COMPOSTED COLORED MULCH OKAY FOR GARDEN PLANTS?

[Fawn and Fam]

I had dark brown (stained or colored however they do it) mulch left over several years ago. We put it between two tarps planning to use it but never got back to it. It sat there a good 4 years or more. We just uncovered it and it has turned to compost (though the mulch was all that it consisted of). Can we use it as fertilizer on our garden plants, or is that colored mulch toxic to plants?

 

[Clackclack]

Not sure whether it's toxic, but I wouldn't throw it on my vegetable garden unless you know exactly what the paint is.

 

[Fawn and Fam]

Thanks. Anyone else know the answer to this?

 

[Peaches Lee]

What about contacting your County extension person and see if they have any idea? It's a very good question, though. If you find out, post back here with the results!

 

[StephieSky]

The dye they use to dye bark mulch is organic and plant safe. Always has been and always will be. Its just an industry wide standard as many people apply bark mulch to food bearing plants.

 

[Fawn and Fam]

Bless you!!! I haven't been able to find an answer and my garden needs fertilized! I didn't want to have to buy it. My husband built a compost bin for me a few months back. The problem was he loaded the mulch compost into the bottom, so it got mixed into all my stuff I was composting that I knew was safe. I would have been sad if I had to discard everything in the bin! Thanks for taking the time to respond

 

[StephieSky]

You're welcome We always use bark as apposed to shavings or sawdust as a soil ammendment anyplace where I plan to grow a plant rather than smother one out.
The reasoning being most shavings and saw dust can be contaminated with a goodly percentage of treated/preserved wood products. This is especially true if you buy sawdust or chip in bulk at forest product yards where they accept yard debris and recycle wood products. It has a HUGE impact on crop yeilds. Though I think some people dump it in their gardens without realizing it will take years for the oil based preservative to leach out of the soil. That and whatever other chemicals the person applied to their plants or property before recycling. A bit one, is this: People spray vegetation killer on their plants and then dig them out and take them to the yard waste recycling. So bad for your garden!

The dye used on bark mulch is vegetable based dye or food grade dye 100% of the time.

 

[Fawn and Fam]

Thank you for explaining. I am all about organic and also am extremely choosy what I put in my compost pile.

 

[sstboom]

I have the same situation except that I read that all dyes EXCEPT black dye are organic and plant based. BLACK dye comes from charcoal and is therefore neither and MUST be remeditated BEFORE composting or putting into vegetable garden.