In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:
Broadback wrote:
I'm sure that many of you have seen the recent publicity about mixing
rock dust with compost to make a great soil growing media. I live in
North Staffordshire, is this dust available near here and what is the
cost? My lower garden is devoid of top soil, I would love to create
something to enable me to grow anything, apart from gorse. all help
welcome.

I'm awfully sceptical about this whole thing. Rock dust is more or less
what subsoil _is_. It seems there are cases where it's done some soils a
lot of good, but it must depend on what the rock is, and what the soil
in question is lacking. I'd devote the time and money to finding lots of
organic material. (The gorse, of course, is doing your soil a lot of
good on its own.)

No, it's for real. Rock dust is before many of the minerals have been
leached by millennia of rainfall - subsoil is the state afterwards.
Gorse is generally a good indicator of a very poor soil, often one
that has been badly leached.

A reasonable compromise would be some quarry dust and some nutrient-
rich organic matter - nightsoil would be ideal, but all of bullshit,
cowslop and pigshit are fine, horse and poultry dung not bad, but the
cardboard residue that is being sold as a peat substitute (and peat
itself) are damn-near nutrient-free.

Failing quarry dust, a 50/50 mixture of aggregate and builders' sand
would do.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.