soil Quarts as soil supplement?

[kishke]

I read here not a while ago about silicate being an important mineral for plants and that soils and ferts usually lacks it.

So I was thinking about taking quarts crystals, crushing them into power like form and adding it to the soil/water.

Any opinions? I made the powder but still hadn't tried adding it.

Reference: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/20666-silica-the-hidden-cost-of-chemicals/page__hl__silicate

 

[Cayennemist]

Im down... but what will it do? trace minerals like rock dust?

 

[kishke]

As reference: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/20666-silica-the-hidden-cost-of-chemicals/page__hl__silicate I'll also add it at the OP.

 

[Cayennemist]

Good stuff man! Got to love the organic approach. +1

So I have some courts in my yard, do I just break it up with a hammer and mix it in to the soil?

 

[Dave2000]

I'd try another source. Excerpt from pg 1: "Different Si sources have different dissolution rates (and therefore PAS); where the solubility of quartz is very low compared to soluble amorphous silica (Savant et al, 1999)"

http://agripower.com.au/doc/2_Beijing_conference_Paper_English.pdf

 

[kishke]

I was leaning more toward stuff you can find easily or have lying at home, also I know its barely soluble but just call it slow release supplement ^^

 

[AlabamaJack]

what would be the difference in just plain sand and Quartz?

I read that putting DE in and on top of your soil gives you a two-fold benefit of adding Silica and killing soft bodied insects..

 

[RHB340]

Quartz (SiO2) is insoluble at temperatures and pressures we encounter here at the earth's surface.
"Plain sand" is typically mostly quartz, and is what's left after nature has had it's way with the mountains.
Depending on where you live, your soil probably contains a very large portion of silica already.

There are sands that are composed of other things, such as gypsum, and calcium carbonate, and careful examination of beach
sand will reveal other insoluble minerals such as garnets.

Breaking up your quartz crystals will result in smaller pieces, but won't do much for the plants.
It will mostly just make your crystals mad at you:O)

I guess that plants can take up extremely small solid particles, but you'd have to get that quartz to an extremely fine dust.
Perhaps there is an online source of silica supplement for plants, maybe check hydroponic supply houses.

 

[kishke]

Good stuff man! Got to love the organic approach. +1

So I have some courts in my yard, do I just break it up with a hammer and mix it in to the soil?

Thats what I think, as I said its just a wild idea.

RBH I actually searched a bit and its soluble in water but just barely : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_quartz_dissolve_in_water and http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091021212315AAoFRKL second comment.

Alabama like RBH said sand has a lot of quartz in it but as far as I know its not pure and well I dont have plain sand laying around my soil is a bit different, my soil around here is red loam.