Remineralisation

Minder

Some information about soil remineralisation

http://www.organicgarden.org.uk/

http://www.seercentre.org.uk/

http://remineralize.org/joomla/

I heard about this some years ago on a radio programme but have never tried it. It is basically the application of rock duct to the soil to boost the mineral content. Supposed to be very good at improving crop yields in veggies. Also there are long term studies that indicate a decline in the mineral content of fresh fruit and veg - remineralisation is supposed to be one way of remedying this.

Anyone use this successfully or have any thoughts on it?

Minder

In danger of talking to myself here, but a bit more information of the use of rock dust.

Rock dust - Glacial sand and gravel that contain a myriad or heterogeneous combination of various rock formation type or mineralogy - is used to add minerals to the soil - promoting vigourous plant growth and increasing soil micro-organisms. Not to be confused with dolomite limestone which is added to balance soil pH if soils are acidic.

Some ex school teachers in scotland set up a charity to promote the use of glacial rock dust as a form of fertiliser - they point to a food study over 40 years that demonstrates an alarming decline in mineral content of our foods. The addition of rock dust to soils is supposed to boost the mineral content, benefitting the natural organisms and plants - and therefore us as consumers. There is some vague new world science suggesting that due to our interglacial position - practically at the end of the interglacial period, our farming methods have used up a lot of the soil minerals. They also suggest that addition of rock dust promotes carbon capture in soils.

Here are three simple, quick tests you can perform at home:

POT TEST: A pot test will give you immediate, practical proof of what the product will do in the soil. It is a good idea to add the gravel dust to clay pots and plant radishes or other fast growing plants and observe their progress. As John Hamaker writes: "Doing a pot test is the most convincing argument I know of. Anybody can do it. There are testing laboratory grinders everywhere. There is no lag time. In 6 hours you can get a microorganism population explosion. Taking some 6" clay pots, I filled them with a 50-50 mixture of earth and peat and 3 heaped tablespoons of dust. The results were astonishing!"

You can compare different mixtures or samples of gravel dust depending on what's available in your area. Use a control without rock dust to compare as well. You can also begin with small plots in the garden. You can see the results of the gravel dust you've chosen and then add it in larger quantities to your garden. Work the gravel dust into the topsoil, if possible.

SEPARATE LAYER TEST: Purchasing a product based on its stated screen mesh alone still leaves room for error. A purchase of 90%, or even 100%, of minus #200 mesh screenings could contain only sand and silt, and no true dust. This test will tell you approximately how much of your "dust" is really dust and will be suspended in water.

Fill a clear glass half full with your sample and cover it with about two inches of water. Shake it up vigorously, then allow it to settle overnight. The dust, silt and sand will settle into three distinct layers with the dust at the top.

If the container is allowed to stand until the water has dried out, the dust [topmost] layer will shrink to about 1/3 the original measurement and give a more accurate percentage of the dust. Your first observation, however, will tell you if you are buying mostly sand. The coarser the grind, the less effective it will be in the soil, and the more you will need to use per acre.

MOISTURE TEST: If the material is bought by the yard, there is a probable increase in bulk when wet. The buyer needs to test so one can know the actual weight of dust one is applying to the land. Take a sample, weigh it, then dry it thoroughly in the oven [and re-weigh it]. This will tell you how much of the weight you are buying is moisture.

Rock dust grows extra-big vegetables (and might save us from global warming)

By Paul Kelbie, Scotland Correspondent
Monday, 21 March 2005

For years scientists have been warning of an apocalyptic future facing the world. With the prospect of an earth made infertile from over-production and mass reliance on chemicals, coupled with an atmosphere polluted by greenhouse gases there seems little to celebrate. But belief is growing that an answer to some of the earth's problems are not only at hand, but under our feet.


For years scientists have been warning of an apocalyptic future facing the world. With the prospect of an earth made infertile from over-production and mass reliance on chemicals, coupled with an atmosphere polluted by greenhouse gases there seems little to celebrate. But belief is growing that an answer to some of the earth's problems are not only at hand, but under our feet.

Specialists have just met in Perth to discuss the secrets of rock dust, a quarrying by-product that is at the heart of government-sponsored scientific trials and which, it is claimed, could revitalise barren soil and reverse climate change.

The recognition of the healing powers of rock dust comes after a 20-year campaign by two former schoolteachers, Cameron and Moira Thomson. They have been battling to prove that rock dust can replace the minerals that have been lost to the earth over the past 10,000 years and, as a result, rejuvenate the land and halt climate change.

To prove their point, the couple have converted six acres of open, infertile land in the Grampian foothills near Pitlochry into a modern Eden. Using little more than rock dust mixed with compost, they have created rich, deep soils capable of producing cabbages the size of footballs, onions bigger than coconuts and gooseberries as big as plums.

"This is a simple answer which doesn't involve drastic life changes by anyone," Ms Thomson said. "People don't have to stop driving cars to do this, just spread some rock dust on their gardens. We could cover the earth with rock dust and start to absorb carbon in a more natural fashion which, along with reducing emissions and using a combination of other initiatives, will have a better and faster response."

Before the Thomsons began their "good life" experiment, erosion and leaching were so severe in the glen where they set up home that nothing had been grown there for almost 50 years. The basis of their theory is simple. By spreading a thin layer of the dust over the land, they are able to mimic the earth's glacial cycles which naturally fertilise the land.

Since the last ice age three million years ago, the earth has gone through 25 similar glaciations, each lasting about 90,000 years. "We are 10,000 years into an interglacial - a hiatus between ice ages - meaning modern soils are relatively barren and artificial fertilisers are needed," Mr Thomson said.

"By spreading the dust we are doing in minutes what the earth takes thousands of years to do - putting essential minerals in the rocks back into the earth."

Over the years the couple, who established the Sustainable Ecological Earth Regeneration (Seer) Centre charitable trust in 1997 to test their ideas, have slowly convinced others of their theory. They recently won a grant of almost £100,000 from the Scottish Executive to conduct Britain's first official rock dust trials.

The couple claim the technique may also play a significant role in the fight against climate change as calcium and magnesium in the dust converts carbon in the air into carbonates. Such is the interest in the theory that Nasa in the US is examining it in preparation for growing plants on other planets.

The couple say that the rock dust means that crops don't need water to produce harvests of magnificent vegetables. "It would be perfect for Third World countries that are usually unable to grow crops because the land is so dry," Ms Thomson said. "This could hold the solution for them."

"There is no doubt that, when rock dust is mixed with compost, it has a dramatic effect on crop yields," said Alistair Lamont, president of the Chartered Institution of Waste Management, who is impressed by the Seer experiment. "Future waste strategy is going to rely heavily on the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill, and one of the treatments involved is composting so we need to find a home for that compost.

"Agricultural land is something we need to work on and the benefits of rock dust in combination with compost can be seen at the Seer Centre at harvest time. We need to get farming to take on board the value of remineralisation and re-fertilisation.

Mr Lamont added that evidence showed that, since 1940, the mineral content of vegetables had fallen dramatically in this country. "We might be encouraged to eat a lot of vegetables but many don't contain the quantities of minerals that we need," he said.

Blood & bone, fish meal, liquid seaweed, fish emulsion, compost, mushroom compost and sheepcrap etc are all proven to add nutrients to the soil and benefit the plants. Rock dust is the new kiddie and is only anecdotally proven. It first appeared here in 2003 and had a relatively successful run for 3 years. A couple of other websites sprung up but it is way way off market saturation. I found a local supplier and will try the suggested pot comparison test and post the results.

Minder

Pop this thread back to the top - with some new posters to the garden forum, I wonder if anyone has heard of or has an opinion on remineralisation?