Remin - How to use

REMIN volcanic rock dust is beneficial as a:
(a) TOP DRESSING for growing medium, ie soil and / or compost
(b) COMPOST IMPROVER to mix with every bag and bin of mature compost
(c) COMPOST ACTIVATOR and ACCELERATOR for compost making systems
(d) TONIC FOR WORMERIES
(e) SALT REPLACEMENT – for car or van if stuck in snow. Ask my husband, he says it
is better than salt AND (he says) weight in back of vehicle helps reduce skid risk!

(a) TOP DRESSING:

It is found to benefit all types and pH of soil and promote plant growth and vigour. It can be applied at any time of year and at any stage of plant growth. The only exception to this is when the ground is frozen and REMIN volcanic rock dust cannot get into the soil or when it is very windy. Simply sprinkle evenly onto soil from the edge of a spade or trowel then rake in, or let worms and weather do this for you.
MINIMUM ANNUAL DOSE: Apply 0.5kg per square metre, or in gardener’s terms “a handful a yard”. A 10kg bag supplies 20 square metres and a 20kg bag supplies 40 square metres. This annual dose has also been seen to benefit lawns.
BOOSTER DOSE: Apply 2kg per square metre to give your soil a boost.

TOP DRESSING FOR POTTED PLANTS, TUBS, BASKETS: Sprinkle level tablespoon on to 15cm2 (6inch2) surface of compost or soil and water as usual. Two applications per year.

(a) TOP DRESSING FOR LARGE AREAS:

REMIN volcanic rock dust can be applied to fields and parks, whether grass land or cultivated, using a LIME SPREADER. FERTILISER SPINNERS can also be used but care has to be taken to prevent it sticking to the sides of the spinner. SALT SPREADERS with a HEAVY DUTY AGITATOR are also ideal.
– MINIMUM DOSE of 0.5kg per square meter = 2 tonnes per acre.
– BOOSTER DOSE of 2kg per square metre = 8 tonnes per acre.

(b) COMPOST IMPROVER:

Mix 1kg through 50 litres of compost. Works well if you mix in wheelbarrow or trug. A good handful mixed through a bucket of compost works fine.

(c) COMPOST ACTIVATOR and ACCELERATOR:

Each time you add a new layer of compost to your compost bin or pile, add sufficient to make a light covering over the surface that you can easily see through. Gardening material is found to break down into compost faster, reach a higher temperature and odours are found to be reduced.

(d) TONIC FOR WORMERIES:

Sprinkle a small handful per 30cm2 (1ft2) onto surface of your wormery every month. Try a small area with this amount and see the worms congregate and enjoy it!

FURTHER INFO

MIXING WITH OTHER PLANT FOODS: REMIN volcanic rock dust has been shown to work well with soil conditioners, animal manures and plant foods. Whilst lime can still be used to raise the pH of acid soils, we do not recommend adding it at the same time as REMIN volcanic rock dust as this reduces the effectiveness of both materials. Leave at least two weeks between both applications.

QUALITY CONTROL: This is a natural product and, as such, moisture content may vary but this will not affect the quality.

STORAGE & SAFETY ADVICE: Store in a dry place or under cover if stored outside. Do not apply in windy conditions.

Research

Whilst the benefits of REMIN volcanic rock dust are becoming more and more apparent, from a broader and broader range of applications, more scientific research to understand and back up the findings is seriously required.

SO MANY DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES:

One of the challenges to understanding how Soil Remineralisation with volcanic rock dust works is that this will only come from the integration of a wide range of scientific disciples. These include: Geology, Agriculture, Horticulture, Biology, Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Medicine, Nutrition, Micro-biology and Climatology.

MICRO-FAUNA OF THE SOIL:

A key point here is how little research has been made into the microfauna of the soil, ie everything from single celled micro-organisms to worms. Back in 350BC Aristotle called worms “the intestines of the soil” and more recently in 1866 Darwin said of the earthworm “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part, in the history of the world, as the lowly earthworm.”

Bringing us up to date, today’s scientists make such statements as “There are more living things in a tablespoon of soil than there are people on the earth.” If you look under “Loss of Biodiversity” in the 2006 paper on the Scottish Government’s website entitled “Scotland’s Soil Resource” you will see the following statements: “The diversity of life (invertebrates and micro-organisms) in soils is vast and un-explored. Soil biodiversity is therefore a true scientific frontier.”

CLIMATE CHANGE:

The role that REMIN volcanic rock dust has to play in helping stabilise Climate Change has still to be realised. Carbon Sequestration potential, ie the ability of soil to absorb and hold more carbon, on a sustainable basis, is at the core of the Remineralize the Earth movement. In 2010 the Soil Association produced a paper entitled Soil Carbon and Organic Farming that complimented these ideas. Another paper on the Scottish Government’s website, entitled ECOSSE: Estimating Carbon in Organic Soils – Sequestration and Emissions tells us that whilst the organic soils of Scotland contain 2,735 million tonnes of carbon, the vegetation in the whole of the UK contains only 114 million tonnes of carbon. Our claim is that soil has potentially a far bigger role to play Carbon Sequestration than “planting a tree.”

BENEFITS OF LOOKING AFTER THE SOIL – EVEN GOING ORGANIC!:

It took until 2014 to complete scientific research to show organic food is better for you than non-organic food. Whilst there is a long way to go to “prove” the same for “re-mineralised” crops, this gives a background on what is happening and what needs to happen.