Paramagnetic rock

Hi Soapy Sam,

I'm not using references from geologists, only agriculturalists, horticulturalists, etc.

Here is one of the links:

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache...owder+soil+amendment&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=7

that states that the pH of a basalt powder solution

Granite powder released the least amounts of cations regardless of extraction method. In water extracts, the pH of all samples was alkaline with ground phonolitic rocks reaching a pH of 10, basalts pH 8-10, and granites pH 7-10. Von Fragstein et al. (1988) question the effectiveness of applying only small amounts of ground silicate rock (1 t ha -1 per year) and provide some figures on the high costs for the farmers for the various ground silicate rocks. It is apparent that large volumes are required to provide sufficient nutrients for sustainable growth of crops and trees.
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I am not certain of the exact pH of montmorillonite clay, but I know that it is used in water gardening and koi ponds to adjust the pH of the water (toward alkaline), and in dietary supplements for those "woo doers" that wish to make their diet more alkaline.

And just some basic agricultural type knowledge that clay soils, in general, tend to be alkaline.

Montmorillonite clay is also called calcium bentonite.

I admit that I do not completely understand the whole cation exchange thing in soils, (I'm working on it :) )but I do know that generally when you add calcium to soil, you are usually raising the pH, and in my area, where you occasionally have a calcium deficiency, but already have alkaline soil, you then may need to also add sulfur or some other amendment to help lower the pH, so the calcium can be better taken up by the plant.

Meg
 
popsy wrote:
Meg, thanks so much for your reply. It's just the information I wanted. I've been having a discussion on a gardening board about "Volcanite" where I said I thought its stated properties were a sales tool, the OP said he would get credible evidence for it as the seller was a friend of his. So far, no evidence. LOL

BTW we are in an area of VERY alkaline conditions.
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Yeah. Don't hold your breath waiting for that evidence ;) There's so much mumbo-jumbo in gardening it's not even funny. Actually, researching some hooey on some kind of special magic water was what led me to the randi site originally :)

There's also some truth in some of the tips and tricks you read, but it's not true everywhere. The truth about farming and gardening is that each piece of land is unique. Your soil texture, pH, sunlight, water fall, drainage, organic content, etc all contribute to make unique problems and joys for each gardener. With unique solutions, too. I guess it's just a human tendency to always be looking for some "magic bullet" that's going to just fix everything, but I sure have never found one.

What might work in Virginia won't work here in Kansas. And what works in Florida won't necessarily work in New Mexico. Different soil types, humidity, all of it, makes for different needs.

I could write a book about all the hooey I've seen passed as knowlege and research in the gardening or farming communities. Maybe someday I will write it :)

Here's one thing I've learned in trying to research a lot of this stuff that you may find useful. When you google search, add the words "extension service" to the search. You then just tend to get results that are from university research and extension publications, field trials and studies. I find those the most reliable.

Meg
 
meg said:
....

Here's one thing I've learned in trying to research a lot of this stuff that you may find useful. When you google search, add the words "extension service" to the search. You then just tend to get results that are from university research and extension publications, field trials and studies. I find those the most reliable.

Meg
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I'll have to try that. I've never heard of extension service in search engine speak.
 
Yeah. Here's another example. If you google "rock powder soil amendments" you get mostly ads for products making all sorts of claims. If you google "rock powder soil amendments extension service" you start getting some real info from university publications.

Hope that helps,
Meg
 
meg- thanks for the reply. I suppose the increase in alkalinity from adding calcium to soils is due to the calcium being in the form of the hydroxide or the oxide, either of which will neutrealise hydrogen ions. The same goes for crushed limestone, though more would be required. As I understand it, plants take up nutrients best at near neutral pH, so lime is used to raise acid soils to around or slightly above neutral.

I use bentonite in large quantities in preparation of drilling fluids. I have never actually seen any noticeable alkalinity in suspensions of up to 2 pounds per gallon in fresh water and usually add sodium carbonate and caustic soda to raise pH for clay dispersion. Could be the test meters I use are simply not accurate enough in the near neutral area, being calibrated for pH range of 8.5 to 11.

My hat's off to whoever ground basalt fine enough to get a pH reading on it.
 
The whole "paramagnetic" poo originates from a Phil Callahan, who is touted regularly by the "dirt doctor" Howard Garrett. Some of the DirtDoctor's spew is debunked/discussed here: http://froebuck.home.texas.net/toppage9.htm

Mr Callahan has written a couple of books describing the magical properties of rocks and rock powders which includes such tidbits as:
from here: http://froebuck.home.texas.net/newpage3.htm .......



Phil Callahan happens to be my uncle. He is dying of Alzhiemers right now. My dad who is his brother also has Alzheimers.
When my mom was dying of ovarian cancer, uncle Phil offered a belly band "doped" with a homeopathic substance. This was in the early 90s. I voiced some skepticism about it and he blew his top. I said he was compromising his credibility by aligning with homeopathy. No one was allowed doubt him because he was a "Scientist".
He had all kinds of crackpot ideas. He was a proponent of the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin and the Virgin of Guadalupe. He believed that old stone towers on the coast of Ireland were actually emitting "paramagnetic" rays. The Russians were controlling our climate too. He showed me photos that were blurred with moving figures and proclaimed they were proof of ghosts. I said they were probably just artifacts from someone moving the camera.
I may have given him a push down the road of woo when in the early 70s I gave him a book called "The Secret Life of Plants". He was impressed. I was a little more gullible then.

Mike Callahan
 
Thanks for sharing that, Mike. I'll bet you have a ton of stories about your uncle. I hope this isn't too personal. Feel free to not answer, if you'd rather. I'm curious, though. Did your uncle make alot of money on his books? I know a lot of people think people like your uncle just write stuff like that to make money... I guess I'm just wondering if that's really true.

Meg

ps. My deepest sympathies to you for both your dad and uncle having alzheimer's. My dad has it too. I know it's no picnic.
 
Meg

I see you are from Kansas. That is where my uncle Phil got his PhD.
I don't think he made a lot of money from his books. Most were pretty amateurish. He was an entomology professor at the U of Florida in Gainesville. As far as I know my cousins do not have fat trust funds.
He was genuinely deluded and fervently believed what he wrote. Money was part of the motivation but his passion for his crackpot theories was his most motivating factor.
He once told me that he never wrote a draft. All his writing came out perfect the first time. I have tried to read his books a few times because he always sent my mother a copy when they were first published. They were so bad and written from the most pretentious pompous point of view that I doubt they sold well.
Recently when he found out that my dad was awarded a bronze star for a wound he received at the Battle of the Bulge, he one upped him by insisting during a fit of dementia that he had received the Nobel Prize.
We were always at loggerheads when we were together because I have been a confirmed skeptic for a long time. I have always had a problem just letting things go. My family often tried to keep us apart or at least to keep the discussions superficial. As an evangelical and unapologetic atheist my family is still shocked half of the time I open my mouth.
 
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