Secret Ingredient: "Texas Greensand" 32 trace minerals from old Texas Marine Beds

[taffy341]

A 'great Texas secret organic soil ingredient' is "Texas Greensand".

"Texas Greensand" has 32 trace mineral nutrients as part of it's unique ingredients.

BUT BUYER BEWARE because some 'questionable' companies try to make their product appear to be the same by making slight changes in the name. So beware.

The "TEXAS GREENSAND" bag is white & green with black letters and has the certification of '100% Texas Greensand. It only comes from a section of thousand year old marine/sea beds. It costs about $6 for six (6) pounds.

For Small Raised Gardens: You don't need to use as much as recommended on the bag to get the benefit of the unique trace minerals. Just dig down about ten (10) inches sprinkle Texas Greensand like seasoning food and mix in that layer, add about three (3) more inches of soil season with Texas Greenand & mix, then continue this to the top of the garden bed.
"... Texas greensand (Glauconite) is an iron potassium, silicate that is green in color due to the minerals it contains. Greensand is a marine deposit that contains traces of many if not all of the elements which are in seawater. It has been used successfully for enriching soils for over 100 years. Approximate analysis is 0-2-5. This is a natural source of phosphorous, potash, and trace minerals. Texas greensand is different than the glauconite from the New Jersey area. The natural Texas product contains about 19 percent iron and about 2 percent magnesium. Its pH is 8.3, but don’t let that fool you. Use it on all plants for an effective green-up. Research proved green sand to be better than most iron products in helping plants overcome chlorosis in high pH soils, slightly better than granite sand. In a research project demonstration an eroded field that was low in organic matter with a pH of 8.3 was tested 66 test plots of peas, peppers and okra grown in each plot. All were fertilized equally with organic fertilizer and then each plot got an additional product. Many of them were iron products. Texas Greensand plot at 150 pounds per 1,000 square feet outperformed all other iron test products in the plants green color and growth. It even beat the iron sulfate plot. The only plots that did as good or even better were the compost plots (but the composts lacked the special trace minerals in Texas Greensand that supplied additional benefits to the plants (sic))..."

We started our community garden last Sept. 2011 and those of us using Texas Greensand had huge productive Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Snow Peas, Cabbage, etc., etc., etc., ...

NOTE: All the gardeners used organic Microlife fertilizer and some added blood meal BUT NOT EVERYONE used Texas Greensand.

I hope this is beneficial information..

[Arrow]

Ive heard about Greensand for many years but have not found it in any stores. I live in Idaho. Is there a place that will ship it to me?

and after it has been added to a bed how frequently does it need to be replaced?

[taffy341]

I apologize for not answering you sooner... missed your name on the title post... everyone seemed to be just reading the info and I didn't read the name change on the post.

If you search Texas Greensand Certified and/or Certified Texas Greensand, there are a few places in Texas you can put in orders. Just add it once a season... it is sand so you have to decide how much you want your soil to contain amount of sand.

This website should help you find a place to order Texas Greensand. It also tells you that the 'gardening Texas Greensand' is different from 'Greensand used in filter systems'.
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/newforum/root/greensand-t11226.html

Remember if you sprinkle it like seasoning on the soil that should be enough to replenish the trace minerals each season.... However, there are very knowledgeable gardeners on forum that can give you a more informed answer...