So what’s all the fuss about rock dust? Rock dust goes by a few other names, like “rock minerals,” “rock flour,” “rock powder,” “stone dust,” “soil remineralizer” and “mineral fines.” Whatever you call it, rock dust is finely crushed rock containing essential micronutrients and trace elements that are important to the life cycle of plants…
The 6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture was just held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “Growing More, More Efficiently” was a theme of this year’s conference. One of the keynote speakers was Dr. David Montgomery, author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations and a professor at the University of Washington. In his book, Dr. Montgomery says “we…
What’s the one magic ingredient for growing strong and healthy plants? Hint: There isn’t just one. There is no single ingredient for growing plants that meet their full genetic potential, just as there is no magic pill for losing weight. Instead, it takes a balance of macronutrients and micronutrients to ensure more colorful plants, more…
National Pollinator Week is a week in June where we celebrate the bees, birds, butterflies, bats, moths, flies and beetles that keep an ecosystem healthy and which support much of our wildlife and watersheds. Here are some amazing facts, courtesy of the Pollinator Partnership: Between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need…
Plants may not be able to get up and take a walk around the garden, but they are not nearly as passive as we might imagine. In fact, plants adapt physically to their surroundings in number of surprising ways. For example, there are plants that defend themselves from predators with spines and thorns, not to…
If you have a garden, you have pests. It’s unavoidable, but using pesticides to get rid of them should be your last resort (according to this article, homeowners use up to 10 times as many chemicals as farmers do per acre. Can you guess where those chemicals end up?). There are many ways to deal…
Probiotic foods and supplements are everywhere. These “good bacteria” are beneficial to digestive health and overall well-being. As it turns out, the microbial community that lives in the soil beneath our feet is just as important. Until now, however, soil microbes haven’t received quite the same level of interest and attention as those that reside in…
A naturally occurring mineral and the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust, silicon is everywhere. The problem is, only a small fraction in our agricultural soils is soluble and plant-ready. In a previous blog post, we discussed the many benefits of silicon to soil health and human health. Here we discuss its role…
Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster is derived from finely milled volcanic basalt and nothing more. With no synthetic chemicals or man-made additives, our rock dust is approved for use in organic production. Yet we’ve noticed puzzled expressions when people see silicon dioxide (SiO2) listed as an ingredient. “Hey, isn’t this supposed to be an all-natural…
Chemically synthesized fertilizers are designed to feed plants fast. They cover the necessary macronutrient requirements and contribute to rapid leaf growth (if not proper root growth). In that sense, they do their job very well. But there are a multitude of secondary nutrients, micronutrients and trace elements that aren’t available in most commercial fertilizers and…
