Good or bad fertiliser?

Question

Last year I've used a fertilizer named AZOMITE and this year I didn't have much fig-crop (it is fall now where I am). Last year, at this time, I had a lot of figs.

Anybody know if this fertilizer has a bad effect on it?

Answer 1

It's neither good nor bad - how effective azomite will be is simply down to the level of trace elements already in your soil. If none is lacking, then its a waste of time and money adding it. It contains no nitrogen or phosphorus, but does contain some potassium - these three are known as NPK and are key ingredients in ordinary fertilizers. The manufacturers of azomite do not recommend, for instance, that farmers stop using their other fertilizers if they use the product - its meant to be an emendment rather than a substitute for fertilization. Whether or not the use of azomite instead of an ordinary fertlizer containing the three key ingredients has contributed to a reduced crop is hard to say - weather conditions (dryness, temperature, etc) will have an impact. On the other hand, if you used ordinary, or more regular, fertilizers in previous years with good results, but only azomite this year, then I suggest you revert to whatever you were using previously.

If your fig is growing in sandy soil, or in a pot, it will need more fertilizer (something with an NPK of 8-8-8 or 10-10-10) but generally, in good soil, they really don't need too much anyway. Some advice given in the link below

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/fertilizing-fig-trees.htm

Answer 2

Azomite is a kind of rockdust, which, I believe is made from a deposit from volcanic ash. Other rockdusts may be from glacial deposits, basalt (volcanic, but from lava; not ash), granite, etc. and they have slightly different compositions, but are quite similar. Rockdust is for remineralization (not fertilizer). It may help the soil microbes, which microbes may help fertility, but it should probably be used far in advance. It's high in silica and calcium. Calcium can raise your soil PH; so be careful.

I personally wouldn't recommend it for figs. I gave some basalt rockdust to a rubber plant (which is technically a fig) and it didn't seem too happy with it. (It's just in the regular, unamended potting soil it's had for years, although before applying rockdust, it had been fertilized on occasion, with such as 24-8-16 Miraclo Gro.) The rockdust made the leaves smaller, which illustrates how rockdust can make the plants need more phosphorus (phosphorus helps increase leaf size). They may need more potassium, too, considering the calcium.

After giving my plant enough phosphorus, the leaf size is back to normal, but it still has other imbalances. I recommend caution, and if you use rockdust, don't use a lot (unless you know what you're doing).

My rubber plant is indoors. The effect on outdoor plants may hopefully be better.

Muskmelons, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, etc. seem to love rockdust, but not everything does in every situation.

I also heard a rumor that Azomite is higher than ideal in gamma radiation. On the Azomite site they do say there aren't problems with two other kinds of radiation, but they don't address the gamma radiation. Because they address radiation on the website, some people assume there aren't any kinds of radiation, but they neglect the gamma. Whether that radiation in those amounts is actually bad or good, I don't know.

I don't know how radioactive other kinds of rockdust are. I have heard that glacial rockdust is higher in heavy metals, though.

You might consider sea minerals for remineralization. I'm not sure how it works for figs, but my pepper plant likes them (at least for vegetative growth and disease/insect resistance). It is high in sodium; so caution is advised here, too.