ROCKDUST / STONEMEAL ??~The remineralization of the earth ~ Update

***UPDATE on my use of Rockdust posted 27th June '10 on post #10

Last year I ordered a large sack of this 'Rockdust' because I had been reading an increasing amount about it on various UK allotment & vegetable blogs & forums -- I was lucky to get the sack on a special end of season sale price & had it shipped for free (heavy sack......) ).

I happened to mention this on a thread here on TEG:

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=27718

It was kind of pooh-poohed as
Just another product.............!!!! No offence to anyone but that kind of riled me!!
So being me (stubborn old cranky witch that I am) I have used the last couple of weeks researching the subject. I intend to do some comparative "pot tests" because I think the evidence is pretty convincing.

I shall post all info on this thread. Starting with these links:

http://www.remineralize.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=264

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Hamaker **** for starters this is not a new idea, as you can see.

http://www.remineralize.org/site/in...r-center-article&catid=20:magazine&Itemid=230



Thank you in advance for your patience with this cumungeonally old lady


Hattie

Hahahahaha....back in my younger days, I was guilty of doing quite a few "comparative pot tests" of my own.

........and I got to be quite good at it, also. LOL

that is actually fascinating I am trying to enhance my starting soils this year because I am so freaking determined to get these Scotch Bonnets to grow

if you have not tried them they are the Island version of a habanero but I thin they have a slightly differing taste they are uaually bright yellow or red and squished looking
anyway I have not seen anyone using it so this will be good to watch and learn!

thanks again my friend! you always come up with the good stuff!

A bit more information for you.

http://organicgarden.org.uk/?page_id=124

http://www.organicgarden.org.uk/files/min_dep_report.pdf

After reading these reports I can now see why vegetables don't seem to taste the way I remember from my childhood. It is not just the fact that my sense of taste has gone due to old age as so many people say......!! I know that when I eat vegetables in other countries around the world they taste so much better.

:rose Hattie :rose

I have a pro "cranky old witch" stance....being one myself!

As for me and my health, while I have reversed a lot of issues, mineral deficiency in something I still struggle with. Surprisingly, lack of selenium seems to be an issue. This should NOT be a problem for people in the USA because our soil is rich in Selenium. But think about it....where is our produce COMING FROM? It ISN'T being grown in the US. You have to make a special effort to LOOK for "home grown" foods.

Another interesting article showing use of rockdust:

http://www.remineralize.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=283&Itemid=185

I am getting more & more pro it & can't wait for the weather to improve yo start my own small experiments in my raised beds & some pots.


:rose Hattie :rose

Yet more info on the use of stonemeal, this time in Brazil:

http://www.remineralize.org/site/in...nario-in-brazil-&catid=21:research&Itemid=201

Hattie

I found out that I can have rock dust "ordered" at no extra charge at at a local nursery ..she is giving me a pricing list on Monday

Update 27th June '10

Up till now I have been adding this Rockdust into all my raised vegetable beds & pots with pretty amazing results. As an old cynic I can't actually believe the results. I have never seen such beautiful large vegetables in any garden of mine. It is still early days I know. We had a very hard start to this season due to prolonged cold weather so my poor little plants had to be kept under cover inside the house for much longer & they got sort of unhappy-looking, even with plenty of extra light. I finally started planting out at the very end of May......We had our last frost in the 1st week of June.........

All the raised beds got their annual libation of well rotted chicken & horse poo compost & a little seaweed meal & now this years extra of the Rockdust. The plants have now shot up! The growth has been phenomenal -- well we have had a warm June but it was very cloudy a lot of the time & it was very dry a lot of the time.

My sweetcorn plants went in the 2nd week of June & they are way over waist height, going on for shoulder height by next weekend & so green. The brassicas are my pride & joy. My tomatoes are in pots & have grown so fast & also are a heavenly green with masses of flowers & a lot of recently set fruit....... . The peppers & eggplants are not in their final pots, so have had no Rockdust yet -- they are not looking stunning ; just OK. Tomorrow I tackle them when some bags of new soil arrives. I am having to be very careful as last year I got a bad attack of both blight & mildew on a lot of my squash & all of my tomatoes.

I have both my fingers & toes crossed that this might be a bumper harvest ......but you can never tell until it is in.......SO....


Hattie