Can Rock Dust and Biochar Increase the Nutrient Density of Crops?
Over the last two years I have been testing the product claims associated with Rock Dust and charged Biochar. These products are marketed to home organic gardeners and come with quite a few claims. As such I decided to put these products to the test in my back yard garden.
Playlist with all of the 2015 and 2014 results: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5mfR-r4BXH1WwrNIH29H-KI4LGrEfHFd
Experimental Design
In order to test these two products I set up a controlled study. I started with the same base material for all three of the beds and then applied the products as recommended by the advocates to the trial beds leaving one as the control. The location of the Rock Dust, Charged Biochar and Control Beds were selected by a viewer
Each of the beds are independent of each other and contain the same volume of the same base material. Each bed receives the same amount of direct sunlight and the same treatment throughout the growing season.
The same varieties of plants were planted in the same location in each bed to help avoid any discrepancies being caused.
I have been asked a number of times to name the brand I used. I have chosen not to name the product name in order to avoid claims of slander and risk having the video removed from YouTube. I am comfortable letting you know that it is a brand that is often used by top advocates and was applied at the rate recommended by the same people. The soil in all three beds was amended with compost and worm castings and is rich in microbial life as recommended by the products advocates.
The Biochar was provided by the Alberta Innovates and was made from a stock material of woodchips. It was charged with the same biologically rich compost and worm castings as the rock dust and control beds.
The only difference between the three beds is the application of the one product in one test bed. What this allows us to do is really understand if there are any differences between the control and the trial beds that those differences or lack thereof are attributed to the product. This allows us to test and support or disprove the claims made about the products.
Summary of episodes 1 and 2
This year’s results videos have been separated into three. In the first I took a look at the harvest totals and the second I sampled the soil in all three beds. Part 1 addressed at claims of higher production and part 2 took a look to see if through different mechanisms the claims that charged biochar and rock dust increases the nutrients in soil.
After I present the results of the tissue analysis I will summarize the results from parts 1 and 2. It will help form a more complete picture if presented together.
Lab Results:
Soil Results 2014:
http://www.albertaurbangarden.ca/wp-c…
Pre-Season Soil Results 2015:
http://www.albertaurbangarden.ca/wp-c…
Post-Season Soil Results 2015:
http://albertaurbangarden.ca/wp-conte…
2015 Tissue Results:
http://www.albertaurbangarden.ca/wp-c…
2014 Pepper Tissue Results:
http://albertaurbangarden.ca/aug/wp-c…
References:
[1] Definition of Nutrient Density:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrien…
Related Videos
[A] Rock Dust vs. Autumn Leaves
[B] Part 1 of the 2015 Rock Dust and Charged Biochar Trials
[C] Part 2 of the 2015 Rock Dust and Charged Biochar Trials
[D] 2014 Pepper Tissue Results
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