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Subject: Iron salts as slug killers
From: "Bill Robinson" <roseguy@gte.net>
Organization:
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 99 12:25:05
Message-ID: <MOD$990411.6387@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



A number of gardeners in the Los Angeles area are now talking
about the use of iron salts as slug killers. Gardens Alive sells
a product called Escargo (spelling?) and there is also a
product called Slug-O and both of these are promoted as
iron salts with the pitch that because they are just iron salts
that they are harmless to beneficials and therefor environmentally
friendly. Apparently, a lot of it is being sold.

These products, as I understand them, are based on the iron
salt of eythlene diamine tetra acetic acid or EDTA which makes
it iron chelate and EDTA is a toxic material. Its something you
might not want to have around your home garden particularly if
you have kids or pets. Relatively low levels of EDTA kills mammals.

Iron is one of the essential plant nutrients. As is the case with
all of the other mineral nutrients, iron needs to be present in the
soil at certain levels. That is, you can have too little and the plants
become iron deficient or you can have too much and reach the
toxic level. There isn't a whole lot of slack between too little
and too much.

If a person's soil tends to be low in iron, one could use iron chelate
in reasonable amounts without getting into trouble, If a person's
soil tends to be iron rich, using iron chelate at high levels for slug
control could produce problems regarding toxic levels of iron. Couple
that with EDTA being toxic, iron chelate should not be considered
all that O.K. or safe.

My guess is that iron chelate is probably every bit as destructive
to the environment as metaldehyde which is the standard synthetic
snail and slug poison and more of a safety hazard in terms of pets,
kids, and/or home gardeners.

Bill

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