Potting compost with Melamine

[Katog]

What do you think of an "Organic" Potting compost which has Melamine board in it's composition? I think that must have formaldehyde in it which is poisonous isn't it?

[scarletrunner]

I used to work at a chemical factory that made moulding powder for making melamine kitchen ware, amongst other things.Formaldehyde,(made from Methanol passed over a bed of grained silver at high temperature) is a major part of its consistensy,and as you say,highly poisonous,i suppose they can get away with calling it organic because formaldehyde is naturally present in the tube like hairs of an ants body.
It sounds more environmentally friendly to use peat based than that stuff!

[rustylady]

Name and shame. Exactly which potting compost are you talking about?

[Katog]

Potting compost which has Melamine board

What do you think of an "Organic" Potting compost which has Melamine board in it's composition? I think that must have formaldehyde in it which is poisonous and if so would it transmit poison to veggies growing in it?

[alldigging]

Is it organic or Organic?

Take it back to whence it came.

[rustylady]

You have two threads on the same subject Katog - this could get confusing. Maybe the Mods could merge them? I will ask again (as I did on your other thread) which brand of compost?

[zazen999]

Merged as soon as I saw them both RL

[Capsid]

It depends what the concentration of formaldehyde is in the mix. It's present naturally in our bodies at 2ppm.

[mothhawk]

Anyone keenly interested may find this Australian review useful -

A Literature Review on the Composting of Composite Wood Products

The problem with composting composite wood products is that so often they are treated to prevent them from rotting or bio-degrading, with insecticides, fungicides, water repellents etc. so they surely take a long time to decompose.

While it has to be better to compost this stuff rather than send it to landfill, IMO it should be a long term process to let all the chemicals bio-degrade, before offering it for use either to the public or to commercial enterprise.

[Katog]

Sorry 'bout the 2 threads got confused.
It's a bugger really cos it's the only "peat free" potting compost which seems a nice consistency. Reccommended by Which Magazine - New Horizons Organic peat Free Multipurpose Potting Compost - I sent them a sample and they said this is white melamine board which is part of the mix and does not contaminate or effect the composts performance....

[Feral007]

White melamine? That's just melamine in white skin! Actually I used a melamine drawer with the bottom out to plant a couple of bushes. They grew madly for a while, and then as the board started to breakdown one end of one plant died back. The other 1 1/2 plants seem to be fine. I'm not eating them tho, just flowering plants.

[bazzaboy]

As the company claims to have received many awards from "Which", might it be worthwhile for someone who is a member/subscriber (I'm not) to ask them about these aspects?

Incidentally this company "New Horizons" is not some recent trendy outfit but part of a huge international company "Sinclair" that also markets under the name J Arthur Bowers and is a leading, long-standing British company with a high standing in commercial horticultural products. They have a commendably detailed website at Gardening Home | William Sinclair | Gardening advice, tips, J Arthur Bower, New Horizons, plant foods, fertilisers, soil products which outlines company policy (which many on this site would generally approve as they seek alternatives to peat) and even list safety data for all their products. The data sheets don't mention "melamine" as such but do list "composted timber residues" as "active ingredients" and products are listed as "non-toxic" and "no adverse environmental effects".

[Katog]

I am not a member of Which but have just sent them a query about this also sent to The Soil Association and Garden Organic.
I'm finding myself feeling let down by so many things these days - I should be able to trust these companies but clearly can't. Maybe there's nothing wrong with it.

[Glutton4...]

Kind of makes you cynical, doesn't it!?

[veggiechicken]

I don't trust any of the compost producers - yep, I'm a cynic too
Although I used New Horizon this year I don't think my seedlings were very impressed. I'll need some persuasion to pay the extra for it.