soot for the compost heap

[bogbeanParticipant]

It’s that time of year when I remember it’s time to get the chimney swept, and this year I’ve actually remembered to ask the sweep to bring as much soot with him in bags to put on my compost heap. I believe it’s really good stuff – full of nitrogen (2 -4lbs nitrogen to every 100lbs soot, according to an old wartime “how to grow vegetables” book that I consult sometimes!). It can also be used as a liquid fertiliser by placing the soot in a sack (hessian) and then placing it in a tub of water for a week. Anyone had any experience of using soot on the garden, or got any gems of knowledge to add to this topic?

[Rocket ScienceMember]

Hi Bogbean, you didn’t mention what fuel you are burning?? Old books advocate using arsenic on roses and killing worms in lawns. The soil is a fragile, precious resource that needs looking after. Think carefully before chucking anything on it!! A newer book called ‘Teaming with microbes’ has lots of gems.
Robin

[bogbeanParticipant]

Thanks Robin for your wise comment. I only burn wood on my fire, so am thinking that should be ok as soot (and the ash) to put on the compost heap. I did wonder, however, about using coal soot. And yes, I fully acknowledge that times have moved on and I wouldn’t dream of using arsenic on my roses!!! I will have a look at that book you mentioned.

[craigsamsMember]

The local chimney sweeps here in Hastings leave bags of soot at the gates to our allotments. This is usually in the autumn as that’s when people get their chimneys cleared before the winter sets in.

The longstanding tradition is to leave the soot to ‘weather’ for about one year. This ensures that polyaromatic hydrocarbons and other substances that could harm plants have time to dissipate.

The UK Biochar Research Centre are doing trials with biochar (horticultural charcoal) and so adjust for the presence of black carbon as soot in order to validate their test results. Soot, once it has weathered, is a fine particle size version of biochar and another way to help build the carbon framework in soil that encourages microbial activity and better soil structure.
http://biocharm.wordpress.com/08-other-sources-of-biochar-in-the-soil/

As founder of Carbon Gold I am self-confessedly a biochar enthusiast but I have been using soot since the early 90s, without really understanding until a few years ago why it had functional benefits until I learned more about biochar http://www.carbongold.com

[bogbeanParticipant]

Thank you Craigsams. That is really helpful and very interesting links too. I have had a look on various websites re soot this morning, and you have confirmed what others have said. So, basically, soot is good (wood or coal soot) but leave it for a year to weather. I shall probably mix it in with my compost on the heap that I am building at present and it won’t be spread on the garden until at least this time next year.

[Rocket ScienceMember]

Hi Craigsams, I am still learning about biochar and its alleged benefits to the soil. What i don’t understand is how is biochar and fly soot are the same? I also don’t understand why you would store let alone add to soil, soot from unknown chimneys of Hastings. Does this soot not contain many heavy metals with half lives of hundreds of years? Would not good compost be more beneficial to microbial and fungal soil life?

[Sharon TaysideMember]

Hi bogbean, only things I remember about soot is leaving it for a year to ‘mature’ and spreading around the plants to keep away slugs. I put wood ash from our log burners on the beds fresh, though. Imagine it to help with acid conditions and keeps slugs at bay, too. Plants certainly seem to like it, anyway.

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