Copper Azole Treated Wood Vegetable Garden

In 2013 most pressure treated wood used copper based compounds including copper azole or ca.

Copper azole treated wood vegetable garden.

The copper deters insects and the fungicide prevents soil rotting the lumber. Copper azole and alkaline copper quaternary treatments both contain a fungicide. The copper works to deter insects while the. Ca is a water based preservative that can be cleaned and painted.

Soil experts disagree on using copper treated wood products in a vegetable garden. And micronized copper quaternary or mcq. Some see no serious risk for humans in using them in a vegetable garden the amount of copper released being minimal and copper being considered essentially nontoxic unless present at extremely high levels. It is widely used throughout the united states and canada.

It is a fungicide and insecticide. Copper azole ca. Type a contains copper boric acid and tebuconazole while type b only contains copper and tebuconazole. Copper azole treatments contain copper boric acid and tebuconazole type b does not contain boric acid.

Studies have shown that arsenic from wood treated with cca leaches into the soil and that copper although much less toxic leaches from acq and copper boron azole cba a variant of ca b. In a 2014 study wood research scientists love gardner and morrell at oregon state university found that in growing radishes carrots and potatoes in a copper azole treated douglas fir planter the copper levels were not higher in roots or tubers of radishes carrots or potatoes compared to beds constructed from untreated wood. Manufacturers of pressure treated wood with micronized copper quaternary claim that their lumber won t leach any copper into the soil and therefore it s safe for all uses including making garden beds. In a 2014 study wood research scientists love gardner and morrell at oregon state university found that in growing radishes carrots and potatoes in a copper azole treated douglas fir planter the copper levels were not higher in roots or tubers of radishes carrots or potatoes compared to beds constructed from untreated wood.

Here s what i know. Wood that isn t pressure treated tends to rot fairly quickly in contact with the soil. Raised vegetable bed with treated wood. Can pressure treated wood be used as part of an organic vegetable garden.

Copper azole is a water based wood preservative that prevents fungal decay and insect attack. Joe mabel wikimedia commons there is a long standing controversy in the field of organic gardening. Lamiot wikimedia commons pressured treated.