Greensand - opinions and sources

As I sit indoors and watch the poor birds trying to stay warm, I'm being lulled into the dreamworld of Gardeners Supply, where tomato plants will produce one hundred pounds of 'maters per plant, all due to three key elements:

red mulch;
coated tomato ladders (or cages, depending on which page you're reading); and
fertilizer (which also depends on the page, all-purpose or greensand)

For years I've relied on an all-purpose vegetable fertilizers, with limited success. We have nasty clay soil here, which I've amended time and again with compost (I have raised beds filled to the brim with mushroom compost, waiting for seedlings in the spring.)

So.....greensand. Yes? No? Will it loosen clay soil and give my 'maters a boost, as the ads claim? And (if you think so), where is a good place to try to buy it? Considering I'll need somewhere between 10-20 pounds (for an application rate of 5+ pounds/100 square feet), I'd rather not pay shipping if it can be had locally. If it must be ordered, any recommendations? Help!!!!

Terry

I use it when I plant new rose bushes. I sprinkle a cup or 2 in the bottom of the planting hole. It's an excellent source of Potash. Its has a ratio of 0-0-3. Its runs about 4.95 for a 5 pound bag it would be a little pricy if you had a large area to do. Its supposed to bind sandy soil and break down clay soils. At those prices it should do alot more than that. I haven't heard of it being available in bulk quanties.

Paul

I've found greensand at some of the garden centers. It is pricey. If you're trying to break up a lot of clay soil, pelleted gypsum is a lot cheaper and helps a lot. Put as much organic matter as you can in your beds, the clay tends to travel upwards and your beds will get stickier over time. We also have adobe clay, took out the top 8" and replaced it with nice loose compost. A year later I'm seeing the clay travel upwards quite a bit, although it's still draining well enough for my plants.

I've added gypsum and compost until the cows came home, and we still have terrible clay. (I do NOT know how the former residents of this place gardened - they lived here 20 years, and I can see no evidence of any amendments in the beds.)

I thought our Oklahoma red clay was bad until we moved here - this is the absolute nastiest soil I've ever dealt with. I spent a lot of money and back muscles shoveling three pickup loads of mushroom compost manure last year, and last fall I found a source of well-rotted horse/chicken manure that I'll be taking advantage of this spring - probably another 3-4 loads at least.

I'm wondering if the greensand sold for water purification systems is the same as horticultural grade stuff. Anybody know?

Terry

When I was a child my parents had a new well dug. It was
very deep because we were living on a granite rock essentually.

The well turned out to be 3000 feet deep and the rig dug up
and dumped all 3000 ft of granite dust onto the lawn. The
lawn was mostly clay. The first year it was a mess as the
granite dust stuck to shoes and looked really awful laying around. However the next year the lawn went completely wild with growth. The roses were never rivaled in my life. The grass grew so thick it was uncontrollable. Trees sprung to new heights.

Later I was told this was because it was greensand. It was green and sandy I will admit.

I can atest to this being an awesome fertilizer.

So find someone digging a well. quick

Terry, greensand was one of the first things I applied to my clay soil here. I probably didn't use quite enough, but even at that, I can tell where I did use it and where I didn't, especially when i dig. I also used some crushed gravel about the size of a pea in one new bed 2 years ago. It was highly recommended but I think the greensand was better.

It is available in the farmer's feed stores here, and in a few garden centers. Haven't seen it at the big box stores, though.

Thanks for all the info Darius! I figured I'd check with our co-op before I ordered any online...

One of the best products you can use to break up that clay is a fertilizer called agri-gro. I have been using this product now for two years and have dad good results. another thing to do is apply soil sulfur.

Sulphur will lower the Ph, do not use this until you do a soil test.

Paul

Good point, Paul. And a good reminder: I really should do another soil test this spring (it's been 2-3 years since the last one.)

Isn't sulphur toxic to our soil critters?

I have some green sand and some lava "sand' in the garage and did not know what to do with them and how to use them. Can they be broadcast over the planting bed safely for fertilizing the roses and perennials?