Rock Dust

[DHB]

Hello fellow gardeners,

Any rock dust gurus out there? I'm pretty new at gardening, and have definitely gotten addicted already. I'm reading lots of raves on the interwebs about rock dust, but haven't seen a mention of it in any of the old-school gardening books I've read. So, a few questions:

1. If my soil is already PAINFULLY rocky, is it likely I need any at all? Surely some of that stuff has already broken down into usable form, just based on sheer volume, no? It would be kind of ironic to spend most of my time eliminating rocks only to end up adding them back in in powdered form.
2. If I could still benefit from rock dust, will the dust from any rocks do, or are there certain types to look for? Because for every cubic foot of earth I till, I get like .75 cubic feet of rocks, so I'm thinking I could just bash them to bits. Good stress relief as a bonus.
3. I thought I had some more specific questions, but they're escaping me now, so just a general one: what are the benefits from rock dust, and are there alternatives? I've gathered just that they provide some of those "trace nutrients" that plants need beyond the standard NPK, but the details were lacking. I reckon crushed bones would supply some calcium, and Epsom salts some magnesium, etc., for example.

 

[DrCase]

Iv added lots of things to my dirt over the years .
Have your dirt tested too see just what you need , before you start crushing rocks

 

[Beth_B]

In all my years of gardening I've never given a thought to rock dust. Do you have any cites to share?

If I had rocky or sandy soil (and I have in the past) I'd be more concerned with adding organic and composty type things to my growing dirt.

 

[kgord]

I am afraid I don't know anything about rock dust and how it impacts gardening. In fact, I never heard of it being a factor in gardening, but I agree with the above poster who said to get your soil tested before you start crushing rocks, because you don't know what elements are already in your soil.

 

[Chuck]

When I started my garden over 20 years ago I had a little extra money and I incorporated a lot rock phosphate and greensand into the soil. When I transplant tomatoes I still add a handful of rock phosphate to the hole. I am convinced it adds to blooming and fruiting. Once applied greensand lasts literally forever while RP slowly disappears as the plant uptakes it

 

[DHB]

In all my years of gardening I've never given a thought to rock dust. Do you have any cites to share?

If I had rocky or sandy soil (and I have in the past) I'd be more concerned with adding organic and composty type things to my growing dirt.

Good advice from everybody...seems like it could just be a fad, but maybe one that's beneficial under certain circumstances. Here's a link to a pretty entertaining YouTuber who swears by the stuff:

I definitely agree about the organic stuff being the priority, which is what I've been focusing on mostly. Really satisfying seeing rocky, clayey dirt turned into rich, relatively rock-free soil.