WHATS NEW The latest wollastonite research and news
A match made for the greenhouse May 15, 2023 - Seedlings are surveying the environment and making calculated guesses about how to maximize their reproductive potential. If the environment is extreme and nutrients are lacking, seedlings are setting themselves up for a harsher life with less yield to ensure survival. The power of calcium + silicon in wollastonite has something to offer every stress presented […]
Connecting the dots – Synergy with Wollastonte, Plants & Soil April 15, 2023 - This unique study summarizes three previous studies highlighting the multiple benefits of growing plants with crushed silicates, focusing on wollastonite. Here is a figure from this study showing how the three previous studies relate and demonstrate their findings : Links to studies summarized above: Study 1: Co-Benefits of Wollastonite Weathering in Agriculture: CO2 […]
The carbon economy is going to be a game changer for agriculture March 24, 2023 - A key factor is the impact limestone applications on farm fields will have on the carbon economy. Limestone is up to 44% CO2, and by 2030, applying lime will come with an expensive fee to cover the carbon emitted as a result of the mining and application of the limestone (calcium carbonate). Luckily we […]
Welcome to the wollastonite balancing act March 24, 2023 - Improvement of the physiological response of barley plants to both Zinc deficiency and toxicity by the application of calcium silicate Abstract: An adequate availability of Zinc (Zn) is crucial for plant growth and development given the essentiality of this element. Thus, both Zn deficiency and Zn toxicity can limit crop yields. In plants, the […]
Lime with Wollastonite – An easier decision than you might think… March 20, 2023 - Wollastonite is the lime of the future. In the near future, lime applications will become unprofitable due to the carbon dioxide released from calcium carbonate. Wollastonite is a calcium silicate which quickly releases calcium, magnesium, and silicon in the soil and contains no carbon dioxide. Pound for pound, wollastonite has 44% more minerals, mainly silicon, […]
Wollastonite could increase the removal of soluble aluminum 1,000,000x in the soil February 27, 2023 - We are diving a little deeper into the inorganic binding of soluble aluminum in soils this week by looking closely at how higher levels of silicon in the soil can lead to a drastic increase in the capacity of the soil to bind soluble aluminum, reducing its negative impact on plant growth. Silicon monomers are […]
Taking care of your pond just got easier – Introducing CW Ponds+ February 14, 2023 - Whether dealing with an algae outbreak or conditioning your water against an acidic pH, CW Ponds+ is the easy way to beautify your ponds naturally. Wollastonite is an amazing preventative or immediate solution to algae blooms, plus CW Ponds+ conditions the water against acidic pH while supplying key nutrients for plant health. We’re excited […]
Wollastonite is the safest and most cost effective carbon capture mineral for agricultural soils February 13, 2023 - A recent experiment showed one application of olivine can release enough nickel to contaminate soil for hundreds of years. This limits olivine’s use to very low application rates that will still release nickel but limit the amount of CO2 Olivine can capture. Despite the potential of olivine for carbon sequestration in soil and oceans, […]
Geology at the speed of life – Neoformation of reactive clays with wollastonite January 12, 2023 - Wollastonite heals soil by supplying abundant silicon in soluble forms to transform soluble aluminum from harmful to useful. The soil is an incredible system that constantly responds to changes in its environment. Aluminum is an element that inhibits healthy plant growth at high concentrations in the soil. But the soil system has multiple methods […]
Wollastonite brings big ecosystem benefits at a landscape scale January 12, 2023 - At high levels, aluminum can block the update of other nutrients leading to nutrient deficiencies for forest plants. In vertebrates like fish and humans, aluminum is toxic, especially to our brains. Soluble forms of aluminum increase in the soil as pH decreases when elements like calcium, magnesium and potassium are low. Unfortunately, as a […]
The most soluble natural source of silicon with the best pH buffering capacity goes to…. January 10, 2023 - Wollastonite was put to the test against 13 competitors for silicon release rate and amount. Wollastonite released more silicon faster than any other material tested. Full poster below. Dowload the full poster here: Bioavailable Silicon_ Release Rate from Additives & Substrates.pdf
Calcium Magnesium Silicate releases faster and increases P in crop in a notill system December 20, 2022 - Finding studies that look at the big picture impact across longer time scales can feel like looking for the needle in the haystack sometimes. This study is one of those needles, with many different angles summarized succinctly. This is the only study we have found testing wollastonite and lime in a no-till production system. This […]
All about biogenic silicon and trees (it is good news) April 13, 2022 - We’re diving into trees this week. On the silicon side, the tree is a top-tier recycler. With leaf removal in city parks and many residential properties, we’re seeing a huge loss of nutrients to the system, especially silicon. High-five to the municipalities and citizens who have switched to mulching leaves in place. The trees and […]
Wollastonite in Trees – Study Review March 31, 2022 - The lungs of the world, trees can quickly capture carbon just by growing. Wollastonite boosts tree growth and can lead to the capture of up to 8 kg of carbon dioxide for every 1 kg of applied wollastonite. Going beyond carbon capture, this study speaks to how wollastonite can be beneficial to a wide range […]
Video launch: How CW Grow boosts plant growth and captures carbon February 18, 2022 - Canadian Wollastonite’s retail wollastonite product, CW Grow now has a video to help everyone understand capturing carbon with accelerated weathering and the plant growth benefits wollastonite can provide. It’s only 90 seconds, see what you think:
Canadian Wollastonite & accelerated weathering in the mainstream (farm) media January 28, 2022 - The Ontario Farmer is read weekly by just about every farmer in Ontario and covers a wide range of topics. We showed up on the front page recently with a well-written article about the potential for calcium silicates and accelerated weathering. This is an excellent summary and a great overview of exactly what happens when […]
How wollastonite captures carbon December 1, 2021 - The planet’s air conditioner is the process of weathering of rocks like wollastonite that have removed carbon dioxide and cooled the planet for billions of years. There is no big machine, it is a simple reaction and luckily when you spread crushed wollastonite you can speed it up.
Research so fresh it’s alive – microbes, wollastonite and carbon sequestartion November 29, 2021 - Fresh off the press, this study makes the case that microbes play an important role in accelerated weathering reactions, the same reactions that are spurred on when wollastonite is spread on the soil. Accelerated weathering is the breakdown of the silicate minerals in the soil creating carbonates, calcium carbonate in the case of wollastonite. Calcium […]
Adding rock dust to farmer’s fields captures carbon and boosts yields November 4, 2021 - Large-scale field trials of rock dust applications in agriculture are precisely what we need to harness the benefits of applying crushed calcium and magnesium silicates to agricultural fields. This summary reports on the early findings of a study currently in progress. The benefits of applying rock dust to agricultural fields are wide-ranging and economically affordable […]
The research has been piling up for a long time, now it is time for action November 3, 2021 - Climate change has been on the international stage for a while now. Remember the Tokyo Protocol? Many governments signed it into effect the same year this study was published. As one of the first, this study proposes using rocks as a solution to reduce atmospheric levels of CO2 rapidly. After twenty-plus years, turning carbon into […]
Adding wollastonite to roof top and urban agriculture soils can fix 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions October 21, 2021 - In this month’s issue of Environmental Science & Technology three researchers we work closely with at Guelph University, Ontario published an article making the case for carbon sequestration by using wollastonite in rooftop soils everywhere. If all the available urban roof space around the world contained plants and soils with wollastonite, 1% of global carbon […]
Fertilizing with silicon amendments can attract predator insects for common pests September 29, 2021 - This week we added two studies to our growing agricultural research database. These two studies are a few years old, but the concept is a new and exciting discovery for us. Ready? Fertilizing with silicon has been shown to increase the number of natural predator insects (the insects that EAT the pests) on the silicon fertilized plants. […]
Canadian Wollastonite is now available in retail formats as CW Grow June 27, 2021 - Canadian Wollastonite is now available in retail centres and landscape depots As the environmental benefits of wollastonite continue to accumulate, especially around carbon capture, we developed a retail brand to bring the benefits of Canadian Wollastonite into broader markets. CW Grow is now for sale in Eastern and Central Ontario at retail stores and in […]
University of Guelph Research Profile: Mineral Soil Carbon Sequestration with Wollastonite January 4, 2021 - This post features an ongoing research project with the University of Guelph focused on mineral carbon sequestration in agricultural soils. The results are exciting to say the least. We are helping to make a contribution towards the new science of turning carbon into rock, known as mineral carbon sequestration. This research is showing that when […]
Wollastonite helps trees, forests & entire ecosystems September 14, 2020 - Wollastonite is actively used in forestry research (for over 20 years in New Hampshire) with some profound benefits: Increases tree & shrub growth to reverse forest decline Enhances the health of coniferous and deciduous trees Cleans water balances acidic ph and lowers heavy metals and phosphorus levels No adverse effects observed to date Reduced soil […]
Capturing Carbon – Research profile at University of Guelph, Ontario June 18, 2020 - How U of G engineers are reducing climate change by trapping carbon dioxide in soils. Human actions, such as a gas-guzzling morning commute, have led to significant increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. In turn, high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere block the sun’s heat from escaping and is a recognized cause of global […]
Can wollastonite release silicon in water? May 7, 2020 - Silicic acid water extraction and plant available-silicon from the mineral Wollastonite This report is about as readable as science gets. In only a few pages, it provides a straightforward explanation, with simple experiments, of the availability of silicon in our wollastonite in solution and soil. Some of the language and detail may slow you down […]
Silicon + Bananas = ??? March 19, 2020 - Here is a study (below) showing silicon benefits bananas from silicon fertilizers applied to the leaves and soil. This research shows improvements in banana quality with the use of calcium silicate in the soil and foliar sprays with potassium silicate. Go silicon! You may be wondering about water-based foliar (leaf) sprays using silicon fertilizers. […]
Towards establishing broad-spectrum disease resistance in plants: Silicon leads the way February 20, 2020 - After just adding an excellent article on water and salinity stress, this review keeps piling on the benefits. Our latest addition to our agricultural research database focuses on disease resistance benefits and has a fair bit of detail that can be numbing for most. But there are some nice digestible gems quoted below: “Silicon application is […]
Silicon Boosts Nodule Number & Root Growth Under Simulated Climate Stress January 27, 2020 - Benefits from Below: Silicon Supplementation Maintains Legume Productivity under Predicted Climate Change Scenarios Legumes crops have not received their fair share of silicon research. This is a convincing study showing the strong potential for silicon to dramatically increase plant growth under elevated temperature and CO2 levels in a legume plant. Specifically, increased root nodulation occurred, […]
Big change requires big ideas and big action December 20, 2019 - The lack of immediate and broad-scale action on climate change might make it the exception and not the rule in how we, as a species, have responded to other global social, environmental and economic issues. From CFC’s to vaccination, it is clear humans can pull off a massive effort to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels, whether […]
KEDCO Press Release on Mine Expansion Approval November 15, 2019 - From the Kingston Economic Development Corporation Canadian Wollastonite is Canada’s only wollastonite mine, located on 220 hectares of land straddling the north-east district of the City of Kingston and the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands. The largest deposit in North America, Canadian Wollastonite’s mineral resource is stimulating new markets in green manufacturing, environmental […]
City Of Kingston Approves Expansion Of Canada’s Only Wollastonite Mine November 15, 2019 - Organically certified mineral offers green opportunities in concrete and steel manufacturing, agribusiness, and environmental cleanup July 15, 2019 It’s official: the City of Kingston is now home to Canada’s only wollastonite mine. With no appeals to City Council’s unanimous June 18 rezoning approval, Kingston has given the go-ahead to Canadian Wollastonite owners Bob and Jeanine […]
Stacking Benefits: Crop performance + Carbon Sequestration September 17, 2019 - We are a proud partner with Emily Chiang in the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph to investigate the carbon sequestration potential of Canadian Wollastonite in agricultural soils. Boosting crop performance and sequestering carbon is an exciting combination to offer a warming world with a growing human population. There are two key highlights […]
More results for disease resistance with the use of calcium silicate – this time with strawberries August 30, 2019 - In this study, calcium, potassium, and sodium silicate are tested against a common synthetic fungicide for black root rot disease suppression in strawberries. The short story is calcium and potassium silicates are tied in the end for effectiveness, and each achieves an equal or greater resistance in the infected strawberry plants tested against the synthetic […]
Another study is in: Calcium silicate reduced cadmium availability for a food crop while boosting plant performance March 12, 2019 - The heavy metal Cadmium is still a key ingredient in single-use batteries, was widely used to protect steel from rusting, and continues to be used in paint pigments and plastic treatments. There are many cadmium elevated and contaminated soils due to its unfortunate mismanagement. This is a great straight forward study examining the potential of […]
Wollastonite enhances nutrient recovery from human urine February 19, 2019 - Increases in the global food supply and fertilizer costs are putting pressure on human systems to cycle nutrients in a more effective manner. The negative ecological consequences of nutrient leaching are well known, especially for nitrogen and phosphorus. Until we found this study, we were unaware of the potential for wollastonite to adsorb or react […]
Positive trial results (again) for the use of wollastonite in growing high-quality pesticide-free cannabis February 12, 2019 - Wollastonite can greatly improve pest and disease tolerance for many crops including cannabis. Increasing silicon availability in the soil and therefore uptake into the plant improves internal immune system responses and can provide a physical fortification as silicon accumulates in cell wall tissue. The following trial summary demonstrates a strong case for the use of […]
Silicon Rocks – Calcium Silicate is the winner for economical and effective silicon fertilizer use November 20, 2018 - Research on the many benefits of boosting plant available silicon with wollastonite remains limited, however, initial studies and reports from the field demonstrate the significant potential of calcium silicate to provide big returns across a wide variety of crops and growing conditions. Here is an excellent summary of options and testing to get the many […]
Big results are in for the benefits of wollastonite in cannabis production November 6, 2018 - Wollastonite has demonstrated great benefits with silicon intensive monocot crops and as expected, this carries through to cannabis. The use of wollastonite in greenhouse production has routinely shown positive benefits for crop quality and production. The results summarized at the link below are above our expectations, but we can easily see the possibility from the multiple […]
Calcium, the king of crop nutrients, may have found a new queen: silicon August 31, 2018 - The title of this post is from a new article we came across from a fertilizer manufacturer and retailer with some interesting observations about the power of silicon and calcium, both nutrients that are naturally found at high concentrations in Canadian Wollastonite. The article describes multiple benefits of calcium and silicon: thicker cell walls, increased […]
Canadian Wollastonite is an Ideal Amendment for Outdoor Cannabis Production July 30, 2018 - With the recent approval of small-scale outdoor Cannabis production in Canada, growers will be looking for premium fertilizer and soil amendment products. The yield and disease tolerance benefits of plant-available silicon have been shown across a wide range of crop types. Wollastonite is a proven low cost and easy to apply source of silicon and […]
New research project: Innovative carbon-sequestering fertilizers June 18, 2018 - We are proud to announce a new research partnership with the University of Guelph to evaluate the potential of Canadian Wollastonite to sequester carbon dioxide into Ontario soils. Applying wollastonite to agricultural soils shows strong potential as a shovel-ready solution to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Recent scientific studies suggest that when calcium silicate (wollastonite) […]
New Research: Enhancing CO2 sequestration with Wollastonite May 14, 2018 - This research evaluates the effects of naturally occurring enzymes and specialized human-made compounds on the breakdown of wollastonite to improve the efficiency of carbon sequestration from the atmosphere. In summary, the findings suggest that metal-organic frameworks (MOF) are more effective than naturally occurring enzymes for enhancing carbon sequestration from wollastonite. In case you wanted to […]
Wollastonite stands out for plant available silicon and disease suppression April 19, 2018 - Wollastonite is good for plants: Summary of current research on silicon and wollastonite by expert Joseph Heckman Excerpt: Wollastonite: A Good Choice for Delivering Silicon “Research conducted on New Jersey soils compared various fertilizer sources for plant-available silicon and powdery mildew suppression using pumpkin as a test crop. The most effective material for supplying plant-available Si […]
Wollastonite at work in a Tropical No-Till System March 1, 2018 - Surface application of limestone and calcium-magnesium silicate in a tropical no-tillage system Research paper summary Although lime is currently the most commonly applied material for soil acidity correction in Brazil, calcium- magnesium silicate application may efficiently replace this source due to its higher solubility and silicon supply, which is beneficial for plant development. This study […]
New Ontario based research on the carbon dioxide sequestering power of Wollastonite February 28, 2018 - Canadian Wollastonite is a partner in this project lead by Emily Chiang in the School of Environment at the University of Guelph. The potential of Canadian Wollastonite to have a positive impact on our environment and improve agricultural crop quality is fascinating and we look forward to supporting this research as it moves forward. Carbon-sequestering […]
Wollastonite in Water: A Clear Difference! July 27, 2016 - 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.
Wollastonite: A win-win for sustainable phosphorus management June 17, 2016 - 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 […]
Re-Blog: Silica – The Hidden Cost of Chemicals June 14, 2016 - 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 […]
A Natural Solution to Control Grub Damage? June 9, 2016 - 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 […]
Video: Silicon, A Valuable Fungicide February 11, 2016 - 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 […]
Introducing … Canadian Wollastonite! August 19, 2015 - Welcome to the Canadian Wollastonite blog. This is where we’ll share the latest information on our activities, whether they’re happening at the mine site, at research facilities, or on farms and gardens. In the first post, we’ll give a brief overview of our research activities and the on-farm trials that have been taking place over […]