Unknown powder in the garden question...

[44Blam]

I have about 20 rounds, several spent cases and some boolits that are in 45-70 that were given to me for components. I wouldn't shoot these because I have no idea what powder/charge was used but to further my conviction, one of the spent cases had a head seperation...
Anyway, I have a pepper plant that makes Bishop's hat peppers and they are quite good. I want to fertalize that plant and am curious as to how much is too much? 20 rounds at 50 grains is gonna be 1000 grains of powder... Do y'all just throw it out there or do you disolve it in water?

[bmortell]

i wouldnt use it for food production plants. if you look up msds some ingredients of smokeless powder are kinds of toxic i dont wanna eat. and only for a bit of nitrogen which could be had many different food safe ways

[smithnframe]

I'd pour it in the driveway and light it up after dark!

[Hanzy4200]

I keep a 1 lb can with label removed and warning label attached for this purpose. Any mystery, mixed, or rejected powder goes in there. No sense in wasting it. All kinds of fun things one can do.

[lightman]

I save my unknown powder for deer camp. It makes a neat light show around the campfire. There are better things to use on your food stuff.

[mdi]

It's common to hear "dump it on your plants/lawn for fertilizer". But not being a gardener and can't grow weeds, I also read that is an old wives tale. Yes powder has nitrogen which is good for plants, but it is a high concentration and will "burn" plants/lawns...

[waksupi]

I don't think I would put it on tomatoes. Just take it out in the yard and broadcast it.

[Mk42gunner]

I fall into the broadcast it on the lawn, not the edible garden plants camp. Don't know if it would harm a person after filtering through the ground and plant, but why take a chance?

Spreading it on the yard is more a way to safely dispose of unknown/ deteriorated powder to me than as an actual lawn fertilizer.

Robert

[44Blam]

Sounds like it'll be more fun to pour it on the driveway and light it after dark... :D

[JSnover]

Smokeless powder doesn't really make good fertilizer, its more of a running joke. There is a process to repurpose/recycle it into fertilizer but it's a slow process for a small return as I understand it, unless you have a LOT of powder. In that case it'll take even longer.

[redhawk0]

I use unknown powder to sprinkle on the lawn...not my garden....as for your peppers....Peppers like sulfur. Light 5 patch heads and immediately blow them out then stick the in the ground around each plant. (5 per plant)

redhawk

[dondiego]

The use of matches also introduces phosphorous which plants like for producing flowers.

[Mitch]

A true recycler.I am with the lawn or flower bed.Just get rid of it so it is not in your loading setup is all.While you are at it i would put that 45/70 brass in the bad brass bucket no way of knowing why one of them had the head seperation over loaded or shot to many times no matter.

[GregLaROCHE]

Putting old powder in the garden probably refers to black powder. It contains potassium nitrate that is used in fertilizer. New or modern powders are not at all the same and have a lot of additives that may not be good for your health or that of you plants. If you like your plants, get them a proper fertilizer that contains the different elements needed for your plants to thrive.

[Winger Ed.]

I'd scatter it out.

Like any fertilizer, if you concentrate too much in one place, you get too much of a good thing,
and it'll burn the yard or plants.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I keep a 1 lb can with label removed and warning label attached for this purpose. Any mystery, mixed, or rejected powder goes in there. No sense in wasting it. All kinds of fun things one can do.

I do da sam ting.

[15meter]

Guess it's time to buy a cheap house plant and put a bunch of scrap powder on it to see if it kills it or feeds it.

Lot's of speculation, not enough of "this happened when I did this".

I like the "this happened when" stories way better.

Kind of like the hold my beer stories.

And no good story every started with hold my salad.

[243winxb]

I would not dump chemicals on lawn or garden. Burn it..

Composition and Manufacturing

The major classes of compounds in smokeless propellants include energetics, stabilizers, plasticizers, flash suppressants, deterrents, opacifiers, and dyes (Bender 1998; Radford Army Ammunition Plant 1987).

Energetics facilitate the explosion. The base charge is nitrocellulose, a polymer that gives body to the powder and allows extrudability. The addition of nitroglycerine softens the propellant, raises the energy content, and reduces hygroscopicity. Adding nitroguanidine reduces flame temperature, embrittles the mixture at high concentration, and improves energy-flame temperature relationship.


Stabilizers prevent the nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine from decomposing by neutralizing nitric and nitrous acids that are produced during decomposition. If the acids are not neutralized, they can catalyze further decomposition. Some of the more common stabilizers used to extend the safe life of the energetics are diphenylamine, methyl centralite, and ethyl centralite.


Plasticizers reduce the need for volatile solvents necessary to colloid nitrocellulose, soften the propellant, and reduce hygroscopicity. Examples of plasticizers include nitroglycerine, dibutyl phthalate, dinitrotoluene, ethyl centralite, and triacetin.


Flash suppressants interrupt free-radical chain reaction in muzzle gases and work against secondary flash. They are typically alkali or alkaline earth salts that either are contained in the formulation of the propellant or exist as separate granules.


Deterrents coat the exterior of the propellant granules to reduce the initial burning rate on the surface as well as to reduce initial flame temperature and ignitability. The coating also broadens the pressure peak and increases efficiency. Deterrents may be a penetrating type such as Herkoteâ, dibutyl phthalate, dinitrotoluene, ethyl centralite, methyl centralite, or dioctyl phthalate; or an inhibitor type such as Vinsolâ resin.


Opacifiers enhance reproducibility primarily in large grains and keep radiant heat from penetrating the surface. They may also enhance the burning rate. The most common opacifier is carbon black.

Dyes are added mainly for identification purposes.


Other ingredients may be one of the following:

A graphite glaze used to coat the powder to improve flow and packing density as well as to reduce static sensitivity and increase conductivity


Bore erosion coatings applied as a glaze to reduce heat transfer to the barrel, but uncommon in small-arms propellants


Ignition aid coatings that are most commonly used in ball powders to improve surface oxygen balance

[charlie b]

'Throwing it in the garden' started from black powder. Remember it is charcoal, salt peter and sulfur. Salt peter is potassium nitrate. As stated above, potassium nitrate and sulfur are both key fertilizer components. Charcoal is like a mulch added to the soil. It can also change the pH a bit so be careful of that.

[DonHowe]

This past spring I disposed of misc pull down powders,, rifle and pistol, by spreading a good handful around each rose bush. As I write this one Bush is about a foot from the eave on back of the house while another is mid-level on the kitchen window. I am convinced the deterrent that makes slow burning powders translates to slow release fertilizer.

[Mal Paso]

Thank you 243winxb! That added real depth to the thread.

[15meter]

Thank you 243winxb! That added real depth to the thread.


Except for the burning part, if the chemicals are that toxic in the ground, I can't imagine that they aren't worse floating around in a cloud of smoke.

That said, I save my scrap powder up and put a wick in it, makes a nice display for the people who think having gun powder in the house is going to blow up the entire neighborhood if the house catches on fire.

Probably do that to a couple of pounds this weekend, the scrap powder supply is up to 4-5 lbs. Time for some pyrotechnics. And Facebookable photos.

But I'm going to save enough to do the house plant fertilizer experiment.

Just because as my daughter says, "Dad you're weird".

[gnappi]

I used to pour it and burn it on concrete sidewalk (burned noticeable hole) and blacktop (melted it) nowadays I do it on a disposable brick or something similar.

[44Blam]

Well, my pepper plant has survived the 9 plagues: aphids, horn worms, over watering, etc... I don't think I'll subject it to a potential toxin. Plus these peppers are kind of sweet but a little hotter than a serano pepper.

I think it'll be interesting to make a big pile and get a good long cord to light.

[Texas Gun]

Use it to load 22 lr lol

[David2011]

A friend had a unique solution. He kept a container labeled “ant powder”. Pour some down a desert ant hill (won’t work for damp soil ants), light it, ant problem cured.

[JimB..]

You need a friend with a canon.

I broadcast mine on the yard, to no obvious effect, but have considered rolling small crackers just to see if they work.