Quote:
Originally Posted by drbobintx
I'm not saying that rock dust doesn't have any effect, but I'm confident it isn't very significant.
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I felt the same way until I used micronized Azomite in some of my containers last year. It had a surprising effect on the flavor of my heirlooms. Tomatoes grown with Azomite were noticeably saltier (and more flavor IMO) than the same cultivars in the non-Azomite mix. It was not subtle, and I even received comments about it from non-foodie friends who tried them. I noticed no difference in the growth habits or disease resistance of those plants.
I have used other mineral amendments like Rich Earth and glacial rock dust in the past, but I never noticed any difference in flavor. Perhaps because they are much coarser than the finely-powdered Azomite, and slower to become available.
Purely anecdotal, but I'm going to do a comparison grow again this year.
I would not expect to see research on rock dust in the US. Most agricultural university research is corporation-funded, and there's no incentive to research rock dust when it can't be monetized.