This topic contains 2 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by Kevin Anderson 5 years, 5 months ago.
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JB it would be nice to know where “just read” comes from – if a random, or authoritative source with evidence.
Whatever, I would recommend rock dust especially for soils giving problems, growth below par. It can be like the missing link.
At Homeacres my garden is mostly abundant already and it’s hard to see much difference where I apply it, although the veg may be more nutritious.I use “rock dust” (which is fines from my local quarry, only about 5 kms away) as a mechanical aid to opening up my clay. It is very cheap, and the quarry is happy to get rid of it, because there is no commerical demand for this fraction of the crushing process.
I also use coarse sand (sometimes called “quartz sand” or river sand) as a mechanical aid.
Most years I throw on about a half cm (1/4 inch) layer of either or both. Each year these “disappear” and the soil becomes slightly more friable.
Most rock dust “advertisements” have the theme of “essential trace elements additive”. With properly-made compost with manure, kitchen scraps, wood chips etc. trace element deficiency is rarely a problem because the inputs themselves are rarely mineral deficient.
Here in Australia, with its notoriously deficient soils, making compost can be more problematic. I sometimes add handfuls of guano (bird manure, high in phosphorous and sulphur) to a large pile. (I have no hard science behind this, only my intuitive feeling that by adding phosphorous I am helping the long term chemistry of my soil.)
I hope that this helps.
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