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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 18, 2018 15:46:02 GMT -5
So, I should fess up right off the bat: I've already succumbed to the advertising and ordered some Azomite. I've been thinking about trying it for a couple of years now. The reason I decided to try it is that even though I add fertilizers and (bought) compost to the raised beds regularly, they just don't seem to produce the way they did for the first year or two after I set them up in 2012. So I thought I would see if trace minerals would help. Has anyone else here tried Azomite or a similar product? Did it seem to make a difference? If you noticed a difference, did you you use the Azomite everywhere in your garden? Or did you try to make a side-by-side comparison of parts of your garden with and without the Azomite?
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Post by tomike on Jan 18, 2018 16:17:43 GMT -5
I will also confess.... I have used it for a few years for tomatoes.....
I add it to my "magical" down the planting hole treat that each plant gets at transplant.....
My growing season is relatively short, so I have just assumed that the product can only be beneficial.... (Rightly or wrongly).....
Also, I do not have sufficient growing space to experiment on the benefits (or not) of this product based on comparisons....
Actually, I have found another rock flour product this year that I will be adding to my "magical blend"....
So, from a scientific perspective, I cannot confirm that these minerals are actually beneficial.....
However, mineral depletion and replacement (provided that they are compatible with plant growth) seems logical to me.......
BTW... I would not buy any over-expensive "miracle products"...... I got a good deal on Azomite; so I bought some......
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 18, 2018 16:50:56 GMT -5
I got a small bag of it one time for my hydroponics. Seemed to help some, but I didn't do a test group without.
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aqua
Pro Member
Posts: 295
Zone:: 8b9a
Favorite Vegetable:: all of them
Joined: March 2012
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Post by aqua on Jan 18, 2018 17:04:19 GMT -5
I had to google it. Maybe if my local nursery had it, I might try it? But I do use kelp powder from Neptune's Harvest.
If I see it in the store, I may try it, but unless the folks here give it rave reviews, I doubt I'd order it.
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Post by paulf on Jan 18, 2018 17:24:58 GMT -5
I like the idea of replenishing trace minerals. I think rather than put it in the hole it may be better to treat the entire garden. I wonder about the price and how long the replenishing would last before another application is necessary. Sounds good but I am concerned whether I really want calcium, salts and aluminum on my space. They indicate it is not a problem but those are minerals I really do not need in my soil type. It will be of interest to hear more.
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Post by tomike on Jan 18, 2018 17:41:07 GMT -5
I like the idea of replenishing trace minerals. I think rather than put it in the hole it may be better to treat the entire garden. I wonder about the price and how long the replenishing would last before another application is necessary. Sounds good but I am concerned whether I really want calcium, salts and aluminum on my space. They indicate it is not a problem but those are minerals I really do not need in my soil type. It will be of interest to hear more. In the growth hole relates to the cost of the product depending on the cost, of course. Treating the entire garden with an efficient but expensive product may be good in the long term....
Excess minerals already in abundance that could be detrimental should not be added to your growing space......
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 18, 2018 19:43:57 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL are you planning on using this in the SIPs, or in your ground? If the ground, I would get a soil test, to see how much Ca (as well as other nutrients) is available in the spil. As tomike noted, you don't was to put them in, if you already have enough, or even an "excessive amount" - what I was told was in 2 of 3 soil tests that I had done, as far as the Ca, and the Mg was up high, as well. I was surprised, as I have not added any type of lime to these areas for many years - I've only been getting dolomite for the SIPs.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 18, 2018 20:21:42 GMT -5
I am skeptical of such things. I Googled it and I could not find any research on Azomite that was not conducted by the company that makes it which is not a good sign in my opinion.
However it is OMRI approved so probably not harmful. However it seems to be over 75% silica which is sand so it may or may not be worth the price.
I am not convinced that tomato plants benefit from the addition very rare chemical elements that they are calling trace minerals but since you purchased it already it will be interesting to see if you think that it gives good results.
Do you have soil tests performed on your garden soil?
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Post by tomike on Jan 19, 2018 6:02:03 GMT -5
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 19, 2018 10:11:53 GMT -5
OK, folks, you're right. I need to get my garden soil tested. I called the local agricultural extension office; next I need to drive across town to pick up the kit.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 19, 2018 10:16:45 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL, to conduct a proper soil test you will have to take several small samples from multiple areas of your garden and mix them together to get an average. Then take a single sample from the mix and have it tested.
Do we have a soil testing thread here somewhere? If not, we should have . It's an important topic with lots of information.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 19, 2018 10:22:00 GMT -5
Oh, and pepperhead212, to answer your question, I intended the azomite for the raised beds. Though I hadn't ruled out putting some in the EBs. brownrexx, I don't grow any tomatoes or peppers in the raised beds (which is where I planned to use the azomite). I use them for greens, lettuce, garlic, onions, peas, carrots, and radishes in the fall/winter/early spring. I most often grow beans, okra, summer squash, or sometimes Minowase Daikons in the warmer months, but I've grown corn and melons in them before as well. EDIT: Brownrexx, I didn't see your last post until after I put this post up. To answer your question, the woman at the agricultural extension office told me that I would have to take several samples and mix them. She also said that instructions on how to take the samples would be included with the kit that I pick up from their office.
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Post by paulf on Jan 19, 2018 10:25:23 GMT -5
The soil sampling for my garden is primarily N,P and K along with organic levels and pH. I need to spring for a more complete test to look at the trace minerals levels every once in a while. I advocate strongly a soil sample be done every 3 to 5 years for normal soils and every 2-3 years for soils that exhibit problems...like mine with high pH (8.2-8.5). This year my pH was 7.8, the lowest in twelve years. The sulphur is beginning to take hold.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 19, 2018 10:26:37 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL, I wonder if the changes that you are seeing in production over the past several years has more to do with a change in pH than a deficiency in trace elements. Plants use such a minute amount of them. It will be interesting to se the results of your soil test. Sometimes they can be quite surprising.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 19, 2018 10:29:34 GMT -5
I'm not that I'll go down to the extension office today; it might be Monday before I go. The woman from the extension office said that the turnaround for the soil test itself is 10-12 days, so it will be at least a couple of weeks before I have anything to report.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 19, 2018 12:48:57 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL While the method for getting the soil tests tell us to take samples from all over, and mix them, I had two areas I wanted tested separately - a front raised bed, that always has peppers and a couple of other things in, and a row in the garden with the trellis, where tomatoes (sometimes beans) are usually grown, so I did those separatetely, though I did take samples from throughout each area, and mixed it for each sample. The third was from all over the garden, as they usually suggest, since what I grow in those rows are rotated every season.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 19, 2018 13:04:53 GMT -5
Right, different areas of my garden have been managed very differently over the years, both in terms of fertilizers/compost/other soil amendments and in terms of what has been growing there.
My main concern right now is my two large raised beds (each 3' x 8'), and why they don't seem as productive lately. So it doesn't make sense to mix samples from other parts of the garden. But I do need to take samples from all over those beds.
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Post by tomike on Jan 19, 2018 13:43:49 GMT -5
Right, different areas of my garden have been managed very differently over the years, both in terms of fertilizers/compost/other soil amendments and in terms of what has been growing there. My main concern right now is my two large raised beds (each 3' x 8'), and why they don't seem as productive lately. So it doesn't make sense to mix samples from other parts of the garden. But I do need to take samples from all over those beds. If the testing cost is not all that much; you may want to consider taking two(2) seperate representative composite samples from both areas of concern.
Just a suggestion.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 20, 2018 13:28:07 GMT -5
The "rest of the garden" consists of Earthboxes, which do great, and some neglected raised beds that are in the shade of my fruit trees.
The organics are pretty much completely leeched out of those beds, and as a result their soil level has dropped almost to the level of the surrounding ground. I'm taking down the fruit trees, and then I'll be refilling those beds with a known good soil mix. In a few years I'll probably re-test all of the raised beds. Whether I test them together or separately will depend on their relative performance.
However, I may do a soil test where my blueberry bushes are planted. They didn't grow nearly as much as I expected, and blueberry fertilizer didn't remedy the problem. Maybe my soil is not as acid as I think?
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 20, 2018 14:18:18 GMT -5
Maybe my soil is not as acid as I think? That would be my guess.
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