soil remineralization: process and discussion

[apep]

Very informative thread. I would like to start using rock dusts but have a couple questions.

I think composting with them would be the way to go, but only have compost thats "curing" could I just add it to that.

Would I have to cut back on other soil amendments, like in an LC #1 mix?

Thanks

 

[jaykush]

yea you can amend to the compost and let it sit for best results. but really even top dressings on the soil work wonders.

 

[idiit]

i'm a noob at the organic gardening method but this amateur status drove me to find easy to comprehend organic literature. i've heard that organic horticulture is primarily about balance and i found two articles that made it very plain and simple to me (a true neophyte) the essence of what organic balance means (or so i hope). "the soil audit" found on the alternative agriculture.com website actually lists out in one short paragraph the necessary balance of the primary ingredients essential to soil fertility. it is a continuation of dr. william albrecht's work. it perceives all the supplements as a ratio or proportion to pure calcium ppms. it is called the reams test. the second article is much longer but was very easy for me to read and understand; "manual for fertility" by jeffrey littrell. soil remineralization is paid attention to in both articles. hth posted that dolomite lime is not used as a calcium supplement but rather as a mg. supplement. this is thoroughly confirmed and explained in the littrell manual. both articles also really denounce potassium(k) as a primary nutrient and both do a great job of explaining how super important calcium is to soil fertility. the entire thrust of both articles is how to provide optimum soil fertility in an available form to the plants by focusing on the proper balance with calcium, not dolomite lime as the super-primary catalyst. essential read for me. i found volcanic rock dust called azomite thru a local organic coop that buys by the pallet to drop the shipping costs way down. according to what i've read either glacier or volcanic rock dust offer the most diversified rock mineral components and it is this diversity that is paramount in remineralizing the soil. after studying the microorganisms i found professor teruo higa's em (enhanced microorganisms) supplied by scdprobiotics that is an archaea dominated orchestrated microherd that has been used extremely successfully in Indonesia and Asia. this stuff has lots of well documented results that are pretty awesome. not an overstatement. em is really worth looking into. hope some of this will help someone else.

 

[Yankee Grower]

after studying the microorganisms i found professor teruo higa's em (enhanced microorganisms) supplied by scdprobiotics that is an archaea dominated orchestrated microherd that has been used extremely successfully in Indonesia and Asia. this stuff has lots of well documented results that are pretty awesome. not an overstatement. em is really worth looking into. hope some of this will help someone else.

John Evans, who's now based in the Philippines, has been doing extensive work with teas on crops with fantastic results. He does with trace minerals/element supplementation, but not from rock dusts if I remember correctly, and is a HUGE fan of archae particularly the stuff from Biozome especially in regards to mineralization/processing.

John Evans, the inventor of Bountea products, is a gardening wizard with over 400 first place awards for quality vegetables, 9 World Records for Giant Vegetables and 18 Alaska State records.

 

[Rusty420]

Gotta hand it to ya Jay, you got this forum dialed...!! Thanks again!

 

[Frosy]

another amazing info rich thread!

 

[L420K]

all of those original links 404'd

 

[cannadiancream]

Thanks, that was a good read. Been really into the glacial rock dust lately. Improvement in crop quality for sure. Wont go without it.

 

[xmobotx]

seems like the on-topic place to ask;

anyone know how agrowinn stonemeal compares to azomite? which is to say; will adding both actually equate to any meaningful diversity?

they strike me as very similar products

FTM would a divers mix of ground stones such as misc quarry dust or ? be comparable to agrowinn? basically the site doesn't elaborate on the source of the stonemeal

 

[Chong_Irie]

is the stonemeal the same as their "rock dust".. I used it on my OD plot last year and I grew some beauties, but cant say how much that had to do with it.

 

[xmobotx]

yes it is

 

[vonforne]

Stonemeal and rock powders are the same. I use Gaia Green Rock powders (Glacial Rock Dust) and Azomite (volcanic) together

Diversity..........just don´t over do it.

 

[elmanito]

seems like the on-topic place to ask;

anyone know how agrowinn stonemeal compares to azomite? which is to say; will adding both actually equate to any meaningful diversity?

they strike me as very similar products

FTM would a divers mix of ground stones such as misc quarry dust or ? be comparable to agrowinn? basically the site doesn't elaborate on the source of the stonemeal

Azomite is

Mineralogically, the material can be described as a rhyolitic tuff breccia, which is a hard rock formation formed from the dust of a volcano that exploded, much like when Mount St. Helens did in 1980. Its uniqueness does stem from the multitude of trace minerals found in the deposit. Thus the trade name, AZOMITE®, the "A to Z of Minerals Including Trace Elements". Chemically, AZOMITE® is a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) containing other minerals and trace elements which the National Research Council recognizes to be essential.

Agrowinn rock dust is ground rock dust 2500 mesh which is extremely fine and you can expect a very good interaction with the bacteria, fungi in your soil.The website doesn't say anything what sort of material it consist of.

Namaste

 

[SeaMaiden]

I wonder how many people will trip out seeing the Al part of the Azomite. Or the Na! <giggle> God forbid there might be some Cl in there in some form, too.

Just sayin'.

 

[trichrider]

...

 

[vonforne]

11.43% Al²o³(Alumina) and 0.22% Cl (Chlorine) it also has 4% Uranium.

 

[trichrider]

is that what these are?

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/soil/st_soils/wa_soil.htm

 

[Dave Coulier]

I wonder how many people will trip out seeing the Al part of the Azomite. Or the Na! <giggle> God forbid there might be some Cl in there in some form, too.

Just sayin'.

I doubt anyone will trip considering EWC tends to have very high levels of Na, but I dont see anyone ripping on EWC. Ive used azomite and Ive never had any detrimental effects on my plants. I also didn't see any improvement either, so Im not even using it now.

 

[couchlockd]

question to users of naomis mineral mix, is the lime in it dolomite, or agricultural?

i want to mix up my own batch, not sure on the lime part though.

thanks.

 

[elmanito]

I found something else which is perfect to use, especially in arid areas to mix it into your soil to keep your soil moisture and that is ghassoul.I can't find any literature about the use of ghassoul in potting soil, only for cosmetic reasons, but this lava earth contains a high amount of magnesium as show in the pic below.I will start to use it this year, so i will keep you updated.

Namaste