{"id":33360,"date":"2026-01-01T23:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T23:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandonspaldingstaging.com\/DirtDr\/library\/contaminated-soil-detox\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T23:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T23:57:15","slug":"contaminated-soil-detox","status":"publish","type":"library","link":"https:\/\/sandonspaldingstaging.com\/DirtDr\/library\/contaminated-soil-detox\/","title":{"rendered":"Contaminated Soil Detox"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Contaminated Soil Detox<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

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SUBSCRIBE<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0| \u00a0\u00a0ARCHIVES<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0| \u00a0\u00a0HOME<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Detox for Contaminated Soil<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Every year I get questions from new homeowners and victims of chemical lawn care companies about what can be done to decontaminate their properties. Here’s an update on the detox program.
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If your soil has been contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic and chromium in treated lumber or creosote in railroad ties, or with lead and arsenic from iron supplements, or if the contamination is from toxic pesticides like permethrin, MSMA, 2,4-D, Roundup, Sevin or petroleum spills, the solution is the same. No, digging the soil out and hauling it off is not the answer. That just moves the problem from point A to point B.<\/p>\n

First, stop the contamination if it continues in any way. The violators need to be put on notice that they are responsible for the contamination and damage. Second, apply fine textured humates or activated charcoal. Fine textured zeolite can be mixed with the carbon products or applied separately. The rates of both products should be at least 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.<\/p>\n

The next step is to spray all the foliage and drench the soil in the problem area with Garrett Juice with orange oil (D-Limonene) added at 2 ounces per gallon of mix. The carbon products (humates, compost tea and charcoal) will tie up the contaminants; Garrett Juice and orange oil stimulate the microbes to feed on and breakdown the toxic molecules. Liquid molasses is in the Garrett Juice mix but adding additional molasses to the Garrett Juice mixture will help speed up the decontamination process. Adding a beneficial microbe product will speed up the process even more.<\/p>\n

To discuss this newsletter or any other topic, tune in Sunday 8am – 11am central time to the Dirt Doctor Radio Show<\/span><\/a>. Listen on the internet or click here<\/span><\/a> to find a station in your area.<\/p>\n

Please share this newsletter with your gardening friends on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and X (Twitter)<\/a> to help me spread the word on organics.<\/p>\n

Naturally yours,<\/p>\n

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\nHoward Garrett<\/p>\n

\nP.S. Here is an overview about Organic Gardening<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Q<\/strong>: \u00a0Should plants be removed (asparagus) before treating with the soil detox. P.D., Grandbury.
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A<\/strong>: \u00a0No – the liquids in my detox program function as excellent root stimulators.<\/p>\n

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Q<\/strong>: \u00a0Twenty years ago, I built some raised beds and used old crossties for borders. I was an organic gardener, but I was ignorant about the chemicals with which the crossties were treated. I quit gardening 10 years ago, fell from grace on organic, and used chemical fertilizers on the yard. Now, I want to garden again, so I have dug up the crossties and hauled them away. How can I decontaminate the garden site? R.B., Marshall
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A<\/strong>: \u00a0The best product for cleaning the soil is Biogize-SD, an activated charcoal product. Zeolite is the second-best. Follow the label directions for Biogize or hire an organic landscape contractor to apply it.<\/p>\n

SOIL DETOX FOR CONTAMINATED SOIL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Digging the soil out and hauling it off is not the answer. That just moves the problem from point A to point B.
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If your soil has been contaminated from pesticides or petroleum spills, is contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic and chromium in treated lumber or creosote in railroad ties, or with lead and arsenic from iron supplements, the solution is basically the same.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

First, stop the contamination.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Second, apply the activated charcoal product Biogize-SD. It\u2019s very fine-textured and must be mixed with water to apply. Fine textured humates are the next best choice. Zeolite can be applied in a granular form if the budget allows.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The next step is to spray and\/or drench the problem area with the Garrett Juice<\/a> solution plus orange oil or D-Limonene<\/a> at 2 ounces per gallon of mix. Activated charcoal will tie up the contaminants; Garrett Juice and D-Limonene stimulate the microbes to feed on and breakdown the toxins. Liquid molasses is in the Garrett Juice mix but adding additional molasses to the Garrett Juice mixture will greatly help the decontamination process. Adding the microbe product called\u00a0Bio S.I.\u00a0will speed up the process.
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ACTIVATED CHARCOAL<\/b>
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Activated charcoal is widely used to decontaminate soils from a host of toxic compounds.
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The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service states in Using Activated Charcoal to Inactivate Agricultural Chemical Spills: \u201cActivated charcoal is the universal adsorbing material for most pesticides.\u201d Many golf courses use activated charcoal just for those unforeseen emergencies when fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, miticides and other disease control products are overused. Many agricultural growers use activated charcoal to decontaminate soils after heavy spraying of pesticides and fungicides, prior to reseeding. And many gardeners and homeowners use charcoal for localized soil contamination.
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For more information, go to North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0Search\u00a0Library Topics<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Search Newspaper Columns<\/span><\/a><\/strong>
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