Quote:
Originally Posted by pdxwindjammer
I just called a rock quarry to see if they have rock dust. The guy said that the rock dust turns to mud when it rains and they don't keep it under cover. He said he has "scalpings", which is about the consistency of sand and that "I wouldn't believe what would grow out of it!". He said he uses it on his lawn and he has the healthiest lawn around. $2 a ton but said if I just want a couple of 5 gallon buckets, he will give it to me for free.
Will "scalpings" work as well as dust or are the particles just too big? The rock is Oregon Basalt.
what do you think?
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Info from the remineralize.org
In the book The Survival of Civilization, John Hamaker suggests finely-ground glacial gravel because that is nature's way throughout millennia to create fertile soils. Glacial gravel, which is a natural mixture of rocks, will create a broad spectrum of minerals in the soil in a natural balance.
Compost and gravel dust are a symbiotic combination: the compost provides an excellent medium for the "microorganism population explosion" promoted by the dust, and the gravel dust will not only help create more organic matter, but will also help hold it in place, reduce odors and conserve it.
The more finely ground the rock, the more readily microorganisms will have access to the minerals. John Hamaker uses the term "gravel dust" to mean a dust "90% of which will pass through a 200-mesh screen."
Sometimes the gravel pits have mesh screens and can measure the exact fineness of the gravel. Though it may be hard to find the ideal fineness - 90% passing through a minus #200-mesh screen - it may be practical to use even if only 20% or so passes through a minus #200-mesh screen and at least 50% passes through a #100-mesh screen. You will have the finer material immediately available to the soil and the rest will break down over time. If most of it passes through a minus #200-mesh screen, it will have a fine consistency like flour or cement. The gravel pit may have machinery to crush the rock finer and may crush it for you."
Hope this helps.
Glenn