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Plant Divas or Volcanic Rock Dust?
The Soufriere Hills Volcano (erupting) Montserrat, W.I. 1995 – www.iom-world.org
Not so long ago, we saw pictures and news film of the dramatic eruptions from the Soufriere Hills Volcano on the West Indian Island of Montserrat, which rumblings started in July 1995. In the early hours of ‘Boxing Day’ 26th December 1997, the volcano violently exploded and with continuous activity only became quiet in October 2004. At its peak of eruptions it caused chaos, devastation, helicopter rescues and evacuation of at least 1,300 of the population to shelters on the island – some forced to leave their paradise island homes entirely. Livelihoods and horticultural subsistence farming was lost under blankets of volcanic ash covering the land people had farmed. You might well ask: How could any good come from such a vicious outburst by Mother Nature? What’s the use? Such an upheaval can spell decades of hardship for the indigenous people, but when such volcanoes settle down the long-term prognosis on ’the use’ of what is left behind can be very different, because volcanic dust produces some of the richest most fertile soil in the world. Why else would you suppose Italians still live clinging to the apron of Mount Vesuvius, especially after the 79AD cataclysmic volcanic event with pryoclastic flows (suffocating hot ash) that buried Pompeii alive in a matter of 15 minutes.1 Why do people continue to live in such environments when they must know the dangers? It is because volcanic soils are very fertile when they have had the chance to weather and start to break down and release their nutrients. Apart from water and carbon dioxide, plants need three essential nutrients to grow: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. They also need some iron to create chlorophyll, which primary function is to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis to occur within the plant. A process which is possible in the presence of radiant energy (light) where carbon dioxide and water are converted into oxygen and organic materials that can be used within the plant. Furthermore, volcanic soil can also supply in small quantities a number of trace elements that may be scarce, but are very important and necessary to allow plants to make the right proteins and other molecules necessary for life.2 Hey presto! Nature’s own natural fertilizer is Rock Dust!
Geology, Rocks and Us To clarify the connection between a rock and plant nutrition, leading to human diet, Professor F.C. Hawthorne gives a simple explanation. He aptly describes the difference between when a geologist uses the word ‘mineral’ referring to naturally occurring crystalline solids, which are almost always chemical compounds, which does not mean the same as ‘eat your greens’ or keep taking the vitamin and mineral supplements. Whereas, when minerals are referred to ordinarily, as in ‘vitamins and minerals’, this usually refers to metal ions that are found in foods, such as calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, zinc, etc. 3 Nevertheless, the chain of interdependence between humans and rocks is fundamental to life, because without the rocks to break-down into soil to grow the plants which feed the animals that omnivorous humans eat, there is no starting point. The order of progression should be ‘mineral, vegetable and animal’, not ‘animal, vegetable and mineral.’ In elemental terms of the Periodic Table each human individual has more in common with a lump of rock than he/she may think! For example, Silicon may be the most abundant element in the Earth’s Crust; many are familiar with it as quartz crystal. In 1972 research proved silicon to be necessary for bone growth in some tested animals, and it is also likely that the element is an essential nutrient for humans as well. It is found in human tissue 100-200 p.p.m., bone 17 p.p.m. and in blood 4 p.p.m.3A
Perhaps knowing ‘what we are’ makes the recent discovery of using crematoria ‘ashes’ to create gemstones from the carbon that is captured during the cremation of human remains seem less strange, even if such a choice to many may appear odd. 4 It is not so surprising when one thinks of Einstein’s mass-energy equation because nothing disappears, it only changes form and is either Mass or Energy. Ashes from cremation can either be scattered on land to re-join the soil and nurture a beautiful Rose-bush or be turned into a diamond; either way what was the physical ‘us’ is changing form, not disappearing. There is one other thing, which is physics rather than chemistry, we should not forget and that is all life forms have electro-magnetic fields – a cloned embryo cannot commence life without the ‘kick-start’ of an electric current passing through it. Also, quartz crystal has piezo-electric force, which may be why some people when holding a quartz crystal feel its vibrations ‘in tune’ with themselves (the silica within their bodies).5 The silica of the quartz is resonating or vibrating with their own frequencies, which suggests some of us may just be more sensitive to these so-called anomalies, just as animals sense or feel the vibrations of the coming of an earthquake long before it or a Tsunami appears. So there can be a lot going on with rocks, their mineral content and us, as well as the benefits that volcanic rock dust when it has weathered down into ‘soil state’ can provide as a fertilizer. Many moons ago I pondered on the phenomenon of The Findhorn Spiritual Centre’s ability to produce giant vegetables, which were purported to be manifestations of ‘love’ and the plants’ Divas i.e. communication between the growers of the plants and their spiritual entities. However, other growers in the area were reportedly also producing ‘giant’ vegetables, which suggested that Findhorn was not unique and something else could also be at play. My studies of crystals suggested a hypothesis that the whole area might be on top of a crystalline ‘energy zone’ fault in the Earth. Later on I noticed others also have had similar ideas regarding ‘energy zones’. For example, a number of writers found that many ancient sites are built on or very close to ‘fault lines’ in the Earth. “Faults tend to have high mineralization around them affecting local electric and magnetic fields, and to be points of weakness where stress and strain in the crust can manifest, causing energy effects within and above the ground.”6 Aha! Could the scientific answer be in the Earth’s abundant Silica located in a suitable area to manifest? I leave you to speculate.
Rock Dust - Natural Fertilizer
SEER Centre, Ceanghline, Straloch Farm, Enochdhu, Blairgowrie, Scotland www.seercentre.org.uk Photographer: Martin Massie However, if you are anti-GM and ersatz chemical fertilizers and you desire cabbages bigger than footballs, gooseberries as big as plums, onions the size and weight of coconuts, the SEER Centre has some answers for you in the form of ‘Rock Dust’ fertilizer. Calling all Horticulturalists - great and small! The Thomsons, Cameron and Moira, established the ‘Sustainable Ecological Earth Regeneration’ centre (SEER), which is a charitable trust (1997), to test their ideas about enriching the soil without adding chemicals. It has become a business and far more than a ‘convincing theory’. SEER recently won a grant of £95,000 from the Scottish Executive to conduct trials comparing their methods with more mainstream fertilizers. Even NASA has expressed an interest, with a view to one day growing crops on other planets! Why Rock Dust? Like all good ideas the answer is something simple: “Ten thousand years ago, the last of some two dozen ice ages came to an end. When ice covered the land (in Britain), it came as far south as the Thames. It ground trillions of tons of rock into powder, and it is this powder, the Thomsons [aver] that gave rise to the planet’s fertile soil.”7 There has been a decline partly by choice and change in lifestyles in British agriculture since the Industrial Revolution when the majority population was rural, but is now urban. This population shift is one factor that has affected our agriculture. Nevertheless, there are other disturbing factors: “Two thousand years ago, southern England was the bread-basket of the Roman empire. Now, you couldn’t grow a thing without resorting to modern farming techniques.”8 The SEER solution is to sprinkle ground-up volcanic rock “By spreading the dust, we are doing in minutes what the earth takes thousands of years to do – putting essential minerals in the rocks back into the earth.”9 Basalt produces some of the most fertile soils on the planet. And, it is known that some of Europe’s most fertile soils, such as the great grain-growing areas of East Anglia and Germany have rich, glacial soils. Using Rock Dust also may have wider implications, such as in the form of fertilizer that could help the Third World be more agri-efficient and independent; the philosophy of ‘remineralization’ would not only help grow vast fruit and vegetables, but according to Cameron Thomson, aid global warming. Time and tests will tell, but one thing is absolutely certain; spreading natural Rock Dust on the soil is an excellent natural alternative to chemical fertilizers.
COMMENT: For those of a more scientific turnoff mind: Of igneous rock, formed by magma, the two most common types are granite and basalt. Granite being light coloured and composed of large crystals of the minerals quartz, feldspar, and mica. Basalt is dark and contains minute crystals of the minerals olivine, pyroxene, and feldspar.10 The magmas that form igneous rock are hot, chemical soups containing a complex mixture of many different elements. Rocks formed at the surface of the earth are called extrusive rocks, where the magma has extruded, or erupted, through a volcano or fissure. Most magmas are composed primarily of the same elements that make up the ‘crust’ and the mantle of the earth: oxygen, silicon, aluminium, iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium. These elements make up the rock-forming minerals quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, pyroxene, and olivine. Silica-rich rocks such as feldspar also contain potassium, sodium, or calcium. Olivine, pyroxene, and amphibole contain silicon and a lot of either magnesium or iron or both.11 “Soils that form directly from ash, or from lahars,12 where ash mixes with water and washes down the mountain, will have available the elements that were present in the magma. These elements leach out relatively easily, especially from the ash particles, which have high surface area to volume ratios. Of the major plant nutrients, potassium (K) will likely be abundant, phosphorus (P) is present but not so abundant and nitrogen (N) is almost absent. Nitrogen can be obtained from air by plants, especially those with special bacteria living on their roots that take N2 from air and turn it into nitrates that plants can then use (legumes, like peas, clover, or vetch are very good at this). If plants can’t get enough nitrogen, the nitrogen-rich fertilizers would need to be added, such as composted manure.”13 From this and other information it may be deduced that ‘powdered’ Rock Dust has a great deal going for it.
Green Manure . Alfalfa/Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.: Fabaceae) J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS Plants Database Quail Botanical Garden, San Diego Co., C.A. April 23, 2003.
When it comes to replacing nitrogen deficiency and using Green Manure, Alfalfa/Lucerne is a very good option for those that have the space to grow it. It is slow to establish in its first year and so it is more generally recommended for situations where it can be left for two or more years. However, once established it can produce a large amount of material that can be cut 2-3 times a year in its second season.14 Plants are very deep rooting, descending 6 meters or more into the soil, and are able to fix large quantities of atmospheric nitrogen, this makes them one of the very best green manures for that purpose. 15 & 16
LATEST NEWS: According to a report, European farming is being threatened by declining soil quality. More than 16% of EU land is affected by soil degradation, but more than one third is affected in eastern countries.17 Urbanization, climate change, pollution and poor farming practices contribute to declining soil quality.18 Changing land/farming management is widely blamed. Costly measures to boost soil fertility put pressure on the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU’s farming subsidy system.19 In Southern Europe, nearly 75% of soil has an organic matter content low enough to cause concern. In England and Wales, the percentage of soils classed as low in organic matter rose from 35%-42% between 1980-1995. “… we owe our existence to a thin layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.”20 Major threats are erosion, the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, the loss of organic content, pollution from industry, the loss of biodiversity, salinity, the compacting of soil by agricultural vehicles, landslides and flooding. The report says that farmers have failed to exercise simple measures to protect soil quality, such as composting it. “… unless we protect it [the soil] better we will soon realize its importance the worst possible way – by seeing the problems caused by its loss.”21 Get growing Green Manure and sprinkling the Rock Dust straight away!
References: Notes and Comments on the Eruption of Vesuvious 79AD - http://urban.arch.virginia.edu/~km6e/tech_pres/pompeii/pompeii-home.html "Igneous Rock" by Frank Christopher Hawthorne, A.R.S.M., B.Sc., Ph.D., Professor of Crystallography, Department of Geological Sciences, Uv. of Manitoba, USA. http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec2000/977148865.Es.r.html Ibid 3A Nature’s Building Blocks by John Emsley, [Science Writer in Residence, Department of Chemistry, Uv. of Cambridge, UK] Oxford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-19-280326-3. Ashes to Diamonds: LifeGem (TM) http://jewelry.about.com/cs/syntheticdiamonds/a/lifegem_diamond.htm and BBC Online News ‘Ashes turned into Diamonds’ 22.8.2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2209799.stm Quartz crystals - Piezo Electric Force:
Quartz is pure silicon dioxide (also known as Silica, SiO2) and has a
peculiar property of resonating (vibrating) at a very precise frequency when
subjected to the pulsation of an electric current, and this is the technology
behind the quartz of clocks and watches, which thereby keep exact time. Quartz
crystals are also used in radio and television transmitters. Nature’s Building
Blocks by John Emsley, [Science Writer in Residence, Department of Chemistry, Uv.
Of Cambridge, UK] Oxford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-19-280326-3. ‘Earth Memory, Sacred Sites – Doorways into Earth’s Mysteries’ by Paul Devereux Pub. Llewellyn Pubns, 1992, ISBN: 0875421881 ‘Monsters of Rock’ Could this volcanic dust be the answer to every gardener’s prayers?’ by Michael Hanlon, Science Editor, The Daily Mail, 22nd March 2005. Cameron Thomson quote. Ibid Ibid "Igneous Rock" by Frank Christopher Hawthorne, A.R.S.M., B.Sc., Ph.D., Professor of Crystallography, Department of Geological Sciences, Uv. of Manitoba, USA. http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec2000/977148865.Es.r.html Ibid http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec2000/977148865.Es.r.html Lahars: Landslide of volcanic material; a landslide o mudflow of volcanic debris, especially after a heavy rainfall. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Riotte L., Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0, 87. Green Manures. Woodward L., Burge, P. Elm Farm Research Centre. 1982 Green manure crops for temperate areas. Ibid (see Also Frances Michaels ‘Green Manures’) http://www.greenharvest.com.au/fact_sheets/fs_green_manure.html ‘Soil quality threat to EU farming’ BBC Online News 3.5.2005 Quote: Soil Atlas of Europe produced by EU Joint Research Centre is the first full assessment of Europe’s soil. Ibid Ibid Quote: Alwyn Jones, Research Scientist, Joint Research Centre. Quote: Janez Potocnik, EU Commissioner for Science and Research.
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