On 11 Jan, 00:41, "shazzbat"
wrote:
And what's the going rate for a bag of soot?

Duno! Mine's free and come out the chimney )

As with many things in gardening, over the years 'potions' get mixed
up and we end up with various contradictions and misconceptions. Soot
wasn't used by itself, but with other ingredients such as sawdust,
prickly barley awns and ashes, making lines of it around fruit bushes
and seedbeds to keep slimy molluscs at bay. Other concoction of soot,
soap, dung, ammonia, lime and salt was used as pesticides. Another
imported from the west indies and used for century and brought to
england in the late 19th century consisted of washes made from
infusions of bitter leaves, urine, alum root, vinegar and soot, used
as pesticide too. The addition of soft soap would smother aphids and
mealy bugs. Irritant powders were made from lime, soot, sulphur and
tobacco dust to combat slugs and caterpillars. Disinfectant plasters
based on cow dung, mud, ashes and lime were painted on tree wounds and
grafts ... etc. These remedies worked, especially when based on soft
soap, which spreads, lime combined with sulphur (the basis of lime
sulphur) and tobacco (which containes nicotine) - but it was a matter
of hit and miss until the real diagnosis of mildew or leaf curl were
accurately diagnosed.

Over the years ingredients have been missed from these concoctions -
soot alone is toxic as it is! I have applied it on my path to compact
it, when I have remembered to bring a bag of it - but in general I
never use it.

ps. I can't find your address Steve, to send you the seeds - I have
emailed you but email bounced. Do email me with your address at helene
at urbed dot coop when you have a moment.