Last month, we discussed the role of wollastonite in managing phosphorus.
That prompted some Ontario residents to begin experimenting with adding wollastonite to pond water. With the recent heat and drought across much of the province, ponds and small bodies of water on farms, golf courses, and rural properties are especially subject to excessive algal growth – an unpleasant and unhealthy condition, as these photos demonstrate.
In the summers of 2014 and 2015, massive algal blooms in Lake Erie made headlines across North America, particularly in 2014 when toxins produced by microcysts in the blue-green algae shut down Toledo’s water works, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to safe drinking water. The problem affects lake and rivers across the continent, threatening […]
Interest in the role of silicon in crop production and protection has been growing around the world for several years now. Some might say that North America is a bit behind the curve! We recently came across a comprehensive article from 2010 on the website of an Australian agricultural consulting company. It begins: A major mineral […]
Last summer, an interesting thing happened on a field of turf north of Toronto. The grower was testing a new soil amendment as a source of calcium, magnesium, and plant-available silicon. Research indicated it could lead to healthier, more disease-resistant grass. Sure enough, the grass on the test area grew better – so much better […]
Canadian Wollastonite isn’t the only organization doing research on the value of plant-available silicon in agriculture. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in partnership with Laval University, and Les Fraises de l”Ile-d’Orléans is investigating how supplying soluble silicon to strawberry plants can increase resistance to diseases like powdery mildew and reduce the application of fungicides. Watch the […]
