The Scoop About Rock Dust
Rock dust is a marketing phenomenon. The term "Rock Dust" does not have a copyright so it can be used freely, Rock Dust is any mineral that has many different elements in it, usually in very small quantities. When it is milled or crushed into a powder it releases these minerals over time and rejuvinates or renews soils that have been cropped repeatedly without renewal. This is the reason one of Viragrow's premium soil mixes is labeled Rejuvinate because it contains rock dust and compost containing no biosolids.
Rock Dust does not have a clear definition. Rock dust is a collective name for a milled mineral taken from deposits in the earth that contains a multitude of mineral elements in it. It is mined in a similar fashion to many mineral or conventional fertilizers.
Rock Dust can take many forms. Probably the first to really make an impact on local gardeners in the West is Azomite. Other rock dusts also exist commercially such as Kelzyme and Zeolite. Both Azomite and Kelzyme have websites attached to these products and are copyrighted names (We provided that for you) and are marketed by their respective companies.
Zeolite is different from the others. Zeolite can take about 40 different forms naturally but the one type of zeolite talked about most often is clinoptilolite or "clino" for short. Clino has been used commercially off and on since at least the 1940's. It's original claim to fame was for water purification since it was very good at stripping ammonia out of drinking water. Since then it has had a host of other claims as well from absorbing "toxins" from the body, air purification, animal feed supplements and others.
Both Azomite and Kelzyme products are tied to respective trade names and copyrighted. Clino is a category of zeolite, mined and marketed under several trade names.
Science vs Testimonials
Soil scientists are skeptical of rock dust and the claims made about it. No true research (quantifiable, repeatable and publishable in peer-reviewed journals) have been done with rock dust. Part of the problem is funding to support this type of research, the time needed to do it so it is publishable and lack of consistency between products.
Right now Rock Dust is riding a wave of testimonials from people that is fueling its sales. Is that bad? No. It is not research but frequently testimonials precede good research for many products. As long as sales are brisk and profitable, a company has no reason to perform research in support of sales.
Does it Work?
Azomite, Kelzyme and Clino they all have testimonials of improved yields, larger and healthier plants. Viragrow carries both Kelzyme and Zeolite as rock dusts for including in their premium soil mixes and purchase separately by the pound or by the ton.
We will talk about the possible reasons why rock dusts may work and is not supported by most scientists in a future blog post.
Viragrow Delivers!
Rock dust is a marketing phenomenon. The term "Rock Dust" does not have a copyright so it can be used freely, Rock Dust is any mineral that has many different elements in it, usually in very small quantities. When it is milled or crushed into a powder it releases these minerals over time and rejuvinates or renews soils that have been cropped repeatedly without renewal. This is the reason one of Viragrow's premium soil mixes is labeled Rejuvinate because it contains rock dust and compost containing no biosolids.
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| Three "Rock Dusts" prior to their testing in plots at North Las Vegas |
Rock Dust can take many forms. Probably the first to really make an impact on local gardeners in the West is Azomite. Other rock dusts also exist commercially such as Kelzyme and Zeolite. Both Azomite and Kelzyme have websites attached to these products and are copyrighted names (We provided that for you) and are marketed by their respective companies.
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| Viragrow's Zeolite is a clino rock dust mined and milled in southern Nevada. |
Science vs Testimonials
Soil scientists are skeptical of rock dust and the claims made about it. No true research (quantifiable, repeatable and publishable in peer-reviewed journals) have been done with rock dust. Part of the problem is funding to support this type of research, the time needed to do it so it is publishable and lack of consistency between products.
Right now Rock Dust is riding a wave of testimonials from people that is fueling its sales. Is that bad? No. It is not research but frequently testimonials precede good research for many products. As long as sales are brisk and profitable, a company has no reason to perform research in support of sales.
Does it Work?
Azomite, Kelzyme and Clino they all have testimonials of improved yields, larger and healthier plants. Viragrow carries both Kelzyme and Zeolite as rock dusts for including in their premium soil mixes and purchase separately by the pound or by the ton.
We will talk about the possible reasons why rock dusts may work and is not supported by most scientists in a future blog post.
Viragrow Delivers!
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