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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] rock dust, need help filtering the hype from the facts

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  • From: nepal <nepal.roade@googlemail.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] rock dust, need help filtering the hype from the facts
  • Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:57:13 +0000

Hi Wendy

On Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:34:07 -0800
Wendy Smyer Yu <creeksinger@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I would assume that that results really depend on what your rock dust
> is composed of (for example I live near an area that has serpentine
> soils and I probably wouldn't want dust if it came from a serpentine
> quarry near here)... and not many of us are equipped to do nutrient
> testing on our vegies and fruits, or to check to see if
> micro-organisms have in fact increased as a result of application, so
> I wonder how much of the positive I hear is wishful thinking and how
> much is really based on results.

It is the nearest thing to a miracle I am likely to see in my lifetime.

btw you can check to see the results of your micro-organism populations
by the health of your plants and especially the rootball. I have never
seen such wonderful roots as develop in rockdust conditioned soil.

> I came across this http://www.canadafreepress.com/2003/main011303.htm
> (titled "The Greening of Arsenic" in which it's noted that one
> supplier's dust contains a lot of arsenic and lead in addition to
> other more beneficial things... but there's not much of a conclusion
> at the end of the article.

Having looked at the site and the ads they are running on it, I would
say the article is there to promote FUD about rockdust.

> In the end, I'm just researching this because I've moved into a
> suburban rental with some garden space after years of limited access
> to land and I'd like to make a really lovely perennial/annual mixed
> garden (probably heavier on the annuals until I get the ok from the
> landlord, but at least it's a start)...
>
> Anyway, this isn't so much about what my plans are, but I'd like to
> know if rock dust is being touted as a panacea that it really isn't.
> (I've read back through about 3 years of archives here and only seen
> it mentioned a few times).

Perhaps rockdust conditioning is not really a 'permaculture' practise,
nor is it entirely sustainable along a chain of (centralised) supply and
demand.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Wendy

happy growing

neal.




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