Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
that the subsequent crops were excellent. We generally try to keep Sodium
concentrations below 3% base saturation, but anything up to 5% is no problem for
most food crops, and in general levels up to 10% of CEC will not pose a problem
as long as the other primary cation minerals are in balance . Sea salt is at most a
little over 40% Sodium. In the 11.4 meq soil report that we are using as an example
in this topic, 5% base saturation would be over 650 kg/ha of sea salt, or 6.5kg per
100 square meters. Sugar beet, celery, Swiss chard, turnips, and spinach are
crops that benefit from relatively high Sodium levels.
Redmond mineral salt
is a popular culinary, livestock feed, and soil amendment
salt from the USA. Redmond salt is mined from an ancient seabed in the state of
Utah. It contains over fifty minerals.
Kelp
and other seaweeds are some of the very best micro mineral sources, and
some of the few good sources of
Iodine
. Sea water contains a small amount of
Iodine, but sea salt has been evaporated either in the hot sun or an oven. Iodine
being very volatile, most of the Iodine is lost in the drying process. Seaweeds
concentrate Iodine and lock it in as part of their organic structure. Seaweeds also
contain interesting plant hormones that act as growth stimulants and many amino
acids to feed the soil life and the plants.
The only significant mineral source of
Iodine
is unrefined
Chilean Sodium nitrate
,
which contains 0.04-0.08% iodate as well as being a good source of
Boron
and
highly available nitrate Nitrogen.. USDANOP organic rules allow
Chile nitrate of
soda
to be used for up to 20% of yearly N application. Whether or not the
presumably refined Chile nitrate being marketed in the US in 2013 contains
significant amounts of Boron and Iodine is presently unknown.
Rock Dust
The simplest solution for micro minerals in the soil is to find a local rock or gravel
quarry that has a crusher operation and make a deal with them for their crusher
dust. It is a waste product to them so expect to get a good price. One should do
their best to determine the mineral makeup of the rock dust; if the quarry has
contracts with the government or large construction firms they may have been
required to get a chemical assay of the rock and will know the mineral composition
of their product.
Another facet of newly crushed rock is that it is sharp; the crystals are freshly
broken and have sharp points and edges. Energy, heat, and electric charge all go
to a point, which could conceivably increase electrical charge in the soil; a good
thing in many soils, especially older soils, clay soils, and those very high in organic
matter such as peat and muck soils. In addition, sharp edges and points make it
easier for soil acids and microbes to attack the rock and etch new, fresh minerals
from them.
