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ceramic materials in the garden

updated wed 15 oct 08

 

Lee Love on sun 12 oct 08


The previous owner of our house left a bunch of garden stuff in the
garage. A couple of the bags are labeled aluminum sulfate and says
it is used to make Hydrangeas blue by making the soil more acid.

--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://heartclay.blogspot.com/
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi

Suchman ceramics on sun 12 oct 08


Hi David, I don't know if your grass died of copper over dose though I
think not. Plants can die from pH shock. That is a dramatic and rapid
change in pH of their soil. So, ..... if you add a high concentration of
alkaline materials, ( or acidic), to an otherwise, healthy plant it may get
sick and it may die.
This is a good thing to keep in mind if you want to get rid of mushrooms
in your lawn or a neighbor's ignorantly planted bamboo. Diluted vinegar can
also be used as an effective weed killer.
Just a thought on the matter,
-Eric

On Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 6:23 PM, David Hendley wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
>
>> I like the idea of just pouring out glaze materials, but I had an
>> unfortunate experience doing that: the >grass and weeds in that area died!
>> My glazes don't have any "bad stuff" in them, so I wonder, could it >have
>> been copper? I do use copper in several glazes, not huge amounts. Any
>> thoughts or advice out >there?
>>
>>
> In reading back over what I wrote, I'm sorry for not being
> more specific when I advocated putting glaze materials in
> the garden. Words and assumptions can be misunderstood,
> especially across the electronic frontier.
>
> I would not pour glazes on my grass or on a growing
> plant, and I'm not surprised it resulted in killing the plant in
> Sandy's case. One would not dump fertilizer directly on a
> plant either.
> When I write about my "garden", I'm thinking of my quarter-
> acre garden, which is always at least half fallow. Anything
> I might put out there goes in the unused section, where
> it will be tilled in with the soil. By the time something is
> planted there, there are no small areas of concentrated
> materials.
>
> Additionally, I seldom pour out glaze materials, simply
> because I don't waste things. My preferred method of getting
> rid of unwanted bits of glaze is to recycle them back into
> my claybody the next time I mix clay. A cup of glaze has
> absolutely no noticeable effect when added to hundred-
> pound batch of stoneware clay.
>
> Dolomite, whiting, clay, silica, etc. are not industrial
> waste. Lime (calcium and magnesium) is used to mark
> the football and soccer fields where our children play. Silica
> is the most common element in the earth. Clay is an
> inert ingredient in pills and the main ingredient in
> Kaopectate.
> I have improved my garden through the years. As I
> mentioned, my soil is acid and our glaze materials are
> alkaline, so I never hesitate to mix them in with my soil.
> I put the very alkaline ashes from my kiln in the garden
> as well, just as the old-timers did around here a hundred
> years ago.
>
> If you are not knowledgeable about ceramic materials,
> first of all, shame on you - learn, but in the mean time,
> all you can do is treat everything as hazardous. So you
> would need to wrap up anything you don't want and take
> it to your hazardous waste facility.
>
> I would not put scraps of a glaze loaded with metallic
> oxides in my garden soil. I think tiny amounts would
> be OK, but I still wouldn't take the chance. Soils contain
> things like copper, but in tiny, tiny amounts, so it makes
> sense that a big dose could upset the balance.
>
> David Hendley
> Maydelle, Texas
> david(at)farmpots(dot)com
> http://www.farmpots.com
>

--
-e-in-o'side-

pagan by nature

David Hendley on sun 12 oct 08


----- Original Message -----
>I like the idea of just pouring out glaze materials, but I had an
>unfortunate experience doing that: the >grass and weeds in that area died!
>My glazes don't have any "bad stuff" in them, so I wonder, could it >have
>been copper? I do use copper in several glazes, not huge amounts. Any
>thoughts or advice out >there?
>

In reading back over what I wrote, I'm sorry for not being
more specific when I advocated putting glaze materials in
the garden. Words and assumptions can be misunderstood,
especially across the electronic frontier.

I would not pour glazes on my grass or on a growing
plant, and I'm not surprised it resulted in killing the plant in
Sandy's case. One would not dump fertilizer directly on a
plant either.
When I write about my "garden", I'm thinking of my quarter-
acre garden, which is always at least half fallow. Anything
I might put out there goes in the unused section, where
it will be tilled in with the soil. By the time something is
planted there, there are no small areas of concentrated
materials.

Additionally, I seldom pour out glaze materials, simply
because I don't waste things. My preferred method of getting
rid of unwanted bits of glaze is to recycle them back into
my claybody the next time I mix clay. A cup of glaze has
absolutely no noticeable effect when added to hundred-
pound batch of stoneware clay.

Dolomite, whiting, clay, silica, etc. are not industrial
waste. Lime (calcium and magnesium) is used to mark
the football and soccer fields where our children play. Silica
is the most common element in the earth. Clay is an
inert ingredient in pills and the main ingredient in
Kaopectate.
I have improved my garden through the years. As I
mentioned, my soil is acid and our glaze materials are
alkaline, so I never hesitate to mix them in with my soil.
I put the very alkaline ashes from my kiln in the garden
as well, just as the old-timers did around here a hundred
years ago.

If you are not knowledgeable about ceramic materials,
first of all, shame on you - learn, but in the mean time,
all you can do is treat everything as hazardous. So you
would need to wrap up anything you don't want and take
it to your hazardous waste facility.

I would not put scraps of a glaze loaded with metallic
oxides in my garden soil. I think tiny amounts would
be OK, but I still wouldn't take the chance. Soils contain
things like copper, but in tiny, tiny amounts, so it makes
sense that a big dose could upset the balance.

David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
david(at)farmpots(dot)com
http://www.farmpots.com

Ric Swenson on mon 13 oct 08


Hey Hendley,


was the original post about SPRAYING GLAZES??? That is a bit different from POURING glaze in your garden.... Right?





I'm sure you will correct me if I am wrong....but sometimes our reaction to a 'first read 'of a post is mis-interpreted....and there we go............. on some rant about the environment that is somewhat hebetudinous.



Just my simple observation of the current thread.....from here....... in poor China.



Ric


"...then fiery expedition be my wing, ..." -Wm. Shakespeare, RICHARD III, Act IV Scene III Richard H. ("Ric") Swenson, Teacher, Office of International Cooperation and Exchange of Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, TaoYang Road, Eastern Suburb, Jingdezhen City.JiangXi Province, P.R. of China. Postal code 333001. Mobile/cellular phone : 86 13767818872 < RicSwenson0823@hotmail.com> http://www.jci.jx.cn/http://www.ricswenson.com



> Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:23:43 -0500> From: david@FARMPOTS.COM> Subject: ceramic materials in the garden> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG> > ----- Original Message -----> >I like the idea of just pouring out glaze materials, but I had an> >unfortunate experience doing that: the >grass and weeds in that area died!> >My glazes don't have any "bad stuff" in them, so I wonder, could it >have> >been copper? I do use copper in several glazes, not huge amounts. Any> >thoughts or advice out >there?> >> > In reading back over what I wrote, I'm sorry for not being> more specific when I advocated putting glaze materials in> the garden. Words and assumptions can be misunderstood,> especially across the electronic frontier.> > I would not pour glazes on my grass or on a growing> plant, and I'm not surprised it resulted in killing the plant in> Sandy's case. One would not dump fertilizer directly on a> plant either.> When I write about my "garden", I'm thinking of my quarter-> acre garden, which is always at least half fallow. Anything> I might put out there goes in the unused section, where> it will be tilled in with the soil. By the time something is> planted there, there are no small areas of concentrated> materials.> > Additionally, I seldom pour out glaze materials, simply> because I don't waste things. My preferred method of getting> rid of unwanted bits of glaze is to recycle them back into> my claybody the next time I mix clay. A cup of glaze has> absolutely no noticeable effect when added to hundred-> pound batch of stoneware clay.> > Dolomite, whiting, clay, silica, etc. are not industrial> waste. Lime (calcium and magnesium) is used to mark> the football and soccer fields where our children play. Silica> is the most common element in the earth. Clay is an> inert ingredient in pills and the main ingredient in> Kaopectate.> I have improved my garden through the years. As I> mentioned, my soil is acid and our glaze materials are> alkaline, so I never hesitate to mix them in with my soil.> I put the very alkaline ashes from my kiln in the garden> as well, just as the old-timers did around here a hundred> years ago.> > If you are not knowledgeable about ceramic materials,> first of all, shame on you - learn, but in the mean time,> all you can do is treat everything as hazardous. So you> would need to wrap up anything you don't want and take> it to your hazardous waste facility.> > I would not put scraps of a glaze loaded with metallic> oxides in my garden soil. I think tiny amounts would> be OK, but I still wouldn't take the chance. Soils contain> things like copper, but in tiny, tiny amounts, so it makes> sense that a big dose could upset the balance.> > David Hendley> Maydelle, Texas> david(at)farmpots(dot)com> http://www.farmpots.com
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Ric Swenson on mon 13 oct 08


correct."...then fiery expedition be my wing, ..." -Wm. Shakespeare, RICHARD III, Act IV Scene III Richard H. ("Ric") Swenson, Teacher, Office of International Cooperation and Exchange of Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, TaoYang Road, Eastern Suburb, Jingdezhen City.JiangXi Province, P.R. of China. Postal code 333001. Mobile/cellular phone : 86 13767818872 < RicSwenson0823@hotmail.com> http://www.jci.jx.cn/http://www.ricswenson.com

> Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:44:06 -0500> From: togeika@CLAYCRAFT.ORG> Subject: Re: ceramic materials in the garden> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG> > The previous owner of our house left a bunch of garden stuff in the> garage. A couple of the bags are labeled aluminum sulfate and says> it is used to make Hydrangeas blue by making the soil more acid.> > --> Lee Love in Minneapolis> http://heartclay.blogspot.com/> http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/> http://claycraft.blogspot.com/> > "Let the beauty we love be what we do.> There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi
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Karin Givon on mon 13 oct 08


Hi Lee--that alumina sulfate stuff works Very Well on hydrangeas,
they get really blue, and it's a lovely sight to see. I used to put a
coupla cups dissolved into water on mine.
(then I moved and no longer had blue hydrangeas....without the
alumina they would have been pink!)
Potters of the world, IGNITE!

Karin
Nevada City, CA
\

On Oct 12, 2008, at 8:44 PM, Lee Love wrote:

The previous owner of our house left a bunch of garden stuff in the
garage. A couple of the bags are labeled aluminum sulfate and says
it is used to make Hydrangeas blue by making the soil more acid.

--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://heartclay.blogspot.com/
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi

Lee Love on mon 13 oct 08


On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 12:00 PM, Karin Givon wrote:
> Hi Lee--that alumina sulfate stuff works Very Well on hydrangeas,
> they get really blue, and it's a lovely sight to see. I used to put a
> coupla cups dissolved into water on mine.
> (then I moved and no longer had blue hydrangeas....without the
> alumina they would have been pink!)
> Potters of the world, IGNITE!
>

I put up a photo of wild hydrangeas we saw on our trip to Nikko, when
I was in Japan in August:

http://togeika.multiply.com/journal/item/58/Wild_Hydrangea_Nikko_Japan

They certainly are different. I prefer them over the cultivated
ones. I like wild roses better too.

--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://heartclay.blogspot.com/
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi

Karin Givon on tue 14 oct 08


Lee, you can find that look ( in hydrangeas) in the US too--it's
known as "lace cap hydrangea" and gets quite a bit bigger than your
photo, but looks just the same--it's available in our local nurseries.
Karin
onward thru the blazing leaves....

On Oct 13, 2008, at 1:31 PM, Lee Love wrote:

On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 12:00 PM, Karin Givon wrote:
> Hi Lee--that alumina sulfate stuff works Very Well on hydrangeas,
> they get really blue, and it's a lovely sight to see. I used to put a
> coupla cups dissolved into water on mine.
> (then I moved and no longer had blue hydrangeas....without the
> alumina they would have been pink!)
> Potters of the world, IGNITE!
>

I put up a photo of wild hydrangeas we saw on our trip to Nikko, when
I was in Japan in August:

http://togeika.multiply.com/journal/item/58/Wild_Hydrangea_Nikko_Japan

They certainly are different. I prefer them over the cultivated
ones. I like wild roses better too.

--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://heartclay.blogspot.com/
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi