Adding minerals

ETNRedClay 4/27/2014, 9:43 pm

I'm reading a lot about adding minerals to soils to boost... well, everything. And it's all conflicting information.

Anyone add minerals to their veggie gardens and have good results you can credit with the minerals?

Azomite has a lot of hype about it. And I'd have to special order it.

Ironite at Lowes may or may not have readily-available arsenic and lead -- but putting that back into the environment in any form isn't something I want to do.

Granite dust, rock dust, volcanic dust....?

Are minerals necessary? Beneficial?

Is this one of those you-won't-know-until-you-try-it things? My soil tester is just for the big three NKP.

boffer 4/27/2014, 9:53 pm

You mentioned in your other post that you're using 9 blend compost. I can't imagine what your MM would be lacking.

Are you having issues? Are you not getting the results you want? What are you trying to accomplish by adding amendments?

**camprn** 4/27/2014, 10:00 pm

ENT Bofferr makes a good point. Also, and I think this is a very key point, you are growing your plants in Mel's mix, a soilless medium. It's not dirt/soil.

To answer the most important question, is adding minerals necessary? I would say no, not unless you see symptoms of deficiencies in your plants.

ETNRedClay 4/27/2014, 10:04 pm

Thanks. And kinda what I figured, both of you.

I don't have a TEST for trace minerals, so it's kinda hard to say I don't need it....
not like I can eat a pepper and say, Oh My GOD, this thing is deficient in selenium!

I know that what I eat out of my garden, if I used ONE compost, would be better than the wax-covered, pesticide saturated so-called food in the grocery store from other countries or from the other side of OUR country.

But just wondered if anyone was adding minerals and thought it was a good thing.

boffer 4/27/2014, 10:11 pm

And don't forget, nearly all marketing of amendments is aimed at gardeners using native soil, which often is lacking in something.

Gardening is a very personal experience. If adding amendments would give you pleasure, then go for it. But do it in a manner such that you can reach a valid conclusion whether the amendment was worth the time and money.

**sanderson** 4/28/2014, 3:06 am

+2 with Camp and Boffer. If you have 9 different sources of compost, you should have all the nutrients necessary. I'm just curious what 9 composts you are using.

bonnie0128 4/28/2014, 8:35 am

sanderson wrote: I'm just curious what 9 composts you are using.

Me too - I'm having a hard time finding more than 3 around here and my home-made version isn't ready. I only have the big box stores to rely on for the most part though.

boffer 4/28/2014, 8:42 am

The list

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t17764-new-sfgs#193934

second paragraph

**camprn** 4/28/2014, 10:14 am

bonnie0128 wrote:
sanderson wrote: I'm just curious what 9 composts you are using.

Me too - I'm having a hard time finding more than 3 around here and my home-made version isn't ready. I only have the big box stores to rely on for the most part though.

Is this far from you?

http://dayton.craigslist.org/grd/4412842011.html

My guess is that some of these manures have composted and are ready to go.
http://dayton.craigslist.org/search/gra?zoomToPosting=&catAbb=gra&query=manure&minAsk=&maxAsk=&excats=

**sanderson** 4/28/2014, 11:58 am

Thanks, Camp. I found it after I posted.

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