From bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!pirates!news-feed-2.peachnet.edu!emory!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!news.mic.ucla.edu!unixg.ubc.ca!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!alberta!quartz.ucs.ualberta.ca!acs.ucalgary.ca!snorth Fri Apr 15 23:27:55 EDT 1994 Article: 29743 of rec.gardens Newsgroups: rec.gardens Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!pirates!news-feed-2.peachnet.edu!emory!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!news.mic.ucla.edu!unixg.ubc.ca!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!alberta!quartz.ucs.ualberta.ca!acs.ucalgary.ca!snorth From: snorth@acs.ucalgary.ca (Sheldon North) Subject: Re: Getting rid of Diatomacious Earth Message-ID: Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 05:47:23 GMT Distribution: usa References: <9404111709.PN14247@LL.MIT.EDU> Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Lines: 23 Mike Killoran (killoran@ll.mit.edu) wrote: : I read somewhere that it is just crushed shells of some ancient : crustacean but I'm not sure about this. If it is just crushed Yes, just the endoskeltons of diatoms. It is primarily silicon dioxide (aka glass, sand) and was also used to stabilize nitroglycerine (Nobel dynamite). : shells, I would think it would be OK to dump it in the compost : pile or sprinkle it around in the woods. I'd rather not have : it hauled away to a landfill if it is benign enough for the : backyard. I would expect that it would be great for soil/compost because it has a lot of surface area and thus should help drainage and gas-exchange. I doubt it would help nutrient holding capacity, but it isn't likely to hurt it either. Sheldon