Is it lime?

[JMCKG]

Been given a bag of Thomas Elliot “material”, problem is there’s no label so don’t know what the contents is. Very fine powder first thought it’s lime but could be grass fertiliser ? Any tests to determine what it is?

[ameno]

Grass fertiliser is likely to be pretty water-soluble, whereas ground calcium carbonate is fairly insoluble, so mix a good handful with some water (not too much water, maybe a litre), stir vigorously for a while, and see what happens. Grass fertiliser should mostly dissolve, whereas lime will make a cloudy suspension to start with, which should then settle out on the bottom.

[JMCKG]

Thanks, great answer. Why did I think of that. 🙁