Tomato Flavor

[Cole_Robbie]

I haven't tried rock dust, but I do like greensand as a soil amendment.

Kelp4less sells humic acid. I have some. It looks like black powder. I'm not positive that humic acid as an amendment has all the magic of good compost, but I still use it. I actually buy the "extreme blend" from kelp4less and use it as my seedling fertilizer. It is four parts: kelp, plus humic, fulvic, and amino acids, which are the four naturally-occurring growth hormones. A little goes a long way. I bought two pounds last year, and I still have half of it left. Adding any organic compound to tap water will at least neutralize the chlorine/chloramines in the water.

And I don't know for sure the impact on flavor, but mycos do help speed growth. An ounce of mycogrow from fungi perfecti is $5 and lasts me multiple seasons.

[Down_South]

Thanks for the input. I bought a 35 lb bag from Rock Dust Local. It's actually a blend of rock dust and humate. The recommended broadcast rate is up to 5 lbs per 100sf. I guess my goal is to add some flavor to my tomatoes but also nutrition. My granddad used a similar product back in 60's and 70's in his garden. His tomatoes were always dynamite, not to mention his string beans. I wish I could pick his brain.

Originally Posted by Down_South

Would adding a mixture of rock dust and humic acid help?

I've used basalt rockdust from rockdust local (not with humic acid). If you have acidic soil, it's probably great. However, I have noticed that plants in probably regular to high pH soil require more potassium when given plain rockdust (probably to balance something that is high in the rockdust). I've found a combination of basalt rockdust and potassium sulfate to be very helpful for muskmelons/cantaloupes, more so than any other kinds of plants I gave it to. What it does in my experience is help the fruits to look a lot better, stronger and healthier.

I think it does change the flavor of tomatoes some, but whether you prefer the change is probably a personal matter. It does seem to make grapes sweeter. I haven't noticed a huge benefit with tomatoes, but if used properly, I think there are great benefits to be had. What I would recommend is using it in con★★★★★★★★ with peat moss, to help balance the pH. I didn't do that last year. Last year, I believe our soil pH was very high. This year, I mostly just added rockdust to the melons and container plants, since we already had wood ash in most of the soil, which already raises the pH. I imagine in combination with humic acid, you might not need the peat moss as much.

Rockdust local should say where they get their basalt. I use their sea minerals, too, but sparingly.

Basalt rockdust should have fewer heavy metals in than some rockdusts.

The main reason I use rockdust in the garden is to get more minerals in my food, but also to the plants where they need it.

If used improperly, rockdust can seem to slow growth, cause manganese deficiency and such. It's an excellent source of calcium, silica, and trace minerals. For the kind without humic acid, they say it's best to use far in advance.

I've read that adding plain rockdust to compost while it is composting is a great idea. I wouldn't do that with the kind with humic acid in it already.

[Down_South]

Originally Posted by shule1

I've used basalt rockdust from rockdust local (not with humic acid). If you have acidic soil, it's probably great. However, I have noticed that plants in probably regular to high pH soil require more potassium when given plain rockdust (probably to balance something that is high in the rockdust). I've found a combination of basalt rockdust and potassium sulfate to be very helpful for muskmelons/cantaloupes, more so than any other kinds of plants I gave it to. What it does in my experience is help the fruits to look a lot better, stronger and healthier.

I think it does change the flavor of tomatoes some, but whether you prefer the change is probably a personal matter. It does seem to make grapes sweeter. I haven't noticed a huge benefit with tomatoes, but if used properly, I think there are great benefits to be had. What I would recommend is using it in con★★★★★★★★ with peat moss, to help balance the pH. I didn't do that last year. Last year, I believe our soil pH was very high. This year, I mostly just added rockdust to the melons and container plants, since we already had wood ash in most of the soil, which already raises the pH. I imagine in combination with humic acid, you might not need the peat moss as much.

Rockdust local should say where they get their basalt. I use their sea minerals, too, but sparingly.

Basalt rockdust should have fewer heavy metals in than some rockdusts.

The main reason I use rockdust in the garden is to get more minerals in my food, but also to the plants where they need it.

If used improperly, rockdust can seem to slow growth, cause manganese deficiency and such. It's an excellent source of calcium, silica, and trace minerals. For the kind without humic acid, they say it's best to use far in advance.

I've read that adding plain rockdust to compost while it is composting is a great idea. I wouldn't do that with the kind with humic acid in it already.

Good info, thanks.

[AKmark]

This is a review, the main studies are listed in references.
http://ucanr.edu/sites/nm/files/76647.pdf

[Down_South]

Originally Posted by AKmark

This is a review, the main studies are listed in references.
http://ucanr.edu/sites/nm/files/76647.pdf

Great article. The studies on such things were written long ago. I mean it's tomatoes we're talking about here folks.