Mineralization of soil

[COMPOSTER]

Originally Posted by Susan66

Check with your local farm suppliers. I had to order it- they no longer stocked it at my local guy, but they were willing to get it for me. Took about a week. The manufacturer was Espoma out of Millville, NJ. 30 years ago when I lived in Missouri, I used to be able to pick it up in bulk at a warehouse that sold all sorts of different organic fertilizers in Kansas City. I haven't been able to find such a place around here. Good luck!
Garden centers didn't know what I was talking about. Once you apply it, the application is good for about 10 years.

Back in 1983 - 2006 I worked for a local feed and grain operation in western Mass. We offered a wide selection of organic products from many different companies. There were several competitors within 3-15 miles of each other. So, within a short ride you could get just about anything you wanted or they would special order it for you and you would have it in a week without an added shipping charge.

Now, just about the only products that are available in my area are Espoma. To be able to get the products I now want to use (North Country Organics) I have to drive over an hour each way and purchase a years or more supply to make it worth the trip. Or, I can pay shipping equal to a third of the price of the product from an internet site and be complicit in using massive amounts of packaging that goes against my values.

At the time I worked at that store I was in my infant stages as a gardener and too young to know how special those stores were or how much I would regret their demise later in my life.

Glenn

[Bio-Ag-Guy]

I've been reading this with interest because I am following a simular path. Dr Carey Reams developed a balanced mineral ratio for soil ( don't have in front of me now) which when achieved (based on LaMotte soil test) helps to produce nutrient dense crops. It is proven based on Brix testing and the general overall health of the crops.
The whole picture is not presented in this thread.The ratios of available calcium to phosphate, and phosphate to potash is what John Frank was referring to when talking about not adding compost because of the K content of it. Too much K makes the balance unobtainable, and once in the soil,you would have to start over on new ground.
I have been studying these methods for a few years now, and have been implementing them in my backyard garden. I was hoping others here were also so I may gain more insight into the actual practice of RBTI (Reams Biological Theory of Ionization). I have noticed some incredible gains in my garden the last couple of seasons and I believe it is due to these principles.
Does anyone Brix test their fruit? Or plant sap? Or have any recipes that raise Brix in their plants? I would love to hear about it.

[Keiththibodeaux]

For availability, concentrate of presence, the pH.

[COMPOSTER]

Originally Posted by Bio-Ag-Guy

I've been reading this with interest because I am following a simular path. Dr Carey Reams developed a balanced mineral ratio for soil ( don't have in front of me now) which when achieved (based on LaMotte soil test) helps to produce nutrient dense crops. It is proven based on Brix testing and the general overall health of the crops.
The whole picture is not presented in this thread.The ratios of available calcium to phosphate, and phosphate to potash is what John Frank was referring to when talking about not adding compost because of the K content of it. Too much K makes the balance unobtainable, and once in the soil,you would have to start over on new ground.
I have been studying these methods for a few years now, and have been implementing them in my backyard garden. I was hoping others here were also so I may gain more insight into the actual practice of RBTI (Reams Biological Theory of Ionization). I have noticed some incredible gains in my garden the last couple of seasons and I believe it is due to these principles.
Does anyone Brix test their fruit? Or plant sap? Or have any recipes that raise Brix in their plants? I would love to hear about it.

I started Brix testing last year. I have been working to mineralize my soil to produce more nutrient dense produce for several years. I have been amending with seed meal based fertilizers, chicken manure, lime and my own compost for about 8 years. I started adding basalt dust about 5 years ago. I am up to about 1lb per sq ft of basalt dust during that time.

I just started reading more articles and books from the likes of Carey Reams , Jon Frank , Arden Andersen and William Albrecht lately and decide it was time to get a refractometer and see how I was doing.

Although I was cautioned by a Jon Frank article not to expect to much, I was somewhat dissapointed in my overall results. I had some results that were close to good but most readings tested just above poor to average.

Glenn

[Bio-Ag-Guy]

Originally Posted by COMPOSTER

I started Brix testing last year. I have been working to mineralize my soil to produce more nutrient dense produce for several years. I have been amending with seed meal based fertilizers, chicken manure, lime and my own compost for about 8 years. I started adding basalt dust about 5 years ago. I am up to about 1lb per sq ft of basalt dust during that time.

I just started reading more articles and books from the likes of Carey Reams , Jon Frank , Arden Andersen and William Albrecht lately and decide it was time to get a refractometer and see how I was doing.

Although I was cautioned by a Jon Frank article not to expect to much, I was somewhat dissapointed in my overall results. I had some results that were close to good but most readings tested just above poor to average.

Glenn

Don't give up! I haven't achieved anything better than average on the brix scale, but I grew some broccoli last year that was so... sweet, and had a sweet broccoli smell while steaming it. It was unbelievably great tasting. The overall health of my garden has also improved considerably. I haven't done a soil test lately, but I know that I'm closing in on the right balance. At least I hope so.
The hardest part for me is getting the available calcium up to where it should be compared to the rest.
I know there is plenty of mineral in the soil, now my focus has been to get the soil biology to digest it.
Thanks for the response Glenn and let me know if I can help in any way!