And here we have it again. Chinease enzymes taking jobs away from the hard-working American enzymes... I kid, I kid... Thanks for the info Jerry!
How can we get this stickied? Rock dust is an integral part of an organic soil and we were really lacking in information on rock dust before this thread. Sticky sticky sticky. (please )
Or maybe we can link it to this post in the organic higher learning thread http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/650139-organic-higher-learning.html#post8122952
I'm glad others find this as interesting as I do. Fun stuff. I'm still doing more research/reading/learning and will post more as I can. As some may know, my garden is "on hold" right now, but Lumper had turned me on to a very interesting experiment that I was trying out, and will be working further on when the time is right. The basis for this is that seedlings - any seedlings/sprouts, in the first several days of their lives (legumes are good for this) when they have just sprouted and are only a few days old and several inches tall, at this point in their lives are producing massive amounts of enzymes. These sprouts are then taken and covered in water and allowed to barely ferment - just for several days (48-72 hours), and then used as both root drench and a foliar spray to gain the benefits of the large amounts of enzymes produced by the seedlings. From what I understand, the results were spectacular - unfortunately my own experiments have gone by the wayside, but hopefully only temporarily. I'll get back to y'all on this. J
Here's my experience with rock dust. I transplanted my clones from rockwool to promix only (I was still waiting for my soil mix to cook). After 2 weeks I had happy, healthy plants still but barely any growth (I had fed them a tea based off 3tbs of ewc, 1 tbs kelp and 1tbls alfalfa once and foliar fed the same with a 1/2 tbs of protext and 1/2 tbs neem oil per liter of h2o). Not much growth at all. So I topdressed each 1 gallon pot with a heaping tbs of ewc, a tsp of kelp and a tsp of rock dust and let it sit on top of the moist promix for a few days before watering in. At watering time I noticed a web of fungus looking stuff on top of the soil. Thinking nothing of it, I watered a kelp soaked water on top of it. This was a week ago. Since then there has been an explosive growth of the lower foilage as well as the top foilage that I have been pinching every 4-5 days. I am sure that my girls are getting everything they want and/or need because this is the healthiest I have ever seen my babies. Rock dust completes the cycle and it makes everything come together in a nice balance. I still have no lime (oyster shells and dolomite are waiting for the xplant to cooked soil) but the ph hasn't been an issue(no purple stems) as there is no nutrient lockout and the growth exploded once I gave them the ewc, dust and kelp. If I were to pick I would say that these are the most important things to have in ur soil to bring it all together, with rock dust being the catalyst/enhancer.
beerbrewer: I love this! Seeing such great results with rock dust. I have been reading a lot about it. I am close to putting clones in my final cooked mix. It has been cooking for a month and a day now I haven't noticed any webby fungus though but I am not discouraged. I was however considering adding more rock dust. I only have about 12 cups in my 4CF mix and I'd like to make that at least 16 or 20. I have it all cooking in a big 50 gallon tote... I suppose when I divide it into my four 1CF (#7) pots, I could add a cup or two each of rock dust, might be easier to mix it that way. My only thought was that it will not have all cooked an even amount of time. But when we're talking about rock dust, I can't imagine it being an issue for my plant's health (except to improve them over time) by adding it late in the game. Am I correct in thinking that?
I might've gone a bit overboard myself on my last batch. Made a bit less than 1 cf and mixed in 6 cups. The one I made before (once again, just less than 1 cf) had 4 cups. Jerry had mentioned to me in a pm about a month ago that I should put 4-5 cups per cf but then linked this thread to me again a few days back when I mentioned only putting 4 in so I decided to add more to my next mix. I won't be able to directly compare the 2 mixes because I plan on mixing the mixes together after the soil is cooked before putting my plants in it. Since I plan on cooking 3 batches in all they will end up averaging out to about 5.5 cups per cf... so we'll see! Hoping for good things.
Kings, it's totally fine to add the extra rock dust now, you don't have to worry about letting it "cook". Obviously you know that the rock dust won't burn your plants lol. I'd add it to each pot when you fill them.
just took a drive up north to pick up some granite sludge from a custom granite cutting shop. i just spread it out on a tarp to dry minutes ago. what has already dried is the consistency of flour and it is white in color. the guy said there may be some other material in with it like soap stone and quartz and possibly some resin. i know the resin isnt ideal but i dont think it will hurt too much do you? and the soapstone and quartz would probably be a good thing right? i also picked up some sample slabs of pure granite that i plan on grinding up to a powder. with all that being said, i think im set when it comes to rock dust. what do you all think? the guys up there said i could have it by the truckload for free every month. im thinking of drying it out in a large scale process and packaging it for sale lol!
Sounds like you're set lt! I doubt the resin will hurt anything. I think it's great that it's got some other types of rock in there-diversity is always good. I knew you'd be able to find someplace-and it's free! The only problem with packaging it for resale is that you're trying to sell....rock dust lol. I'd think that the cost of packaging it would be higher than what you could sell it for, unless there's a large untapped market for ground up rocks in your area.
lol yeah, I am brand new to growing, and I figured that there's no way rock dust would burn my plants, especially considering people use it as a foliar, but I have definitely had wrong assumptions before
lol i was joking about the selling it thing. since we are both here i wanted to run something by you. since rock dust certainly doesnt burn plants it would probably be a good idea to add some to my seed starter mix too right?
You can apparently add it to everything. While not being it's main purpose it has the benefits of providing micro-nutrients as well. Win win! Just make sure you have proper aeration as it does gum up the soil a bit.
While there is no way that rock dust will "burn" a plant the way fresh organic amendments can, it is only to our advantage to allow our soil mixes nutrient cycle for as long as is possible before planting into it ; bacteria establishes, fungal strands grow, enzymes break down organic matter and elements and compounds are released from their bonds, this creating an ideal living environment for our gardens to THRIVE. Why not ensure that every single element and compound needed is just ready and waiting the moment that it is wanted? While I understand that it's not always feasible to do so, I preach to plan ahead and mix a semi-"hot" soil with all of our organic goodies added, and then let it sit warm and moist for as long as possible. A diverse soil mix, well cycled and top dressed with additional vermicompost....mmmmm.... Most of us will be gardening for the rest of our lives; why not plan and mix six months in advance? Good things come to those who wait.
I'm mixing extra for spring (I want to try some outdoor stuff... fruits and vegetables, not weed, neighbors too close... ) but I also need some as soon as possible too. So hopefully 4 weeks will be long enough. I mixed in big totes in a colder place and they are far too heavy to carry to a warmer place. Should've thought that out better... heh. Think I'm going to throw the soil into their eventual pots and carry them to a warmer place one by one. I knew it would be heavy. I guess I underestimated how heavy they'd be though.
Soil is some heavy stuff. Several times this summer I was laid up for a day or two after moving 30 gallon pots around and moving 15 gallon pots full of soil up a flight of stairs by myself. Not impressive enough for you? I weigh 100 lbs. When I want to get something done I develop superhuman strength lol. This is an excellent time to mix up several large batches of soil in preparation for spring. I'm also thinking of planting white clover in my big pots of soil that are "cooking" and then tilling it in. I'm with ya jerry on letting it cycle for as long as possible.
Yikes, I learned my lessons a long time ago. I have a spinal injury so when it comes to lifting heavy objects I try to get out of it. Some people say when you lift you should use your knees. I say use your brain and it will require less effort!