skimmate as garden fertilizer

[dtaranath]

Hey... I just thought of something. All that yummy, luscious green goodness that my skimmer produces is pure organic waste. Seems that it's filled with phosphate, sulfur, and nitrates.

Anyone using their skimmate as fertilizer for your garden beds?

...Might even repel the deer!

[Toddrtrex]

Thinking out loud here -- depending on how wet you skim, that might be a bad idea -- will still be some salt in there.

[Tang Salad]

Yes, the salt would be a problem.

[snulma1]

I use mine to kill certain weeds

[rustybucket145]

don't think a small amount of salt is going to do much damage

[ionredline0260]

I've been pouring mine outside in a corner of grass for a week or so with no ill effects so far. It stinks up the bathroom too bad when I use the sink/toilet. I got tired of other family members looking at me funny when I came out of the bathroom and tried to explain it was the skimmate not me

[leeweber85]

Ive always wondered about using it for that. I figured there was too much salt in it though.

[Amador]

Not sure about watering plants, it tastes pretty salty and I think that would do a number on your plants.

[JokerGirl]

Originally posted by Amador
Not sure about watering plants, it tastes pretty salty and I think that would do a number on your plants.

You've tasted it?

[Ehgemus]

What about dipping your fishing bait in it? live or artificial bait. would that attract fish.

[ADA33]

Originally posted by Amador
Not sure about watering plants, it tastes pretty salty and I think that would do a number on your plants.

That really made me laugh. So did you really taste it?

I do skim pretty dry and I dump it on the dirt of my flowering plum. I have two of these trees and the one I dump it on is growing faster then my other one. May just be a coincidence.

[sabbath]

I've thrown some in a house plant for 3 yrs or so. It looks fine. Never tried it personally though. lol

[PrivateJoker64]

Check out this link.

[kingnai]

anyone try this?

[Jukas]

ignoring the thread necromancy I'd be curious about this also. I skim dry most of the time and have several old growth rose bushes and a Japanese maple that would probably always appreciate the extra nutrients.

[kingnai]

Originally Posted by Jukas

ignoring the thread necromancy

I learned a new word today thanks!!!

Necromancy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the form of magic. For the film, see Necromancy (film).
"Necromancer" redirects here. For other uses, see Necromancer (disambiguation).

The Witch of Endor, the most famous Biblical necromancer, from the frontispiece of Sadducismus Triumphatus by Joseph Glanvill (1681).Necromancy (pronounced /ˈnɛkrɵmænsi/; Greek νεκρομαντεία nekromantía, via Latin necromantia) is a form of magic in which the practitioner seeks to summon the spirit of a deceased person, either as an apparition or ghost, or to raise them bodily, for the purpose of divination.

In Renaissance magic, necromancy (or nigromancy, by popular association with niger "black") was classified as a forbidden art or black magic, and Johannes Hartlieb (1456) lists demonology in general under the heading.

The word necromancy derives from the Greek νεκρός (nekrós), "dead body", and μαντεία (manteía), "prophecy, divination". The compound νεκρομαντεία itself is post-classical, first used by Origen in the 3rd century. The classical Greek term is nekyia (ἡ νέκυια), in Hellenistic Greek also νεκυιομαντεία, rendered in Latin as necyomantia and in 17th century English as necyomancy.

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[nowell]

I dump mine in my compost pile, doubt it does anything to be honest tho.

[shrimphead]

Originally Posted by ionredline0260

I've been pouring mine outside in a corner of grass for a week or so with no ill effects so far. It stinks up the bathroom too bad when I use the sink/toilet. I got tired of other family members looking at me funny when I came out of the bathroom and tried to explain it was the skimmate not me

HA HA, they probably thought it was a nasty masterbation smell

[chilwil84]

i drain 20-30 gallons a week withing 2 feet of two boxwoods for the past few years with no ill effects. I dought the little bit of salt in skimmate would cause any problems, but i wouldnt dump it on an orchid or some other finicky plants.

[Dustin1300]

Originally Posted by nowell

I dump mine in my compost pile, doubt it does anything to be honest tho.

This is what I'd think would be the best idea.....The organics and nutrients will mainly keep in the compost pile but the rain would wash away much of the salt left in the skimmate. This is not based on fact but seems logical

[Oil_Fan]

I'll be honest, I've never really thought about it. The skimmate as far itself would seem to be pretty good for plants. The salt probably not so much. I guess it would depend on how wet it is. I don't think I'd risk it if it was quite wet.

[kingnai]

After reading a little on the subject it seems the salt irritates the plant and in turn the plant produces antioxidants to protect itself.

I am going to give it a try

[Acan ninja]

salt in small portions is actually very beneficial to plants epsom salt is a go to fertilizer for the magnesium salt water has all kinds of beneficial elements that plants can use just don't over do it like many other types of fertilizer or it will burn your plant

[Rybren]

To add to this old thread, starting this spring, I dump the skimmate into a 2G plastic jug, add tap water to dilute it, and then use it to fertilize my flowers and veggies.

My annuals have never looked so lush and this has been a bounty year for the tomatoes.

[Opcn]

The only way that salt is concentrated or diluted is through evaporation or addition of water. If your skimmer is tight and the skimmate doesn't evaporate one gallon of skimmate will have about 4.5 ounces of Salt. If you use this extensively in your garden salt can build up, but if you just apply it every now and then you will dilute out the salt with rain and hose water faster than it builds up.