black beach mn...... good bonsai soil?

[bonsaiDerek]

i was recently up at the North shore of Minnesota, where they have a beach called black beach. its black because of the taconite tailings from a nearby mining facility. On the water its fine like sand, but up by the paths to the beach, its the right size to be bonsai soil. I took a big bag of it home. it seems like once its sifted, it would make great bonsai soil
what do you think?

 

[Bonsai Obsessed]

My reasearch shows that taconite tailings are very high in iron, which in small quantities may not harm plants, however the much more concerning detail is that deposits from your area have been fount to have levels of naturally occurring asbestos’s in the tailings. I would be extremely careful handling it and would not even attempt to sift it, for fear of releasing those asbestos fibers into the air. sorry for the disappointing findings.

 

[penumbra]

Very good of you to do the research.