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Old 28-11-2004, 01:06 PM
Mike Lyle
 
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Klara wrote:
In message , Sacha
writes
We have a big bag of soot the sweep left behind. We only ever
burn wood, so no coal soot is included. Is it ok to put this on
the compost? Or are there any other uses for it?

Thanks-

My grandfather always scattered it round roses, straight from

the
chimney. I have no idea why but that seemed to be the

traditional
use for it at one time.

Presumably, though, not until the summer?
Or might it be just as useful now?


From childhood memory, as it came out of the chimney it went onto

the
soil and, IIRC, those were coal fires. This would have been

around
September/October where we lived, because autumn is mild. I really
can't swear to that but that's what I seem to recall.


"ROSES -- BLACK SPOT -- POWDERY MILDEW -- MILK 2: 22 April 2004

as a nuisance that must be corrected. It is the price that the

rose
lover pays for living where the air is unpolluted by the burning

of
fossil fuels."

"In short, dirty air kills off the spores of the black spot," he
summed up,
"and leaves the roses with clean faces."

Soot was one organic cure, if it could be obtained -- soot created

by
the burning of coal and taken from the domestic chimney, not from

the
burning by
any means of gasoline or oil or wood.


Thanks, Sacha - though it looks a bit as if our soot isn't quite

dirty
enough, as it's from burning wood. Still, if charcoal is

second-best,
then wood soot should at least do no harm - I'll have a go, anyway,

as
black spot is really a problem with some of our roses!


I'm surprised about the charcoal: I'd always thought it was the
sulphur in coal which killed off the mildew, and didn't think there
was much sulphur in charcoal.

Mike.