Weird grey powder in dirt

15 years ago

I was planting something in my small bed tonight and noticed the plants in there were not looking good. I dug out some weak looking ground cover I have had in there for about a year and cultivated the soil and was going to add some fresh potting soil and plant some new stuff and I noticed about 3 inches under the soil was a thick layer of grey powder in the soil that looked like ashes sort of. Has anyone ever seen this and is it harmful to plants? I didn't put my new plants in just in case until I find out what it is. Could it be some sort of fungus or something?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

gee8ch
15 years ago
F4F: I had similar looking soil in an area where a tree went down and damaged the gas line. Apparently a slow gas leak underground can continue over a long period of time. When I finally discovered the leak and had to have the area dug up to repair it, all the soil was ashy-grey. I've since had the area amended several times, but to this day nothing will grow on it. I am hoping to try Daturas since they seem to like it so much in my zone. Good luck. Gloria
fool4flowers
Original Author
15 years ago
There is nothing like that back there. Its a bed I made a year or so ago and it has been good until now. I noticed the clover looking ground cover dying back and I was getting tired of it so I dug it out and thats when I saw it. It was mostly compost mixed with some potting soil in a raised bed.
Related Discussions
What weird things make your hair stand on end?
Q
Comments (37)
This has been a fun read. Lat week when I was grocery shopping, looking through the meat section, a man and his son were there, the son,( about 8 years old, had a large plastic dinosoare,he dropped it a few times, got bored waiting for his dad, so decided he would take the tail of his toy,and poke it into all the meat,not being content with that, he starts poking his finger into the meat,all while the dad was right next to him. I said to the dad," Your son just poked his toy into all the meat," he says to me,"Ya, whatever!Grabs a few steaks and walks away.I pulled all the meat,and gave it to the butcher,who,I hope, threw it out.I noticed, he did buy the meat his son "played" with. My SIL. took her young daughter grocery shopping one day,they always stopped for a bubblegum ice cream cone when they were done, this day, her daughter was not behaving,and :demanded: they go get an ice cream,now! When they were done shopping, she brought her daughter home, then went back out,alone,when she came home, she was chewing some bubble gum from the ice cream, her daughter wanted to know where she got it, she told her, "Well, we always stop for an ice cream, but you were so naughty, when I brought you home, I went and got one for my self"It sure was good, had extra gum in it this time, as she blew a bubble.She never has trouble with her after that, I thought that was brilliant. Not much bothers me,although, I can relate to the swinging bridge,when my children were small, the husband,thought it would be fun to " swing" the bridge,some things are just Not funny.To this day, I hate them, also, my youngest does not like to drive over bridges,he don't know why. Ha! cAROL
...See More
Big bugs/ large mounds of dirt
Q
Comments (9)
When I first saw the wasp, I wasn't sure it was a wasp at all. It looked like a cross between a dragonfly and a wasp. They have very long legs, the thorax is striped yellow and brown, and the abdomen is long and thin. I found one deceased on a leaf and was able to examine it a bit closer. It was wholly intact. I am not real fond of them because they are predators of caterpillars, and you know how I feel about butterflies since I have a butterfly garden that includes their larval host plants and nectar plants. In that I don't use chemicals of any kind, I have to accept the good, the bad, and the ugly along with the butterflies and moths. Wheel bugs remind me of the "armored cars" of the bug world. They are a steely grey color, and pretty large. I'll attach a photo of one. They are also predators. I found two of them and put both to rest. I only hope I don't have any eggs around the yard. Geez! Both the wasp and the Wheel bug are considered beneficials. Not to me, but to many veggie gardeners, in that they will attack horn worms on tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, and other caterpillars that harm vegetables, grasshoppers, etc. But, they are not selective so don't exclude the beautiful butterfly larvae, bees, and other things I try to attract in the garden from their diet. Here's a link for the Ichneumon wasp. They are about 1.5" long and tall, so good sized. "Ichneumon Wasp" Susan Here is a link that might be useful:
...See More
Help! Unexpected powder room remodel
Q
Comments (6)
Lighter grout is fine, just seal it twice and again once a year, you'll be fine. I like the white mixed with black, I think it opens up the room to have a light color...I would have gone with that but I have an almond tub I had to work around...just couldn't see pulling it together with white...but I used a light grout with this floor I just laid, did it myself in 2 days and the hex shapes are soo much easier to lay down, no spacers needed....but it did take my kids 3 days taking turns to seal it..lots of grout lines! :) They enjoyed doing that..kind of like painting! :) Tara
...See More
Tung Oil finish showing or collecting dirt?
Q
Comments (15)
The wood looked like it was probably unstained, and it is gorgeous. I would prefer it over most oak, but white oak is much more appealing to me than the red oak that is more common here. I talked to a couple of guys today -- one about the materials and one about the installation -- both about finishes. One likes the oil finishes but says a lot of folks think they are too much upkeep. Our discussion reminded me of my marble counters -- in a good way. The other guy said the oil finishes show dirt and most people are happier with a polyurethane finish -- also reminded me of the marble, but more of the nay sayers. He did suggest getting a large enough piece of something to treat with the oil and set on the floor where we can walk on it and the dogs track across it. I do have some smooth finish plywood in the garage that I could do that with. I am still making inquiries on the availability and checking out the finishes. I'm looking for smaller quantities of the stuff to sample, but it's not easy to find so far. I did have 2 people say it would be feasible to lay the flooring, sand and then finish room by room at least with the oil finishes. That may help us get it all done. Moving out for a mooth or more is not an option with 2 dogs, a 19 year old cat and one in high school with lots of activities, but I'd like to get it done before the holidays begin. I didn't think that would be a problem, but it's looking a bit tight.
...See More
napdognewfie
15 years ago
Is it a patch of mold growing in the ground?

Linda
karyn1
15 years ago
Was there ever any structure, deck or patio in that area? We have a thin layer of a gray stuff that was put down under a patio when the house was originally built. Part of the patio (flagstone) had been removed and over the years regular soil had been deposited on top of the gray stuff. When I finally dug it out I could see the line of gray a few inches below the surface. Other then that I have no idea unless maybe something had burned many years ago and it's a layer of ash that's been covered over time. You might want to send a sample to a university agricultural extension and have it checked.
Karyn
patecake
15 years ago
Kristy, that is the potting soil in the yellow and green bag. I have the same problem in two of my front beds that i filled with the stuff. It doesn't absorb water where the grey areas are, it just runs off. I dug mine up and mixed in some new and everything is growing better now.
fool4flowers
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Patty. I do believe its something that was in the potting soil. It didn't look like that when I put it in but I was digging around in my tropical hibiscus pot that was planted at the same time and found some in there too but it still looks healthy. I have noticed I have had to water it more often lately. It must break down wierd. I will take a soil sample and send it in regardless and not plant anything in there. I also found a chunk of powdery bright yellow stuff in the pot like a powdery mushroom. Weird stuff. Yuck. I have to repot both of them now.
Mary Francia
last year
It is very fine powder type. We have it in many areas in the soil. It is a mineral and it is not harmful

Weird grey powder in dirt

Comments (7)

gee8ch

fool4flowers
Original Author

Related Discussions

napdognewfie

karyn1

patecake

fool4flowers
Original Author

Mary Francia

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Weird grey powder in dirt

Comments (7)

gee8ch

fool4flowersOriginal Author

Related Discussions

napdognewfie

karyn1

patecake

fool4flowersOriginal Author

Mary Francia

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

fool4flowers
Original Author

fool4flowers
Original Author