Hey, In assembling the nesessary rock dust and avoiding excess shipping costs I apologize for not finding the right threads to organize my search... I simply need rock dust for the best price on the east Coast. If I could please have some help with sources? There are a number of granite quarries in the area but I have confusion about the use of certain mineral sources. Is there a thread that addresses the issues of aluminum from azomite, the issues of granite, the possibilty of red brick dust, and if green sand would suffice as rock dust. Yes I understand the green sand takes a long time to break down but its usefulness is multifaceted,correct? Does gypsum qualify as a rock dust? In figuring my rock dust proportions is aragonite considered part of that 4-5 c/cu ft? I feel as if going ahead and paying for shipping #50 glacial rock dust might be simpler than understanding enough at this point. I simply need to make more soil. Thanks, url
urlove Is there a supplier called Fertrell in your area? What about a large pottery supplier where the artisan pottery crowd buy their wheels, plugged clay, glazes, etc? CQ
Hey, Would anybody else say if they have an experinece with internally use? I have been drinking comfrey tea and like it's effects. 2 cups fresh daily. Thanks, Url
Urlove Order your supplies through your organic farm group. Fertrell is a broad-line distributor, i.e. they carry anything you might need. Pottery suppliers (the large ones anyway) carry either Bentonite or Zeolite - I can't remember which. It will run < $20.00 for 50 lbs. The reason that you can use this is if you look at Azomite which is simply a brand name for Sodium Benonite clay part of the Colloidal minerals . These minerals vary slightly in their composition and therefore are called different names like, Bentonite, Montmorillite, Kaolanite, Pyrophillite, and Zeolite among others. Next question: At the local Home Depot or Lowe's can you buy crushed lava rock? You have kelp meal, correct?
Urlove An international group called Remineralize the Earth has a list of 'rock dust suppliers' in the USA. It isn't a complete list by any means but it's at least another source for you to review. CQ
Now, as far as the 4-5 cups/cf, perhaps you should count the lime/gypsum and stuff. I'll explain. I add 1cup each of lime, greensand, gypsum to each cf of mix. I then added 5 cups of rock dust (1 cup of Azomite+4 cups of granite dust). This made my mix very heavy. I then tried 1cup azomite and 2cups of the granite. Much better, not as heavy. I mix up 2cf at a pop, a wheelbarrow full. Does 3-5gal buckets nicely and it's easy to see the results of different 'blends'. Easy to fix if there's too much or too little of anything. See what you can source locally for cheap before you pay to ship rocks. All will pretty much suffice especially when you compare pennies/lb vs $$/lb. Wet
[quote name='"urlove"']Thank you CQ, Yes, the organic farm group nearby distributes Fertrelll products. I saw your suggestion @ pottery supply in response to another post of mine and I appreciate your kindness. I still don't know how to organize myself here. If I could ask for more specifics as to what I really am looking to purchase to save $ is #1 necessity. Thanks, Are you LD in disguise? I appreciate your time. url[/quote] He didn't say no! I was thinking that myself. So CQ what's the deal! Haha Urlove, I personally went to landscape suppliers and asked how much to fill a 5gal bucket with granite. I took the rocks and poured them over a metal sheet pan under some burning hot coals. Fill a 50gal drum with cold H2O, and after 2 hours of cooking we dropped them in abit 4 cups at a time. Dump the water out and sift for your dust. I went a step further and grinder the dust into a fine flour with one of those marble bowls and knob looking thing. Way to high to think of its name haha. Worked for me. PS Rocks exploding is exactly what it sounds like, awesome and dangerous that's why I used an old thick metal oil drum.
[quote name='"urlove"'] Are you LD in disguise? I appreciate your time. url[/quote] [quote name='"SoooHaggard"'] He didn't say no! I was thinking that myself. So CQ what's the deal! Haha [/quote] Lol thats a silly concept! My opinion (if any one cares about my opinion), it shouldnt matter if his name is LD, CQ, MM, or Elaine Ingham! If the information that the person is bringing is rock solid, properly sourced / cited / or "self studied". That's really all that matters. I personally think that LD was jesus in disguise? Of course thats easily dispelled by his Buddhist religion, but jesus would do something like that. Cause he's sneaky and tricky like that. Lmao... SD
Idk where CQ came from or the rest of you all sweet sweet people but I have such joy for being able to garden like never before. So many kind folks have helped me... Bless your hearts and grows. One thing for sure I know to thank you all for helping me have something really good to smoke. It's been a long time since I could smoke anything decent since my stash got robbed;and I have learned so much great organic gardening here. I think tomorrow I will be crushing a few bags of lava rock with my car....laughing for a change! Thanks all, url durgahands
That's real nice. Go back to the rock you crawled out from under. Urlove, you shouldn't have any problem sourcing Azomite here on the right coast. Find a sack of that and it should take care of your mineral component issue used at 4 to 5 cups per cubic foot. If your local nursery or garden center doesn't carry it ask them to order it for you. Let them pay for the shipping - not you.
I tried this this morning. My nose was in the way so I didn't get the full peek - only saw a couple of droids hanging around. What's your point dude? Do you look up your asshole - for anything?
If you are unhappy then just decide that somewhere in your thinking you must be wrong about where your happiness lies. Then begin again. Violence always rebounds upon it self. This is an immutable law of the Universe. I am finding that smashing lava is easier between two paver bricks. Even easier is buying more precious Azomite and eating a bit myself. The law of attraction is a fact. Either you are in the vortex or not. Be joyful as life as a human is a precious gift Urlove
Yes Dear CQ, I have plenty of that Kelp meal. Would you please comment on your preferred amount to add when building new soil? And while you are at it how much to add when ammending a soil that's already had one long grow? I was joking about LD; and find your unique blessing quite obviously different but still a big branch in my tree of life. I noticed you like I noticed LD and the many other saints of soil and God's greatest gift to man was healing plants. So. Yes. Mas kelp meal sitting in water with a touch of carbs and a dash of ewc used as a tea. I will probably start a thread exploring how comfrey tea is good for me. I wonder if you would ....well I see from your generous posts already you will help be a part of that new plot of a great plant's gift. Later.. Url
Urlove Unfortunately I can't link to a recent article on soil mineralization at Acres USA Magazine - it hasn't bee posted yet. This magazine is the largest publication in the states on sustainable and organic farming the includes livestock, range management, poultry, swine, etc. At any rate this article went into depth on the different approaches to soil mineralization as part of a soil-building process, i.e. meaning long term benefits. When we add 'rock dusts' to our soils it's true that these amendments contain the 'minerals' we want. The issue is availability and in there lies the rub. It isn't going to happen on any great level in a 3 or 4 month garden cycle. That doesn't mean you shouldn't add rock dusts - you should. There are a huge number of benefits with microbial growth, soil structure, etc. Back the article, at the end was a tidbit that I found interesting and you might as well. Because Kelp (seaweed, marine algae - pick a term) accumulates all 83 Elements needed for plant growth and health, using Kelp meal will give you much, much faster benefit. Let the rock dusts do their thing and the relationship between bacteria (primarily) and the compounds and Elements in Kelp will be released in a time frame that you will have 'mineralization' - complete and in balance. Again that doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to source and use 'rock dusts' and crushed lava rock certainly falls into any 'viability category' What color is the lava rock that you have available? Not that it matters at all, I was just curious. CQ
I tell ya what I think is pretty wild. I purchased a product from Maestro-gro called Rabbit Hill Farms Tree Treatment almost two years ago. The majority of what it comprises is lava sand, greensand, granite sand, basalt, decomposed granite, dried molasses, alfalfa meal, wormcastings, humate, montmorillionite and diatomaceous earth. I used too much of it the first time through and hammered my soil pretty solid like concrete. So, I wrapped the bag up, tossed in the what-not box and went my way. Following my move to MI and unpacking my nutrient store there was the bag of Tree Treatment. I opened it up and it was completely covered in mold. I don't know where than could have come from really. We talk about composted granite and what not and I have mold growing on rocks. Must be something to it I guess. Five lbs of the Rabbit Hill Farms Tree Treatment will give you a good variety of minerals at a very inexpensive price and very reasonable shipping from Maestro-gro. They carry a lot of Rabbit Hill products and I like their line. The rabbit poop is muy bueno. I think a little bit of mineral dust goes a long way, esp the bentonite class of clays. Too much of montmorillionite specificially and you'll have the equivalent of a container full of concrete with a stick protruding from it. Too much of the other can make your container not be as porous in my experience. Use lightly for a container grow. Rabbit Hill Farms. Good sheet mahn
Hey, Been busy moving my comfrey plants around today as they are busting loose and crowding my garden. Also want to Praise Jah for the friend gave me three pretty Jamaican Pearl clones today and some mysterious puple stemmed lovely girl. I decided that smashing these red lava rocks is a pain but somehow it feels good to have its creviced diversity. Am psyched to go pick up another 20# of kelp meal... and some quality ewc. I think that hydro store wiggle worm ewc doesn't cut the mustard (what really does that phrase come from?) So as usual I sound hystercally happy to have found such nice company here at GC. Sometimes I want to hollerover at some of the other threads and say hey folks.. come check out the precious organic gurus at GC.. You all are the best people I have ever met. Urlove
url DH nice about the clones. Nothing like getting rooted plant. I had to learn the hard way that cuttings refer to the non-rooted clone. new beginnings though, in a warm humid tray, that's good stuff. agree with you about store EWC. it really depends on how far the bags travel and how long... last typical bag I got was just some bone- dried red worm bedding, for $13 a .75 Cf, having a hook for premium compost is worth it all alone.