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  • From: "Scott Pittman" <scott@permaculture.org>
  • To: "'permaculture'" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Rock Dust
  • Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2013 10:03:56 -0600

I have to disagree about using strip mined rock phosphate. The first ethic
of permaculture "care of the earth" is not vague and should be respected
regarding destructive practices to satisfy immediate needs.

Permaculture is a solutions based design system and we should all be looking
for solutions to bad practices. The guano mining of the past destroyed
miles of coral reefs, and bird habitat to provide agricultural additives and
explosives for our empire building. The same arguments are used for
mountaintop removal to reach coal, "we need the energy to offset the cost of
petroleum".

"Necessity is the mother of "taking chances". Mark Twain

Scott Pittman

"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."
~Arundhati Roy

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of venaurafarm
Sent: Friday, March 08, 2013 9:18 AM
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Rock Dust

On 3/8/2013 9:39 AM, Koreen Brennan wrote:
> as a note, the phosphate mines in Florida are doing horrible damage
> to environments. Not even remotely sustainable to use mined phosphate

Use it anyway. You will do more good by using it and directly offsetting
their bad environmental practices with your positive effect
your garden has on the local and regional ecology. Do not deprive
yourself of rock or colloidal phosphate. Bone or feather meal is not an
acceptable alternative.

> - as bad as coal mining, etc. It's a good thing to check into mining
> practices of whatever rock minerals you get. Using the waste stream
> is the best. I haven't had rock dust from various waste streams
> tested around here but something on my list. As you say Lawrence,
> there is plenty of science out there about the positive effects of
> rock minerals on plants.

There certainly is.

> There is the soil science and then there are other factors. I always
> test products and product combinations in my own garden for many
> reasons. The main way I've done it is with seedlings but I'm doing
> more with trees and other things now. One major wild card factor is
> the spiritual relationship between a person and their plants. And
> that sometimes supercedes all the nutrients in the world. I've had

Yes, I go into my garden and listen quietly; the plants send this
message to me, "feed me more rock phosphate".

> people go into my "volunteer" garden area and kill or stunt things
> just by being around them, and others go in and the plant just leaps
> upward and outward. That is a fascinating study.

Yes, vlad and solomon would have this effect.
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