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Mike723 · July 1, 2015

With all the alternatives to PT I personally wouldn't risk it with edibles.. I do use it, but only for my bamboo planters (don't eat the shoots). I would use a softwood like cedar or redwood. IMO things like didecyl dimethyl ammonium carbonate (DDA Carbonate -http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/chem_sea...6-Oct-04_a.pdf ) and monoethanolamine, have no business leaching into soils containing edibles...

While ACQ PT contains copper oxide, it certainly wouldn't do anything for the plants in terms of an external fungicide.. It's effective on the actual product (wood), and maybe an inch or so imparted into the soil via leaching (as Dave mentioned above). To assume the leached copper would be of any benefit to the plants, be it as a fungicide or even micronutrient would be highly speculative and wishful thinking at best. Deliberately applied copper based fungicides have a hard enough time controlling things like Septoria and EB. It would be a wonderful alternative to spray treatments, but as others have said, it just doesn't seem plausible to me.
A little snippet from finegardening.com:
"Even though the new pressure-treated woods are considered safe, Wolmanized Outdoor, according to its Web site, does not recommend using pressure-treated wood where the preservatives may become a component of food. Its recommendation is to use an impervious liner between the wood and the soil.
Consider using alternatives, such as decay-resistant wood like redwood or red cedar. Discuss with your lumber dealer whether its wood is heartwood, which lasts longer then sapwood from the same tree. If you are concerned about sustainable harvesting of wood, contact the Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org). You may also want to consider another point: Pressure-treated wood does, in fact, last longer then untreated wood, so using it might mean fewer trees would be cut."

Welcome to the forums, hope to see more of ya! =)

July 1, 2015	#7
Mike723 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: CT Posts: 290	With all the alternatives to PT I personally wouldn't risk it with edibles.. I do use it, but only for my bamboo planters (don't eat the shoots). I would use a softwood like cedar or redwood. IMO things like didecyl dimethyl ammonium carbonate (DDA Carbonate -http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/chem_sea...6-Oct-04_a.pdf ) and monoethanolamine, have no business leaching into soils containing edibles... While ACQ PT contains copper oxide, it certainly wouldn't do anything for the plants in terms of an external fungicide.. It's effective on the actual product (wood), and maybe an inch or so imparted into the soil via leaching (as Dave mentioned above). To assume the leached copper would be of any benefit to the plants, be it as a fungicide or even micronutrient would be highly speculative and wishful thinking at best. Deliberately applied copper based fungicides have a hard enough time controlling things like Septoria and EB. It would be a wonderful alternative to spray treatments, but as others have said, it just doesn't seem plausible to me. A little snippet from finegardening.com: "Even though the new pressure-treated woods are considered safe, Wolmanized Outdoor, according to its Web site, does not recommend using pressure-treated wood where the preservatives may become a component of food. Its recommendation is to use an impervious liner between the wood and the soil. Consider using alternatives, such as decay-resistant wood like redwood or red cedar. Discuss with your lumber dealer whether its wood is heartwood, which lasts longer then sapwood from the same tree. If you are concerned about sustainable harvesting of wood, contact the Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org). You may also want to consider another point: Pressure-treated wood does, in fact, last longer then untreated wood, so using it might mean fewer trees would be cut." Welcome to the forums, hope to see more of ya! =)