"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..

"cat daddy" wrote in message
...

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
news
Any reason why joint compound can't be worked into the soil to add in
nutrients, like calcium, or as a way to control the ph of the soil? I
have
about 3 lbs of the stuff from a previous drywall project and didn't
want
to
toss it out, when I could toss it on the compost pile or toss it in the
dirt
to break down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_compound

"The compound is a complex combination of water, limestone, expanded
perlite, ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer and attapulgite."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene-vinyl_acetate
"EVA is one of the materials popularly known as 'expanded rubber' or
'foam rubber'."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attapulgite
"It is one of the types of fuller's earth."
"Until 2003, it was the active ingredient used in Kaopectate,"


I appreciate the links, I actually already knew what it was made from, but
it was how those ingredients interacted with plants that I was unsure of.

Really the EVA is the only thing that concerns me, but I wouldn't expect
it
to be a large amount of the joint compound. Perlite is another potential
problem, don't have any real knowledge of that stuff and what its good
for.

Perlite's the easy one.... It's probably not expanded in joint compound,
but it is a common ingredient in potting soil. If you're determined to use
this stuff, fill your bucket with water for a thin slurry and let it sit
overnight. Skim off anything that floats and that may get rid of the
vinyl/plastic/rubber crap.
But, I wouldn't bother.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite

"In horticulture it makes composts more open to air, while still having
good water-retention properties; it makes a good medium for hydroponics.