http://www.galaxymall.com/market/rockflour.html -- Lawrence F. London, Jr. mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGardenTitle: McKenzie Rock Flour
For those people tired of growing mineral depleted vegetables..........
This page is for you! Yes, there is an alternative.
Nature's Own Natural Plant Food
McKenzie Rock Flour is a mined agricultural mineral, in compliance with the
California
Organic Foods Act of 1990. It is certified for organic agriculture.
McKenzie Rock Flour's contents are 100% natural Basalt and Andesite rock flour. Derived from natural Basalt and Andesite rock deposits of the Cascade mountains of Oregon. Contains no dirt, silts, clays or other debris.
McKenzie Rock Flour is a non-chemical fertilizer perfect for all of your:
* House Plants * Lawns * Gardens * Vegetables * Shrubs * Farms * Orchards * Pastures * Vineyards * Forests * Golf Courses * Composts * Livestock * and more!
Welcome to our world of natural and non-chemical gardening.............
It is our endeavor to not only introduce you to McKenzie Rock Flour and it's many benefits, but also to the concept of soil remineralization and the fact that there are alternatives to pouring a vast array and many harmful chemicals to our soils, into our rivers, and into our bodies.
To facilitate your tour of this McKenzie Rock Flour page, you may click on the following for direct access.
Introductory Articles:
Physical Facts on McKenzie Rock Flour:
Other Resource Information:
McKenzie Rock Flour Order Form:
Y. Rado, "The Wonders of Powdered Gravel", REMINERALIZE THE
EARTH,
1994.
The trees in the forests of Europe grew so huge -- oak tree trunks were often a hundred feet tall,
to the
first branch! Imagine an entire an entire forest of such trees, or having much of the earth covered
with
them. Well, that's exactly how it was. But now, after thousands of years of leaching, erosion,
farming,
overgrazing, ....plus the more recent assaults with chemicals, the soils are a mere shadow of what
they
once were.
The symptoms of mineral depletion are everywhere, and getting worse each year. The forests are
actually
dying in many areas. Crops are diseased, insipid, insect infested, and nutritionally "bankrupt."
Soils are
compacted, nearly lifeless, and easily eroded away. Plants and trees are stunted, sickly, sensitive
to
frosts
and droughts.
People and animals are in similar shape. You really ARE what you EAT! Everything from
susceptibility
to AIDS or cancer, to "learning difficulties" can usually be attributed, largely, to the condition of
the
SOIL.
Powdered rocks and gravels are Nature's "fertilizer." Glaciers and volcanoes are the primary
methods
She uses to produce the powder. But those methods are very slow, and the job of re-mineralizing
needs
to be done right away. We need to use efficient machines to grind gravel into powder, so that the
soil
life
can get to the minerals that are trapped in the rocks
When powdered gravel is applied to the soil, a marvelous thing happens. The microbes in the soil
(and
in
the guts of earthworms) "digest" the powder, and extract whatever useful elements they find. The
higher
plants then extract the mineral rich juices from those microbes, and pass them down the line to the
animals.
Given an abundance of minerals (like zinc, copper, calcium, etc.), and water, the soil microbes,
earthworms, plants, and animals THRIVE because the minerals are critical to every function of
living
things. The worms bore miles of tunnels, which aerate the soil. The microbes work extra hard to
glue
the soil particles into spongy "crumbs." The plants develop huge root systems, which resist
drought.
Insects are repelled by the healthy juices of the plants. Foods become more flavorful and
satisfying.
Both
yields and quality increase. The plants become more heat and frost resistant. Diseases become
rare
events. And so on. The minerals are truly the FOUNDATION of all life on earth!
Plants need a balanced "diet" just like people do. Too much of a good thing can be very harmful.
That's
a problem with compost, manures, and chemical fertilizers; they release to much of some
nutrients (like
Nitrogen and Phosphorous) and not enough of others (such as the many trace minerals). And to
make
matters worse, they are very soluble in water, which means that the plants are FORCED to absorb
them,
throwing the plants out of balance. Powdered rock, on the other hand, is practically insoluble,
and so it
cannot cause an imbalance, nor can it pollute the ground water or streams. It could make a World
of
difference.
Return to Home Page.
"A BRIEF PERSPECTIVE On Soil Remineralization and the Climate",
REMINERALIZE THE EARTH, Spring, 1993.
Soil Remineralization:
The soils of the entire world have become severely demineralized by erosion over thousands of
years.
Plants require a continuous intake of minerals, just as we do, and for very similar reasons --
calcium to
build structural support, iron to carry oxygen, and so on. Plants growing on mineral-depleted soil
do
not
get enough nourishment and so become smaller, less-abundant and less hardy, more vulnerable to
the
insects, worms and fungi they are prey to.
Remineralization causes a phenomenal growth of the microorganisms in the soil. It increases the
nutrient
intake of plants. It counters the effects of soil acidity, prevents soil erosion (just for that reason it
would
be worth applying rock dust), increases the storage capacity of the soil, contributes to the building
of
precious humus complexes, has anti-fungal properties, and when you spray it on plants it repels
insects
as
well. The plants and trees become highly resistant to insects, disease, frosts, and drought.
Remineralization also enhances and speeds up the process of composting, so if you're composting
for
your garden, consider putting on some rock dust. It can be even more effective than just directly
applying it to the land.
For Forests:
The results of long term experiments released in 1986 showed that in a forest where pine
seedlings were
remineralized, after 24 years the wood volume was four (4) times higher than in the
untreated
area.
For Agriculture:
The best source of soil minerals is simple crushed gravel dust. In 1976 John Hamaker spread
gravel
crusher screenings on part of his ten acres in Michigan. The following year, in an area of sparse
rainfall
and dry summers, and with no irrigation, his corn produced 65 bushels per acre, compared
to
yields of
under 25 from other local farms.
Moreover, when independent analyses were done, Hamaker's corn was found to contain 28%
more
protein, 47% more calcium, 57% more phosphorous, 60% more magnesium and 90% more
potassium
than the same type of corn grown with chemical fertilizers nearby.
Twenty years ago the USDA published studies which showed that cement kiln dust (a
less-satisfactory
source of minerals) also produced better crops, but they couldn't understand "what element" in the
dust
was responsible and dropped the matter.
Don Weaver grew 18-foot pole beans on remineralized soil (Jack and the Beanstalk?) and got
two
to four
times the normal organically grown yield. Alan LePage of Vermont grew a crop of carrots
averaging
1-1/2 feet long. And there was no insect damage to any of these crops. Hamaker estimates that
on
fully
remineralized soil, American agriculture could grow four times as much food as it is
capable of
now -- or
the same amount of food at about one-fourth the cost -- and with no pesticides or chemical
fertilizers.
The Nutritional Aspect:
When we eat food grown on depleted soil we too, like the plants, lose our natural resistance to
disease.
All the degenerative diseases have been on the rise in America in recent decades. Dietary fat,
cholesterol, salt and overly-refined foods seem to be major factors, but a serious deficiency of
minerals
in
our food may be another. Mineral depletion of soils has been found to be directly correlated with
death
rates. And deficiencies of only one of a number of trace minerals -- copper, iron, selenium, etc. --
have
been found in laboratory studies to be associated with an increased risk of cancer. You may want
to
grow more complete, nourishing food for yourself and your family.
A Global Perspective On Climate:
The problem of soil demineralization also has a global perspective. It is known that the Earth's
soil
becomes demineralized during each interglacial period, the relatively short 10,000-year warm
period
between each 90,000-year major Ice Age. Consequent decline and death of the world's forests
and
other
vegetation which occurs cause great quantities of carbon dioxide to be given off. The level of
carbon
dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere has been rising exponentially for the past century. Carbon
dioxide
and
other greenhouse gases trap excess heat from the sun, potentially affecting the world's climate.
It is also well-known that when the glaciers advance and then recede during each recurrent Ice
Age,
they
grind down rocks in their path, and that their mineral-rich dust is blown far and wide over the
surface of
Earth, remineralizing its soil and causing plant life to thrive again.
John Hamaker has supplied one missing piece of the cosmic puzzle to provide an explanation,
long
sought, of the awesome 100,000-year cycle of major Ice Ages. Hamaker points out that the
greenhouse
effect occurs primarily in the tropics, which get the most sun, rather than in the polar regions
which get
very little. When this happens, the temperature differential between the tropics and the poles
increases,
resulting in fierce wind systems, hurricanes, tornadoes and storms.
The moisture picked up by these increasing storm systems also is transported to the higher
latitudes,
where it gets deposited as snow and ice, eventually bringing on glaciation and the next Ice Age.
This
has
been happening in recent years, with record snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and a
shortening
of
the growing season, by weeks in some places, a pattern which is also accelerating year by year.
Hamaker
estimates that within a few decades the growing season may have decreased so much that millions
of
people will starve, in the rich nations as well as the poorer.
Return to Home Page.
Cannard, Bob, "Rock Dust Application Brings Large Improvement to Vineyard in Solano
County,
California", Distributed by EARTH REGENERATION SOCIETY, 4 July 1992.
"The four-acre vineyard had been heavily over-cultivated and heavily degraded. The soil
supported
weeds
about three inches tall that went to seed very early in the season.
We chiseled the ground, broke it up by mechanical compaction -- ripped it up about 18 inches --
and
we
planted cover crop on the ground and fed the whole vineyard, including the cover crop, by
broadcasting
application of about 500 pounds of crushed basaltic rock and 200 pounds of crushed oyster shell
rock,
which is a calcium resource. The rock was broadcast (spread) equally over the four acres -- right
on
top
of the soil maintenance crop as well as underneath the grapevines -- using a small, standard
tractor
spreader about six feet wide driven between the rows.
We did this for three years. In the first year, the cover crop went up to about 2 feet, and in the
third
year
it went up to about six feet, but it did not mature. It was not mowed or cultivated until the final
crop
was
totally mature in June, at which point it was mowed. It was so thick and lush and vigorous.
The grapevines, which had problems predominantly associated with nutritional deficiencies, were
manifesting a whole range of disorders, but mainly one that is labeled as "utypa". The leaf surface
was
small, the fruit yield was low, the cane diameter was very small; there was heavy predominance
of fruit
rot (botrydis and mildews on the fruit), even with a fungicide spraying program.
I was there a couple of days ago and the place is absolutely green and lush. There is no evidence
of
"utypa" decline in the vineyard. It has an excellent crop of firm, plump berries -- a really beautiful
crop.
It's a really stunning turnaround.
The vines are in rows, 6 x 10 foot spacing, and 12 years old. The ground was not very well
prepared
when they were planted -- on well cropped, heavily compacted soil. It was chiseled or ripped a
little,
but
not very well to start with, and then they subsequently went into annual clean cultivation -- year in
and
year out for the first five years -- which caused it to collapse. The vines were going to die.
(Clean
cultivation means that no weeds are allowed to manifest and grow. They are killed as quickly as
possible
-- as soon as the soil dries out enough to get a tractor in.)
The owners plant one crop a year of Chardonnay grapes, and they will continue to apply smaller
quantities of rock dust annually. We've declined 100 pounds per year per acre. We're now at
about
200
pounds per acre, and I think we'll continue in the same fashion.
The object is to give the earth many, many small meals -- you don't want to OD it by giving it to
much
all
at once. If you place more raw crushed alkalis than the system can absorb, it won't do any good
and
can
actually be deleterious. You want to use enough to feed the system, and giving it many light
meals is
more effective."
Special Note: Cannard Farms is a user of McKenzie Rock Flour, and Bob
Cannard
has
consulted for Remineralization Products, Inc.
Return to Home Page.
Although required by state law to show a guaranteed analysis for certain elements, we do not feel
this
bureaucratic rule has any significance to rock flours. However, to keep our chemically supported
public
protectors happy, the following guaranteed analysis is provided:
The important Physical Analysis, which shows the important aspect of
remineralization, is shown
below.
The size gradation of rock flour is very important. First, each particle must be small enough to be
directly consumable by the microbes. Also, it is best to have some size gradation, so that the
larger
particles will last longer, providing a time-release factor to the assimilation of minerals.
The following is McKenzie Rock Flour's high quality Material Gradation:
Analysis:
The concepts of remineralization and utilizing rock flours is not new, nor without substantial
research
precedence. As a brief historical overview, the recent history of remineralization shows that it has
been
researched and explored by three different groups:
Freight -- See S & H Table Below
The Wonders of Powdered Gravel
Reproduced with permission.
Nearly all soils on earth are thousands of years old. They
are generally quite "sick" and depleted. Finely ground stones
and gravels, applied to such soils, can literally restore them
by supplying a broad range of minerals......minerals which
have been slowly lost through the ages, by erosion, leaching,
and farming.
A soil which has an abundance of minerals really "comes
to life." Billions of microbes flourish, by feasting on the
mineral elements, and they, in turn, supply the plants, worms,
and so forth, with the basic compounds needed for health.
The earth's soils haven't always been in such poor shape, as they are now. Five thousand years
ago,
the
situation was quite different. Back then, the soils had an abundance of minerals. The result was
an
incredible richness of LIFE, everywhere.
A BRIEF PERSPECTIVE
On Soil Remineralization and the Climate
This information is condensed from the writings of John Hamaker, Don Weaver, Larry Ephron
and
Joanna Campe.
Reproduced with permission.
Rock Dust Application Brings Large Improvement
to Vineyard in Solano County, California
Guaranteed Analysis
Calcium (Ca) 1.00%
Magnesium (Mg) 1.00%
Iron (Fe) 3.00%
Material Size Gradation
% Passing a # 30 - Mesh Screen 100%
% Passing a # 50 - Mesh Screen 98%
% Passing a #100 - Mesh Screen 87%
% Passing a #200 - Mesh Screen 58%
% Passing a #400 - Mesh Screen 10%
Analysis By:
Braun Intertec Northwest, Inc
5405 North Lagoon Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
Dated: 11 June 1993
Project: EAGX-93-0343
Report: 08-93-0593
Method: Metals by EPA 7000 series A.A. and 6010 ICP.
Carbon and Sulfur by Induction Furnace Method. (Units: % by Dry Weight)
Loss @ 650 degrees C 1.40
Elements as Oxides:
Aluminum (as Al2O3) 20.2
Calcium (as CaO) 7.3
Iron (as Fe2O3) 8.7
Magnesium (as MgO) 3.8
Phosphorus (as PO4) 0.34
Potassium (as K2O) 0.98
Silicon (as SiO2) 52.1
Sodium (as Na2O) 4.0
Titanium (as TiO2) 1.44
Trace Elements:
Antimony (Sb) <0.01
Arsenic (As) 0.0004
Barium (Ba) 0.007
Beryllium (Be) 0.00003
Cadmium (Cd) <0.01
Carbon (C) 0.04
Chromium (Cr) <0.01
Cobalt (Co) <0.01
Copper (Cu) <0.01
Gold (Au) <0.01
Lead (Pb) <0.01
Manganese (Mn) 0.08
Mercury (Hg) 0.000002
Molybdenum (No) <0.01
Nickel (Ni) 0.01
Platinum (Pt) <0.02
Selenium (Se) 0.00004
Silver (Ag) <0.01
Strontium (Sr) 0.24
Sulfur (S) <0.01
Thallium (Ti) <0.01
Tin (Sn) <0.05
Vanadium (V) <0.02
Zinc (Zn) 0.01
Return to Home Page.
Safety
Wear repirator during application.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDA) are available upon request.
* HOUSE PLANTS: 1 tsp per inch of pot diameter every three (3) months.
* ROSES / 1 cup applied to soil around plant Spring and Fall. Lightly dust
foliage
once per month during blooming season.
* GARDENS: New: 10 lbs. per hundred sq. ft. Lightly rake into soil during planting.
On established gardens, reduce to 50% after 2 years. Also, hand broadcast
over plants and soil during growing season once per month.
* SHRUBS: Dust soil surface from trunk to drip line with 1 cup per inch of trunk
diameter, Spring and Fall. Also, lightly dust shrubs once per month.
* LAWNS: 50 to 100 lbs per 2500 sq. ft., Spring and Fall. Hand broadcast in calm air
or use lawn spreader on low setting.
* FARMS: 1,000 to 2,000 lbs per acre first year. Second year, reduce 50%, then
to
500 lbs per acre in subsequent years.
* COMPOSTS: 2 cups per cubic foot of compost as the pile is built.
Insecticides and Pesticides
It is important to note that McKenzie Rock Flour is neither registered as, nor
warranted as, nor sold as either an insecticide or a pesticide.
However, many users have pointed out that there are many naturally occurring insecticides
available for
use. According to Oregon State University Extension Service booklet EM 8392 / August 1992,
titled
APPLYING PESTICIDES CORRECTLY -- A Guide for Private and Commercial Applicators,
Page
10:
mineral oils suffocate insects; silica dusts destroy their body water balance by
damaging their protective wax covering."
REMINERALIZE THE EARTH
Joanna Campe, Publisher and Editor
First, nutritional biochemist Julius Hensel pioneered remineralization in the 1880's with
his
book BREAD FROM STONES and a modest agriculture movement cane into being. Since the
late
1930's many scientists have done research on remineralization in Germany and Central Europe for
agriculture and forests.
An example in forestry is a study which showed that in the case of new pine seedlings
remineralized
with basalt rock dust, there were gains over the untreated area after the sixth year. After 24 years
the
wood volume of the treated area was four times higher than in the untreated area. It was only
after 60
years that the advantage tapered off.
Second, is a more recent development called agrogeology and this research has been
carried
out mainly in Canada, Brazil, Tanzania, the Canary Islands, and West Africa -- especially on
laterite
soils. Because of the intense tropical rainfall, NPK fertilizers are washed out in only a few weeks
and
cannot be stored by the soils, and are especially harmful to the groundwater. Rock fertilizers not
only
give nutrients over longer periods to cultivated plants, but also improve the ion-exchange-capacity
of
soils by forming new clay minerals during the weathering of the fertilizer.
Third, is the grass roots movement concerned with the premise of John Hamaker in the
book
THE SURVIVAL OF CIVILIZATION that remineralization is not only the key to restoring soils
and
forests, but in the larger context, absolutely necessary and urgent to reduce levels of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere and stabilize the climate.
This movement began with Hamaker's writing in the early 1970's and expanded in the 1980's into
a
global network consisting of ecologically concerned individuals and organizations, farmers and
gardeners, scientists and policy makers.
To facilitate networking and the flow of information and to promote remineralization as
advocated by
John Hamaker and Don Weaver, SOIL REMINERALIZATION, A NETWORK
NEWSLETTER,
began in 1986 and became REMINERALIZE THE EARTH magazine in 1991. The
magazine, published and edited by Joanna Campe, has networked to people all over the world and
has
collected research and a wealth of anedotal results of farmers and gardeners, and for silviculture
and
foresters to substantiate the results of remineralization. The most recent results of these efforts
are two
manuals which contain the following listing of research reports.
If you have an interest in obtaining any of the above resource material, or in a Membership /
Subscription to REMINERALIZE THE EARTH, they may be contacted at:
REMINERALIZATION THE EARTH 152 South Street Northampton, MA 01060-4021 USA Phone: (413)586-4429 Fax: (413)586-6064 E-mail: ReminEarth@aol.com
Return to Home Page.
Earth Regeneration Society
We also support the efforts of the Earth Regeneration Society in their efforts to reduce
atmospheric
carbon dioxide (CO2) buildup.
If you are interested in learning how remineralization helps stimulate plant and forest growth to
absorb
carbon dioxide (CO2) and what you can do to help, write or call for free information packet.
Earth Regeneration Society 1442 A Walnut St. #57 Berkeley, CA 94709 Phone: (510) 849-0183 Fax: (510) 849-4155
ORDER FORM
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The following is our Special Introductory Internet Pricing for McKenzie Rock
Flour:
Your Name: ______________________________
Phone: ______________________ Address: _________________________________
Fax: ________________________ _________________________________
E-Mail: _____________________
6# Plastic Pails ________ @ $ 4.95 / Each
__________ Case of 8 Each, 6# Plastic Pails ________ @ $ 29.95
/
Case __________ 25# Box ________ @ $ 7.95 / Box __________ 50# Bag ________ @ $ 10.95 / Bag __________ 100# Bag ________ @ $ 15.95 / Bag __________ 2,700# Tote (1.0 c.y. Palletized Box) ________ @ $140.00 / Tote
__________
6# Pails ________ @ $________ __________ Case of 6# Pails ________ @ $________
__________ 25# Box ________ @ $________ __________ 50# Bag ________ @ $________ __________ 100# Bag ________ @ $________ __________ 2,700# Tote -- E-mail for special quote.
__________ Total -- Cash, Check or Money Order To: __________
Remineralization Products, Inc. P.O. Box 70183 Eugene, OR 97401 Fax: (541) 344-2524 E-Mail: lepoi@rio.com
50# Bag Zip Code 6# Pail 25# Box Case 6# 100#
Bag
2,700# Tote
00400 - 49900 $
9.00 18.75 34.50 54.00
E-mail for 50000 - 79900 8.50 16.25 29.50 51.50
Special 80000 - 88500 8.00 14.00 24.50 49.75
Quote. 88900-93500 7.50 11.50 20.00 46.75
Provide 936 - 961, 978 - 985 Zip and 98800 - 99400 7.25 9.75 16.75 45.50
Code. 97000 - 97700 and
986 6.50 8.00 11.75 41.00
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