North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["kieran or donna" <redherring@tnaccess.com>]

While we're talking soil supplements, I thought being NAFEXers and thus
naturally thrifty,  you might like to know about a good source of granite
dust.  Granite tends to be high in potassium, which has a reputation for
helping control plant diseases.  In addition, people like Harvey Lisle who
are interested in paramagnetic vs diamagnetic rocks and their different
effects on the soil, will tell you that an area like Tennessee which has
only diamagnetic rock (ie limestone) can benefit greatly from adding
paramagnetic rocks like granite or other volcanic rocks.  The expense in
getting such rock dusts is the transportation, since they are so heavy, but
our local mortuary does the hauling for me.  All I have to do is take my
buckets and a tin can and go scoop the stuff out of their barrels.
    Now, it depends on how fancy a system they have for dealing with it, one
place has a sealed room they only open once a year, but the  place I go to
has the dust blown into a barrel, and when they've filled up 3 barrels, they
take it and dump it.  It's very heavy, I don't put more than about a gallon
per bucket.  The dust is dangerous, you don't want to breathe it.  I am
relieved when it's been rained on, harder to handle but easier to transport.
If it's dry, I handle it carefully, and then pour a little water on top.
You can't drive down the highway with open topped buckets of the dry stuff
in a pickup, it'll all blow out.  Ask around, the smaller the business,
probably the simpler their system and the easier to deal with the owners.
Donna
P.S.   Try getting out a catalog with some natural soil products, and add
the price of granite dust to the cost of shipping, it will make the free
stuff look very attractive indeed.  Of course, those of you living on
paramagnetic rock don't need it.