Ls It Feasible To Grow Fruit In Paint-contaminated Soil?

Question

Workmen have covered my soil with painted rendering. l grow organically. Do l need to worry- is there anything l can do to neutralise flakes of paint?

Answer 1

You will have to contact your local sources regarding the paint's ingredients. Likely, it will leech something into the soil, making your organic efforts a little less organic.

Still, unless your area is a raised bed, and not contacting other soils, it will contain inorganic compounds anyway. Any runoff, or pre-existing materials in the soil will disqualify a garden from being fully organic, but that doesn't mean that your efforts are fruitless. The plants will still obtain the nutrients that they require. They will likely integrate the non-organic particles, too, though.

Two types of fungal spawn can be useful, here.

Stropharia rugosoannulata will be one species of mushroom that are very adept at cleaning soil. They will remove paints, residues, and any other petroleum based products. It will consume them, completely.

The other will be a Wood Blewit, or Lepista (Clitocybe) nuda. These mushrooms will, also, consume contaminants, while making use of leaf litter by cycling it into usable nutrients, faster. They tend to hunt and consume bacteria in soil, as well, making them very useful for soil remediation.

These articles will help you to produce spawn for your garden plot:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/mushrooms/growing-wine-cap-mushrooms.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/mushrooms/grow-mushrooms.htm