Grow Better Tasting Vegetables with Rock Dust and Where to Get It Near You

[wrnglers9]

Can you just use ironite instead?

[growingyourgreens]

Ironite is NOT the same as Azomite / Rock Dust.

[curandero2012]

What is your opinion about the use of loess???

[Bloodavenger3200]

Well, I told them I wanted 200 mesh and they said 13$. I don't care about the lawn, but thanks for the info. It's a local Cemex plant, so I should be okay (btw I caught the answer in the video, but one ton is a bunch for only 200 sq ft.). Thanks for the info, now time to get my worms going for vermicompst.

[fiending]

john!!! yes rock dust/powder is great for remineralizing the depleted soil. seems like many ppl are too familiar with finding the name of the "save me pill", and enjoy buying products that come in packages. this does not have to be difficult at all, or cost any money at all to remineralize our gardens and bodies.

just use wood ashes. spread in the soil, done.

it's been proven yr after yr by the ppl who practice this the most in their garden with their longest life span, the japanese.

[Bloodavenger3200]

My question is how much is too much? The company here in my local city sells 1 ton for 13 bucks... I need 207 square ft worth, and is there anything that says over kill? I wouldn't mind putting a bit extra under the bed (I'm going to be making a raised bed, and I'm wanting to lay some down before I place dirt back in, and then maybe mix some when I put the dirt back down)?

[growingyourgreens]

You can not "burn" your plants with too much rock dust. That being said, if the rock dust is more "rocky" (with larger particle sizes) you need to add more to ensure you get alot of smaller particle sizes. I would purchase a ton, and mix in say 20% rock dust into your soil. Save the rest and use it for the rest of your yard, (if you have a lawn) or other landscaping plants growing, they will appreciate the rock dust too, or put it in a pile and save it or share the extra with some friends.

[Bloodavenger3200]

@growingyourgreens @growingyourgreens Now what if you do a 30/30/30 kinda mix with rock dust/ top soil/fertilizer or something like that. I'm trying to figure out how to cut cost, cause yeah with 207 square ft bed that's a lot of material needed to fill it, it's only 1 foot high or so. But that is whole lot of top soil and fertilizer. The Dairies around my area give the manure away for free, the guy I called had nice old stuff like over 6 months of composting... Thanks in advance.

[cdmsatisfied]

Local gravel company, 700 lbs for $20. Rock-it sand & gravel griffin, ga.

[paulgem123]

Hey John, I saw your video where you planted onions and you put a lot of rock dust on them. On the Azomite instruction it says 1 heaping teaspoon per i gallon. If you have a 10x 10 space how much would you put on?

[growingyourgreens]

10x10 = 100 square feet. According to Don's recommendations 100 pounds would be a good amount. In the other video, I was planting garlic.

[KRYTEN451]

This is a great info, thanks a bunch !

[briska79]

So i was wondering if fine ground chicken grit would work at all?

[Soldier957]

Just realized I've under dosed. It's extremely expensive though... about $15 for 500g! Got some basalt dust and it says to dose 1- 3 tablespoons per pot...

[monteros]

Mycorrhiza + Rock Dust = win win

[1wolfgirl300]

I learned lots today! :)

[mysciencenow]

i bought some azomite and organic lime

[lestempsnoir]

when growing seeds in the jiffy green house, at hat point do you completely take away the plastic dome? I have a few different herbs growing and only 2 herbs had actually started sprouting. The other 50 somewhat pellets have not. I don't want to kill the ones that are already an inch plus in size.

[zardozica]

Our soil is too heavy in Boron so the local quarry is not an option. I picked up two bags of Azomite in LA but it is the BB sizes

[RanIntoSomeConfusion]

John, I have just done a little research on Azomite after viewing this video. It seems that the product contains LEAD ! Do you know about this? If so - what are your thoughts on this?

[growingyourgreens]

Yes, It does contain LEAD. I specifically ask Don this question in this video, and trust and believe in his answer.

[RanIntoSomeConfusion]

@growingyourgreens A BIG "ooops" on my behalf, John! Sorry man - I got so excited about the Azomite - I started reading about it before completing the entire video!

[FreedomFox1]

@RanIntoSomeConfusion The level of lead in Azomite is 6.2 ppm. The average natural level of lead in US agricultural soil is 10 ppm. The EPA considers less than 150 ppm to be “lead free.” It's nothing to worry about.

[RanIntoSomeConfusion]

@FreedomFox1 Thanks, Fox!

[marylissa1011]

John, Anyone looking in the SO. CAL AREA for Rock rust minerals and just a diverse organic option in regards to fertilizer, mulchs,tools etc...check out OC Farm Supply in the city of Orange VERY knowledgeable and gooood prices! I make the 40 min. trip just for this place! In fact, I'm heading' there today!! C=

[lestempsnoir]

@marylissa1011 This store carries both Azomite and Gaia Green brands. It took me 2 weeks of research to find it. Very hard to find something local in the So. CA area near San Bernardino & Riverside county. For anyone looking. Bear Valley Garden Supply: 17455 Bear Valley Rd.

Hesperia, CA (760) 949-3400 or a place where they sell their own.. for cities more down south in California (San Diego, Temecula ect) AGROWINN Organic Fertilizers 1422 Calle Christopher Encinitas, CA 888-794-3674

[Tommyr]

Can't get it here so I'm going to start using Green sand by Esphoma. Better than nothing.

[Rawgasmic]

Great video John. I can see why you have such a high regard for Don. Peace - Mike

[franzb69]

can't seem to get azomite to email me back. can't get the local disrtibutor to email me back either. =( been trying to contact them for close to a year. philippines here btw.

[growingyourgreens]

Try giving them a call.

[FreedomFox1]

Twenty tons per acre (!) -- there are far more efficient mineral amendments to use. Do a soil test and only give your soil what it needs -- much smarter than just dumping a bunch of rock into your soil and hoping for the best. The Azomite website doesn’t even say what’s in it...

[growingyourgreens]

Please let me know about other more efficient mineral amendments to use that contain a wide variety of minerals/elements? I will be glad to look into them and make a video about them if warranted.

[FreedomFox1]

@growingyourgreens What you should use depends on what your soil needs. If it needs magnesium, for example, I can tell you how much dolomitic lime or magnesium sulfate to add. With Azomite, I can’t even determine how much magnesium is in it…

[growingyourgreens]

The purpose of Azomite (or other Rock Dusts) is not to enrich "certain" minerals that have been used in conventional growing practices to improve yields. I want people to "think" past conventional thinking when growing food. My motto I is to "model" nature and give the plants all the minerals/elements that should be in the soil. If you believe in this great, if not, thats ok too. Some viewers get FREE/cheap gravel dust at local sand/gravel quarries without buying the horticultural grade.

[FreedomFox1]

@growingyourgreens But if your soil is missing a certain nutrient, or the nutrients are out of balance, and the rock dust does not supply enough of the missing nutrient or correct the imbalance, then your soil will not be as healthy as it could be. …Helping nature do its best is what gardening is all about :)

[growingyourgreens]

Yes. Agreed. I am assuming you are starting out with a soil that has proper nutrition in the first place. I encourage people to get a soil test to ensure a person have a balance of minerals in the first place. Then add the minerals you need to "get a balance" then add rock dust to "push it over the top".

[FreedomFox1]

@growingyourgreens If your soil is fully mineralized, then there’s no point to adding more. More is not always better and it’s even possible to have too much of certain minerals, which can be just as bad as having not enough.

[growingyourgreens]

Agreed on overdoing the minerals.. That being said, most soils are DEMINERALIZED. I wish we had the problem of fully mineralized soil; infact we have the opposite problem. According to the US Senate in 1936, the soils are DEMINERALIZED. In addition, most soil testing companies test for MACRO minerals and not the TRACE MINERALS that are in the rock dust. MOST people can ADD rock dust with no worries of OVER DOING minerals, because it contains a wide variety of minerals, in trace amounts.

[FreedomFox1]

@growingyourgreens  I gotcha. Thank you for sharing your thinking with me. I've learned so much from your fantastic videos!

[MIgardener]

i should put rock dust im my garden!

[martilindsey]

Will diatomaetious give you the same result?

[growingyourgreens]

No. D.E. or Diatomaceous Earth is not the same thing as Rock Dust. Rock dust provides a wide spectrum of minerals/elements (60+) . D.E. are fossilized remains of diatoms and is mostly silica. D.E. is normally used for organic pest control. The only thing that can be used (in my opinion) instead of Rock Dust is Ocean Grown Minerals. (I will have an episode on this soon).

[jazz61021]

The dealer locater section of the Azomite main webpage works just fine. I have been in email contact with the supplier that I can drive to in my area, about forty miles away.

[MrJohnhunt1]

I found the azomite at my local nurcery they have always been awesome. Payson Az head on over to Plant fair nursery in star valley az. and get some azomite..

[dkulikowski]

I will work the rock dust into my soil around the existing plants about a couple inches down.. Do I continue to use my worm castings to fertilize my vegetables?

[growingyourgreens]

YES, I use worm castings too!

[paulgem123]

@growingyourgreens Can you put rock dust in a worm in? One of my local nurseries started carrying it recently and I learned it from you. Thank you for all your great videos.

[growingyourgreens]

Yes, You can put rock dust into a worm bin, and mix rock dust into your compost pile.

[paulgem123]

@growingyourgreens Thanks John!

[dkulikowski]

Thank you for your quick answer to my question.

[TootyFruity101]

its funny i finally found a store that sells the gaia green glacial rock dust. Took me months to find in stock and that is living near the area of the Vancouver area in BC where its made hehe and very expensive too $15.99 for only 2 lbs of it

[RCvolunteer1978]

oh wow here in Florida there is no soil only sand and the neighborhood rack up all of the yard wast and throw it away to the landfill

[SueMoseley]

I have just bought my rock dust this week (from Scotland), also mycorrhizal fungi for root growth - do you use this John?

[growingyourgreens]

yes, I do use mycorrhizal fungi.

[dkulikowski]

Don explained how to apply the rock dust in a new gardening spot, but what if we have all our crops in already? How do we apply it so it is benificial to our crops this year? My raised bed is only 8'x10' and very closely planted. Smiles, Lark

[growingyourgreens]

Good Question. I sometimes "top dress" and just put it on top of the soil, as not to disturb the roots of the plants, you want to sift it out fairly fine, and then water it in. The particles are fairly fine, and should "drain down" if your soil is not compacted.

[therawlifefamily]

@dkulikowski you can mix it in by hand around the base of the plants without disturbing them.

[Helioforge]

Nice, I live close to a place where silt accumulates, through natural processes. Silt is just fine sand, and if it's fine enough, it's rock dust! All the coarse particles get sifted out, and the fine stuff goes in the soil : )

[martenfisher1]

Rock screenins are sold for setting brick pavers. Someplace called it decomposed gravel, others screenings, others will call it rock base. If not sold at a nursery or home center it may be found a masonry supply places who supply pavers. and bricks and the base to set them.

[ceadeses]

WTF happened here!

[ceadeses]

I have been getting rock dust locally from 3 different quarries here in Maine . It is free as it is a by product of crushing stone as the stone goes through a classifier water is used to keep the dust down. The water falls through the conveyor belt and what is lett great

i have been getting mine from to local quarries and it is the by product of crushing the rock. As the stone passes through a classifier which sizes the crushed stone according to size water is used to keep the dust down

[VonLeachim]

how much would yu spread to a foot sq