Marble dust

    Permies people of the world!  Do you know if marble dust can work the same as dolomite lime powder, in regards to soil admendments?


 I have researched this myself and it seems that the amount of dolomite mineral varies in marble, depending on the type of limestone the marble came from.  This marble is specifically from quarries around Southern Vermont, which I think has a good proportion of dolomite in it.  

 Thanks,

      Brian

Typically, marble is composed of the following major constituents: 38-42% Lime (CaO), 20-25% Silica (SiO2), 2-4% Alumina (Al2O3), 1.5-2.5% various oxides (NaO and MgO), and 30-32% various carbonates (MgCO3 and others).

Marble is calcite, so, depending on how fine you grind the marble, you will be adding those minerals above to your soil (exact amounts would be found in a chemistry test at a laboratory)

I would use marble dust for mineral enhancement but it is not going to give the same results as true dolomite powder, it will be more "slow release" than the dolomite, but this can be factored in at the time of addition.

If you use any mineral amendment you should also use a compost tea that is 50:50 bacteria to fungi, this will give the soil the organisms it will need to process the materials added into materials the plants can use.

Redhawk