Just found out some ferns can absorb heavy metals from soil like lead and cadmium

I was reading a study from the University of Florida and apparently certain ferns pull 10x more lead out of contaminated dirt than any other plant - has anyone tried using them for urban soil cleanups?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_mason3d agoMost Upvoted

oh yeah i've actually tried this in a small backyard cleanup project near an old industrial site. i mean, it works but you gotta be patient because ferns grow slow and the roots need time to really pull stuff out of the ground. the one that's supposed to be the best is the brake fern pteris vittata if i remember right, it's a real workhorse for arsenic and lead. just keep in mind you can't just plant them and forget, you gotta harvest and dispose of the fronds properly since they're basically toxic waste at that point. idk if it's worth it for a huge area unless you've got like a year or two to let them do their thing. but for a small contaminated patch in your yard or garden, it's way cheaper than paying for actual soil removal.

thead442d ago

Eh, I dunno. I've looked into this a lot and most of those studies are done in labs under perfect conditions. Real soil is way more complicated, you're not gonna get those same results in most backyards. Feel like people oversell it.