Dear Nancy,

Thank you for your interesting question! I was not familiar with this product, so I referred your question to a local soil expert.

They replied that it might be effective, but that your practice of adding compost and leaf litter to your soil was a much better bet. In addition to the higher cost of the rock dust product, one needs equipment to spread the dust efficiently. Their closing comment was "that it might help, but probably wasn't worth the effort".

It was also recommended that you get a current soil test. It might be that your micronutrients are adequate and not a concern. I usually get one done every other year for my garden and am always pleasantly surprised at how healthy my soil is - not just lumps of clay that I'm asking to grow healthy plants.

I get my soil tested at the CSU Soil Test Lab and have been pleased with their process. More information on this service can be found here: http://www.soiltestinglab.colostate.edu/

Regards,

Thank you so much for getting back to me. I think rock dust may be more  important in areas with higher rainfall, which can leach the minerals out of the soil. And of course, I add organic material every year. Super important with our clay soils!