE to be blown around the growing area. Smokers already have implications from smoking and breathing DE can cause big lung problems in the long run. If you are a smoker or you want to protect your lungs, I recommend using a breathing mask whenever you are in the grow area.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) can cause issues if it's inhaled, comes into contact with skin, or gets into the eyes:

• Inhaling: DE can irritate the nose and nasal passages, and inhaling a large amount can cause coughing and shortness of breath. Inhaled crystalline silica particles can build up in the lungs and lymph nodes, and may be harmful to people with lung problems like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Skin: DE can cause irritation and dryness to the skin.
• Eyes: DE can irritate the eyes due to its abrasive nature.
  Google

 

[KIS]

Hello friend. I have seen it used as a top dressing before. The important thing is not allowing the DE to be blown around the growing area. Smokers already have implications from smoking and breathing DE can cause big lung problems in the long run. If you are a smoker or you want to protect your lungs, I recommend using a breathing mask whenever you are in the grow area.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) can cause issues if it's inhaled, comes into contact with skin, or gets into the eyes:

• Inhaling: DE can irritate the nose and nasal passages, and inhaling a large amount can cause coughing and shortness of breath. Inhaled crystalline silica particles can build up in the lungs and lymph nodes, and may be harmful to people with lung problems like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Skin: DE can cause irritation and dryness to the skin.
• Eyes: DE can irritate the eyes due to its abrasive nature.
  Google

I learned this the hard way when using DE to clean out dust mites that were getting into our feed when I had a feed store. I wore a respirator but should have protected my eyes. I had bloodshot eyes for a week.

One thing to note though, once you've applied it, it's not really in the air. I wouldn't feel the need to wear a mask except when applying. It does contain good Si levels and other benefits as others have noted above.

 

[Greenfingers420UK]

be a bit careful if you have worms in your soil as it will kill them.

"

Road Rules for Using DE Growing Indoors​

In my gardens, I have living worms that ride all the way through the process. They are in all my containers with living plants, and in my recycled soil bins. DE and worms do not get along. The remedies are simple, all you have to do is expose the DE to “nature” for 24 hours and all those razor-like edges of the DE will be dulled enough not to harm worms. What I mean by “nature” above is exposing the DE to decomposition processes.

How you do this is simple really, you expose the DE to nature first, you simply mix in your DE separately with a smaller amount of moist soil mix, say, a handful, let it remain exposed to air for 24 hours, and boom, you’re golden. Just mix it back in with your soil and all the minilife like worms and larva will be fine. I’m not sure if DE harms soil mites, but I would say it’s very likely. So, you’re protecting them as well."

this was taken from true living organics, The Rev