I get a lot of emails and Facebook posts asking, “How do I spread trace minerals like Azomite?” So, I asked Mr. Azomite himself, Mike Fodge, to put in writing. To let us know how to specifically apply the product to anything and everything we think of horticulturally. But before we get to Mike’s notes, I have some notes of my own:
- This product has been included in my Fertilization Schedule Randy’s Lawn Care Schedule – Randy Lemmon, but remember it’s still “optional”, especially if you’ve been consistent with compost top dressing for years.
- If no compost top dressing has been applied for years, at the very least get one application of Trace Minerals/Elements such as Azomite down this spring.
- If nothing has been done for years, I believe in the two applications for the next year, while the Azomite folks encourage three times. Again, please get at least one application if cost is a limiting factor.
- Azomite is not the only Trace Mineral/Trace Element product on the market, but it is the most-readily available. Nature’s Way Resources has a “Re-Mineralizer” and Soil Mender has one, too.
- Trace Minerals/Trace Elements can be done at almost any time of the year. However…
- …It works even better when closely paired with a fertilization.
- Don’t over-think it, just get it down, like you’re putting out a fertilizer lightly.
- Yes, it can be used everywhere – veggie gardens, potted plants, hanging baskets, flower beds.
- Once you’ve applied Trace Minerals a few times, you can but back to once every couple of years.
Now, everything else in this piece comes from Mike Fodge himself:
“AZOMITE is a natural mineral substance that is mined directly from its Utah desert source. OMRI-Listed for organic production, AZOMITE can be used as an agricultural fertilizer and/or soil amendment product. It is easy and safe to use and good for the environment.
The “father of fertilizer”, Justus von Liebig, developed the “Law of the Minimum” which is important in understanding what AZOMITE does. The Law states that plant growth is determined by the scarcest “limiting” nutrient; if even one of the many required nutrients is deficient, the plant will not grow and produce at its optimum.
Using AZOMITE with your current fertilization schedule is easy. A 44-pound bag covers up to 12,000 square feet. I would recommend the GRANULATED form of AZOMITE that was developed for broadcast applications. Set your current broadcast spreader to the middle applicator rate. If you apply AZOMITE without fertilizer, there is no rush to water the product in. There is virtually no Nitrogen, therefore no worries about burning your lawn. If you mix/apply AZOMITE with your favorite fertilizer, water as you always do. When mixing AZOMITE with fertilizer, pour them both into a wheelbarrow for the best visual mix.
On a lawn that has not had micronutrients applied before, I would recommend three applications for the first year… Spring, Mid-Summer and Autumn. Once your lawn has had a year of application of micronutrients, I would recommend applying AZOMITE in the spring and the fall. Lawns will experience stress with heat, cold, lack of water, too much water, or catastrophic events like flooding or extreme erosion. When these events occur, the next application should be applied as soon as possible to the areas affected.
I recommend that AZOMITE be applied to planting beds as well. Apply AZOMITE with a small hand-held applicator and walk the beds. The best time to do this is when you are applying mulch and or compost to your beds. Most people apply mulch/compost to their beds twice a year. When planting perennials, a tablespoon of AZOMITE is a perfect amount to ensure that micronutrients are there for the plant to perform at its most notable use.”