You don't want to breathe it -- the particles are sharp on a microscopic level. But they don't hurt the plants.

DE is the fossil, silica shells of microscopic sea creatures -- Diatoms.

Many of them are breathtakingly beautiful.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:57391}}

Thanks for the reassurance!! I read that it doesn't work too well on slugs when it gets wet. As soon as I put it on the soil I noticed it absorbing moisture. It appeared to get wet almost immediately. Will it still be effective enought to repel slugs? Thanks.

Beer is the best thing I have ever used for slugs. They love the stuff. just put some jar lids filled with beer around in your garden and they will come to drink, get drunk and drown in it. You do have to change the lids every day though.

What grade of DE are you using? Do NOT use pool grade around animals or humans. Use only food grade and don't breathe in any of it. Of course you aren't supposed to put anything foreign in your lungs anyway. Well maybe Tuscan air is okay. LOL

Helen

I put my DE in a jar, punch some holes in the lid and use it like a salt shaker in my chicken coop. For slugs, I put some salt on them. I hate to waste a good beer.

NO NO yfchoice, you use CHEAP beer, not good beer. Silly !!

Sharing beer with the slugs...hahaha