What is the "fly ash" in commercial top soils made of? I would *hope*
it would be comparable to what is left on the ground after a forest
fire, but *suspect* it's nothing more than some sort of industrial
waste recycled. The top soil I'm specifically referring to is sold
under the Lowes' brand name for about a buck a bag. Anyone know the
answer?

Patrick

wrote:
What is the "fly ash" in commercial top soils made of? I would *hope*
it would be comparable to what is left on the ground after a forest
fire, but *suspect* it's nothing more than some sort of industrial
waste recycled. The top soil I'm specifically referring to is sold
under the Lowes' brand name for about a buck a bag. Anyone know the
answer?

Patrick


Google is your friend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_ash

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

Don't waste your money buying "top soil" from anybody.
Its completely worthless as a soil additive.


wrote in message
ups.com...
What is the "fly ash" in commercial top soils made of? I would *hope*
it would be comparable to what is left on the ground after a forest
fire, but *suspect* it's nothing more than some sort of industrial
waste recycled. The top soil I'm specifically referring to is sold
under the Lowes' brand name for about a buck a bag. Anyone know the
answer?

Patrick

You don't want it.
It's coal ashes and all the crap they contain.
You should see what it does to a car's finish if you happen to park
downwind of a stack.

wrote in message
ups.com...
You don't want it.
It's coal ashes and all the crap they contain.
You should see what it does to a car's finish if you happen to park
downwind of a stack.


I grew up in a small town on the Ohio River, downwind from a coal fired
power plant. Back in the days before there were any precipitators or
collectors, everything would be covered with tiny black spheres. It was
horrible, but people just accepted it as if the utility company had every
right to dump its waste on your property and fill your lungs with garbage.
Sometimes it would be so heavy they it would actually be slippery. I'm
still amazed when I go back to visit family because although the particulate
is gone, there are still coke (from coal, not the beverage) plants and other
chemical operations spewing toxins into the air. They are they kinds of
chemicals that you KNOW cause cancer. Still, people are used to it there
and probably don't even notice that the air smells like benzene.