My wife and I bought a home in Kaufman County, Texas which had been vacant for some time. The trees and grounds had been neglected. One of the features of the property was an apple tree which appeared to be about 20 years old. During our first spring and summer, the tree bore a few apples, but not many.
In the following spring, I reclaimed my avocation of organic gardener at our new home. As an organic gardener, I was well aware of the need for making sure that the soil had all the nutrients necessary for successful growth. The organic grower puts his faith in the long term health of the soil; plants have no other basis for their health and productivity.
After I determined that the soil lacked sufficient minerals, I began researching existing products to build the mineral content of the soil. I eventually settled on AZOMITE® as the best product to build the overall health of the soil. However, I was not prepared for the immediate results I achieved.
I applied approximately twenty pounds of AZOMITE® to the old apple tree that January. Working around the drip line of the outlying branches, I first spread the AZOMITE®, broadcasting it by hand. Then I aerated the soil with a Garden Weasel, so that when it rained the AZOMITE® could be more easily absorbed by the tree.
The reward was a surprise harvest hundreds of apples! We gave away bushels of apples, made applesauce, and froze many bags of pie apples. We had so many apples that we could not possibly use them all or give them away. Needless to say, I have applied AZOMITE® again this year and look forward to the same result.
Norman Baxter