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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] remineralization cont.

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  • From: Steve Diver <steved@ipa.net>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] remineralization cont.
  • Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:51:31 -0600

It might be worth noting I wrote that Sanet piece
in November 2002.

In the last few years there's been a resurgance of
interest in broad spectrum mined minerals and rock dusts,
coupled with several kinds of seas solids and seawater.

Both the earth minerals and seas minerals contain a
broad diversity of secondary, trace, and rare earth
elements in low concentration.

Many of the essential trace elements are recognized
as catalysts for microbial processes such as enzymatic
reactions.
The very small particle size of rock dusts seem to
stimulate microbes like bacteria to flourish, because
bacteria multiply to cover every surface they encounter.

Plants seem to utilize rare elements that are not recognized
by science as "essential plant elements".
The rate of microbial metabolism can be enhanced by
availability of trace elements in rock dusts.

At the same time, rock minerals are relatively inert.

Adding rock minerals to organic substrates like
compost provides trace elements that help drive
microbial processes to a higher level, and in turn
the organic acids and enzymes generated by microbes
help to solubilize and mineralize the rock minerals,
thus making nutrients more bioavailable.
The organo-mineral complexes that form with
compost and humified organic matter -- such as
clay-humus -- have huge surface areas that are
negatively charged. The cation exchange capacity
is increased and nutrient elements are held onto
the clay-humus complex.

This results in insoluble, but available plant
nutrients. They become available through
root secretions and from plant + microbial +
mycorrhizosphere + humus-complex
communications.

I can highly recommend David Yarrow's web
pages for insights and technical information on
rock dusts, as well as the Remineralize the Earth
web site which Joanne Campe has shepherded
these many years.

http://www.championtrees.org
http://www.remineralize.org

Add Paul Bergner's book "The Healing Power of
Minerals, Special Nutrients, and Trace Elements"
to your collection.

Some quick thoughts,

Steve Diver


TradingPostPaul wrote:

I located this bit from Steve Diver at ATTRA, and it seems to answer one of
my questions. Steve, you out there this fine day? Comment?

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
----------------------------------------

........ the value of rock dusts
to provide bioavailable minerals and trace elements, and
the essential activity of microbes to result in solubilization
and mineralization through organic acids, enzymes, and
chelation.

To me, this is by far the most important contribution of
rock dusts. It is why organic farmers add rock phosphates
to compost piles to increase bioavailable P. It is why
rock dusts are added to compost teas and foliar blends
and bioponic solutions. Put the minerals and biologicals
and organics in there together and let the frothy brew
of life work it over and re-arrange it and come up with
something new... a chelated compound, a biotic-mineral
complex, and so on.

http://lists.ifas.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0211&L=sanet-mg&T=0&P=32457










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