Azomite vs. Sea-Crop

[acidophilus]

well, I was trying to aquire some Sea-Crop, but I got tricked into buying a bag of SEA-90 instead. this seems like a nice thing to foliar feed once in a while, but I don't think I want it in my rez.

anyway, in my continuing quest for Sea-Crop I came across a garden-shop clerk who said "why don't u just use Azomite instead"
I did a bit of research, and it seems like a reasonable proposition, so I'm currently giving it a shot.
1/2 cup of Azomite in a 40gal rez is what I've started with. (its a blind guess, and I'm a bit afraid it might be way too much). I'm still curious about Sea-Crop, but the more I read, Azomite seems like it might be a better product all around. its certainly easier to find.

any opinions?


my goal is to find a good way to load my solution with trace elements and micro-nutrients, and also provide Calcium and Magnesium in the appropriate quantaties. is Azomite complete? the plants seem happy enough. I give seaweed also.

 

[grapeman]

I use it in my soil. It's just as described.... trace elements. Can't say about hydro. Interesting question though.

 

[joedub]

I'm in a very similar situation, I also got the sea 90, and have been using it as a supplemental to hydro, but I've been wanting to go azomite because sea 90 has sodium in it. so I did the same research which also led me to azomite, I will finish using my sea90 for now, but will most likely use azomite based on your experiences since your one step ahead of me. good luck w/ your grow

 

[Yankee Grower]

Sea-Crop and Azomite are different products but kind of similar. You're talking about 2 different sources also...land and sea. While SC is about 80% water, 4% magnesium and 3.5% sodium chloride Azomite is 65% silicon dioxide, 11.5% alumina and 2% sodium oxide. Azomite also contains 3.5% calcium oxide and 5% potassium oxide.

Interesting for Azomite is they say a 6.5% loss on 'incineration' so guess they have some type of drying process. Basically it's an old volcanic deposit. I've talked to the people at the local Aqua Serene store (Roots Organics) and the dude recommended adding some Azomite to the res when running their organic nutes in hydro.

As for trace mineral concentration SC is far superior and much more concentrated in that respect. Another thing about SC is there's some marine bacteria that survive the production process. These are heavy duty critters that would be a good addition to a hydro res, especially one running salt ferts, and also good for soil applications as at least one strain is a strong N fixer.

The elements in SC are basically ionic and readily available. Azomite works fine if you have a healthy soil microlife or good culture in your res. You can foliar feed with SC.

I don't see that one replaces the other and if anything they are complimentary but if I had to pick one it'd be SC for various reasons. I do know of one crop consultant who uses both SC and Azomite on the fields he manages. I'm not a sea salt fan and don't care for Sea-90.

 

[IwannatokeNbone]

yeah the idea that azomite in a sterile medium just goes right on feeding your plants isnt really the case.

 

[acidophilus]

thanks for the input everyone.
really appreciate this expert knowledge mr. Y.G. I was hoping to solicit your advice

Azomite is 65% silicon dioxide, 11.5% alumina and 2% sodium oxide. Azomite also contains 3.5% calcium oxide and 5% potassium oxide.

is Alumina dangerous at all? I'd like to keep my medicine effective in preventing alziemers diseas...

Interesting for Azomite is they say a 6.5% loss on 'incineration' so guess they have some type of drying process.

I looked up Alumina on google, and the Fertilizer Encyclopedia says that there are two forms of Alumina, a stable a-Alumina and an unstable y-Alumina. apparently heating at 1150c will convert the unstable stuff into the stable a-Alumina. maybe thats why they heat it?

the same book says that 3-4% is the maximum acceptable concentration of Alumina in soil. apparently there is some in rock phosphate too.

http://books.google.com/books?id=GP...Ag#v=onepage&q=alumina in fertilizers&f=false

Another thing about SC is there's some marine bacteria that survive the production process. These are heavy duty critters that would be a good addition to a hydro res,

this was my suspicion. the so-called 'archeia' or whatever you mentioned in a different thread? I'll keep looking for Sea-Crop. can u convince AquaSerene to carry it? ive just moved to the area...



as for SEA-90, I gave foliar feeding some days ago, and I like the results. I'm thinking once a month maybe during veg. foliar feeding only though. it feels like it adds an extra bit of hardiness. maybe a touch of sodium even helps? I'm outdoors, without having used neem yet, and there doesn't seem to be an issue with bugs at all. (I was doing the zone/penetrator thing also, so that might be more relavent)

 

[Yankee Grower]

As for alzheimer's recent research indicates it's more about the Ca/Mg:Al/Fe ratio than simply just aluminum. From what I understand the Ca/Mg:Al/Fe ratio of modern ag crops is messed up and you'll see the same ratio in the brains of alzheimer's patients. When soil pH drops below a certain point Al and Fe intake goes up. Alzheimer's may be caused, or at least strongly influenced, by modern ag practices.

Don't know if that's why they 'incinerate' Azomite during production or simply they are just trying to determine the moisture content or 'loss on drying'. Funny they use the word 'incinerate' because not what I'm used to when dealing with labs and moisture levels. 3-4% max alumina content in soil is much different than using a small amount of something like Azomite that has an alumina content of 11.5%.

If you want a hard core archae product get Biozome but yeah there is something(s) living in Sea-Crop but only part of it's benefit. Sea-Crop currently cannot sit on any retail store shelf even though it's certified for use in organic agriculture by WSDA and OTCO but that's another story.

 

[Yankee Grower]

as for SEA-90, I gave foliar feeding some days ago, and I like the results. I'm thinking once a month maybe during veg. foliar feeding only though. it feels like it adds an extra bit of hardiness. maybe a touch of sodium even helps? I'm outdoors, without having used neem yet, and there doesn't seem to be an issue with bugs at all. (I was doing the zone/penetrator thing also, so that might be more relavent)

Sea-90 is basically whole natural sea salt. Dr. Murray did enough research to show the stuff does provide benefits but all that sodium is simply not necessary. For one Na displaces Ca, Mg and K cations in soil. It's rare to come across a situation where Na supplementation is required. I think sea salt in hydro can work OK. As for foliar feeding you can use up to 4 oz of Sea-Crop per gallon applied weekly with no problems.

 

[acidophilus]

Sea-Crop currently cannot sit on any retail store shelf even though it's certified for use in organic agriculture by WSDA and OTCO but that's another story.

sounds like an interesting story...


so, I'd like to try Sea-Crop one day, but it sounds like I'm relatively ok with just the Azomite? I'm using the granular stuff, and I'm shocked how quickly it dissolves. I doubt its becoming ionic immediately, but it seems like a faster release than one would imagine...

 

[City Twin]

Sea-Crop, originally “C-Crop“, is made by a sodium hydroxide precipitation process similar to this video, making a concentrate from Dead Sea salt.

5 min 55 second YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MYR8GpaF9I&feature=related

Another popular starting material for similar products is Great Salt Lake salt

I like Azomite for years now. It’s a different material all together, stated as being a volcanic ash clay containing the life elements of an inland salt sea an eruption smothered. The volcanic ash would be high in noble metals and especially platinoids, while the inland sea portion would be heavy in biologically preprocessed minerals. Sometimes referred to as Bio-Available.

The volcanic would be quite energetic and the inland sea would hold lots of sleeping goodies found by Gaston Naessens. IF you follow that sort of stuff.

pH 8, to keep in mind.

my goal is to find a good way to load my solution with trace elements and micro-nutrients,

I think I would look into humic shale based mineral concentrates for direct use in hydro. All the minerals in these products are purported to be readily Bio-Available, supposedly having come from exclusively plant sources

 

[acidophilus]

holy shit. the story continues....
I don't even know what to think... elixer of life? mary magdalane?
this is getting quite far-out.

The volcanic would be quite energetic and the inland sea would hold lots of sleeping goodies found by Gaston Naessens. IF you follow that sort of stuff.

your losing me here. I googled his name, and something about a cure for cancer? I'll look into it more tonight, but any clues would be appreciated.

pH 8, to keep in mind.

I havn't been paying such close attention to pH... I don't over-feed the microherd, so I don't think there are any big swings, but are you saying that pH is a high priority here? I noticed a ph meter looking thing in the video.

thanks for the info. I'll look into this humic shale stuff.

its been about 2 weeks since I added CalMg+. I'm tempted to add a touch of epsom salt to see if it makes any difference, but the growing seems to be going well.

 

[City Twin]

I'll look into it more tonight, but any clues would be appreciated.

Clues? OK. Dark Field Microscope and Somatid

are you saying that pH is a high priority here?

Just noting the pH of Azo powder since interested folks should Know.

 

[acidophilus]

wow dood. I guess I have some reading to do...

but how does a powerful/contravercial microscope connect with Azomite and micronutrients?

also, any ballpark figures for application rate/frequency of Azomite in hydro would be much appriteciated.

 

[I.M. Boggled]

I'm going to...

I'm going to...

Demystify this Azomite schtuff and the magic secret voodoo that it do.

AZOMITE
A natural feed ingredient and A re-mineralizer for depleted soils

Azomite has 67 major and trace elements, so its name actually means
"A to Z Of Minerals Including Trace Elements."
Typical analysis shows every element that's beneficial to plants and animals, and other elements (micro-nutrients) scientists believe essential.
Azomite has been mined since 1942 as soil amendment.
Crop farmers report improved growth, health, size.
Potatoes report 19-60% increase in yield; sugar beets are larger, with higher sugar content.
Citrus growers report improved recovery from decline, healthier trees.
In 1988 Peak Minerals, Inc. acquired the deposit and initiated accredited research in Colorado, Utah, Florida, and Georgia.
Currently approved for organic farming in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
..............

Azomite:
This natural volcanic rock dust / ash mineral product is an aluminum silicate clay mixed with many minerals.
It began as an ancient marine deposit and was brought to the surface by volcanic action.
It has been in use over 50 years as a source of available potash (2.5%) and over 50 trace minerals, including Calcium (2%), Sodium (1%), Iron (0.5%), and Magnesium (0.5%).

It is 100% natural with no additives, synthetics or fillers.
It is sold in the poultry industry as a feed ingredient.
Chemically, Azomite is a hydrated sodium calcium alumino-silicate (HSCAS) containing other minerals and trace elements and is sold as an anticaking agent and is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.

http://www.azomite.com/

Azomite is becoming popular as a soil additive/growth stimulant in tree reforestation circles also.
Products available from hydroponic supply houses such as "Pyro-Gro, Rare Earth Mineral Supplement" and other such Pyrophyllite Clay products are likely the same animal repackaged for the exotic garden specialty market.

I hope this helps many,
IMB

 

[bandit60]

Interesting for Azomite is they say a 6.5% loss on 'incineration' so guess they have some type of drying process. Basically it's an old volcanic deposit.

it is a clay like substance that is heated in a kiln to drive the water out. the temperatures reached actually change the chemical composition of the original substance.

 

[Green&Gold]

Just in case it helps, you can get SeaCrop from these people....

http://www.gardenerspantry.ca/seamineralsproducts.html

They have other cool stuff too....

 

[BigTex]

Here is the chemical composition of azomite including some PPM. I have read alot on the stuff and have recently began to use azomite in my grows. I too was concerned about the high amount of alumina. I hope this is some help to you...

http://www.azomite.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=11

 

[SeaSaltMan]

SEA-90 is a great product for growers

SEA-90 is a great product for growers

well, I was trying to aquire some Sea-Crop, but I got tricked into buying a bag of SEA-90 instead. this seems like a nice thing to foliar feed once in a while, but I don't think I want it in my rez.

anyway, in my continuing quest for Sea-Crop I came across a garden-shop clerk who said "why don't u just use Azomite instead"
I did a bit of research, and it seems like a reasonable proposition, so I'm currently giving it a shot.
1/2 cup of Azomite in a 40gal rez is what I've started with. (its a blind guess, and I'm a bit afraid it might be way too much). I'm still curious about Sea-Crop, but the more I read, Azomite seems like it might be a better product all around. its certainly easier to find.

any opinions?


my goal is to find a good way to load my solution with trace elements and micro-nutrients, and also provide Calcium and Magnesium in the appropriate quantaties. is Azomite complete? the plants seem happy enough. I give seaweed also.

SEA-90 is basically water soluble rock dust. Azomite is rock dust. Rock dust has to be broken down by microbes for its elements to become available. SEA-90 being water soluble ionic minerals and trace elements is instantly available to microbes. Their populations expand when exposed to SEA-90 and they in turn make the minerals and trace elements in Azmoite available quicker. Many growers use the two products together (10 - 20% SEA-90 per volume of rock powder) as John Hamaker recommended in the 1970's. Who ever sold you SEA-90 was doing you a service not tricking you. It's inexpensive and a small amount goes a long way. One grower in San Diego added ½ teaspoon per gallon to his hydroponic solution in a bubble-ponics installations and within two weeks had to reduce his plants by 25% due to the increase in size and found that they no longer had to be staked because the stems became significantly stronger. The sodium in SEA-90 is not a problem if you watch your soluble solids and don't let it get above 1400 - 1800. All biological life needs sodium, chloride, minerals and trace elements. SEA-90 is a low sodium natural fertilizer providing the entire periodic table of minerals and trace elements that will enhance anything you grow. Go to SeaAgri.com for more info.

 

[Vaporizzando192]

Someone knows where can i buy AZOMITE or SEA-CROP or SEA-90 ??
i am really interested in these natural product.

thanks if you can suggest me a site (better if in Europe...to save taxes)

 

[ASMR]

Someone knows where can i buy AZOMITE or SEA-CROP or SEA-90 ??
i am really interested in these natural product.

thanks if you can suggest me a site (better if in Europe...to save taxes)

Hi Guy hope you're reading this post! I bought 10 pounds of Sea-90 for 25 +s/h from seaagri.com (they're home page) But if you look around in boogiebrew.net/GYG you can find similar amounts of 10 pounds for slightly cheaper

Also first post ever on here!