I visited a friend a few days ago, who grows berries and other fruit right
on the high water mark of the Tamar River. He gave me a bucket of
raspberries and strawberries and after washing them I took them along to a
party that evening where everyone commented on the quality and taste. I
assumed that it was because my friend is an organic grower, but when I
mentioned the praise to him he said it was because he uses rock dust on his
fruit.

His theory is that the most fertile lands on Earth have this rock dust in
the naturally because of glaciations. This apparently didn't happen in
Australia and so he adds his own. He reckons that since using this, which
he says is not a fertilizer, but rather a mineral supplement for the soil,
his fruit has been tastier.

He's given me about a litre of the rock dust to use on my plants.

Any info on this?

Judanne

On Wed, 18 Dec 2002 14:24:52 +1100, "Judanne"
wrote:

His theory is that the most fertile lands on Earth have this rock dust in
the naturally because of glaciations. This apparently didn't happen in
Australia and so he adds his own. He reckons that since using this, which
he says is not a fertilizer, but rather a mineral supplement for the soil,
his fruit has been tastier.

Your friend has the right results, but his theory is a little off.
Many parts of Australia have undergone glaciation in the past (at one
time it was very close to the South Pole), but most of it isn't
visible today due to weathering. The real reason that Australian soils
are generally depleted is because they are comparatively old, and have
been in a comparatively tropical climate, getting a lot of rainfall
(in the past) that leaches the nutrients from the soil.

Your friend was right about the mineral supplements. Everything,
plants and animals, need trace minerals to thrive and that is missing
from our fertlisers. A good example of trace element uptake is
selenium in Brazil nuts. Apaprently Brazil nuts from the Amazon region
are very high in selenium, whereas Brazil nuts from most other regions
in the world don't contain it. Consequently Brazilian brazil nuts (and
now this just sounds silly) get a premium price.

Rock dust is a great way to replace trace elements in the soil. What
trace elements your plants get will depend very much on what's in the
dust that you use, but I have read several studies on it, none of
which hae yet discovered any adverse effects.

He's given me about a litre of the rock dust to use on my plants.

Go right ahead and use it. From my research it could do a lot of good.
At the least it isn't going to do any harm.

Tara

On Wed, 18 Dec 2002 14:24:52 +1100, "Judanne"
wrote:

His theory is that the most fertile lands on Earth have this rock dust in
the naturally because of glaciations. This apparently didn't happen in
Australia and so he adds his own. He reckons that since using this, which
he says is not a fertilizer, but rather a mineral supplement for the soil,
his fruit has been tastier.

Your friend has the right results, but his theory is a little off.
Many parts of Australia have undergone glaciation in the past (at one
time it was very close to the South Pole), but most of it isn't
visible today due to weathering. The real reason that Australian soils
are generally depleted is because they are comparatively old, and have
been in a comparatively tropical climate, getting a lot of rainfall
(in the past) that leaches the nutrients from the soil.

Your friend was right about the mineral supplements. Everything,
plants and animals, need trace minerals to thrive and that is missing
from our fertlisers. A good example of trace element uptake is
selenium in Brazil nuts. Apaprently Brazil nuts from the Amazon region
are very high in selenium, whereas Brazil nuts from most other regions
in the world don't contain it. Consequently Brazilian brazil nuts (and
now this just sounds silly) get a premium price.

Rock dust is a great way to replace trace elements in the soil. What
trace elements your plants get will depend very much on what's in the
dust that you use, but I have read several studies on it, none of
which hae yet discovered any adverse effects.

He's given me about a litre of the rock dust to use on my plants.

Go right ahead and use it. From my research it could do a lot of good.
At the least it isn't going to do any harm.

Tara

g'day judanne,

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

tia

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/

g'day judanne,

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

tia

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/

On Wed, 18 Dec 2002 19:01:36 +1000, len brauer
wrote:

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

Not Judanne, but...

Rock dust depends very much on what it is composed of, or is in it.
We've all been using rock dust all the time. Gypsum and dolomite are
rock dusts. You could try limestone for a good calcium supplement or
crushed granite for minerals such as zeolite and niobium.

You could try the local nursery Len, they're bound to have something
there. Rock dust is becoming quite trendy.

Oh, and IIRC, there was an article on it in one of this year's or
last year's Earth Gardens.

Tara

On Wed, 18 Dec 2002 19:01:36 +1000, len brauer
wrote:

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

Not Judanne, but...

Rock dust depends very much on what it is composed of, or is in it.
We've all been using rock dust all the time. Gypsum and dolomite are
rock dusts. You could try limestone for a good calcium supplement or
crushed granite for minerals such as zeolite and niobium.

You could try the local nursery Len, they're bound to have something
there. Rock dust is becoming quite trendy.

Oh, and IIRC, there was an article on it in one of this year's or
last year's Earth Gardens.

Tara

Sorry, Len, I don't know and he couldn't remember. He brought it over in a
litre bucket of "Miracle Grow" plant food. He said that the next time he
buys some he'll note the name and where its produced and let me know.
Probably in the new year.

Judanne

"len brauer" wrote in message
...
g'day judanne,

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

tia

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the
environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/

Sorry, Len, I don't know and he couldn't remember. He brought it over in a
litre bucket of "Miracle Grow" plant food. He said that the next time he
buys some he'll note the name and where its produced and let me know.
Probably in the new year.

Judanne

"len brauer" wrote in message
...
g'day judanne,

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

tia

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the
environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/

try this link
http://www.minplus.com.au/index.html

"len brauer" wrote in message
...
g'day judanne,

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

tia

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the
environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/

try this link
http://www.minplus.com.au/index.html

"len brauer" wrote in message
...
g'day judanne,

ok what is this rock dust called? and where do i go to buy it? with
the deficiencies in my soil i need all the help i can get.

tia

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the
environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from Geodyne contains these words:

The guy told me that he was convinced that not just soil, and foods
grown in it, are mineral depleted..but people are too. Therefore, he and
his wife and their 5 kids all drank a half teaspoon of their rockdust
mixed in water every day:-). I have to say that they were no
advertisement for that practice...despite the abundance of veg and fruit
they grew, that family and especially the dismal kids were some of the
palest, straw-haired, flabbiest, unhealthiest looking specimens I have
ever seen in a rural area :-(


Consuming 'raw' minerals like this is a waste of time - we can only digest
minerals after they have passed through a plant. Putting rock dust on the
land is widely practised here (UK) and should help to restore fertility as
well as our health.

Bz

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from Geodyne contains these words:

The guy told me that he was convinced that not just soil, and foods
grown in it, are mineral depleted..but people are too. Therefore, he and
his wife and their 5 kids all drank a half teaspoon of their rockdust
mixed in water every day:-). I have to say that they were no
advertisement for that practice...despite the abundance of veg and fruit
they grew, that family and especially the dismal kids were some of the
palest, straw-haired, flabbiest, unhealthiest looking specimens I have
ever seen in a rural area :-(


Consuming 'raw' minerals like this is a waste of time - we can only digest
minerals after they have passed through a plant. Putting rock dust on the
land is widely practised here (UK) and should help to restore fertility as
well as our health.

Bz