AZOMITE® International | Frequently Asked Questions | Facts (2024)

AZOMITE® is a highly mineralized complex silica ore (Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate or HSCAS), mined in Utah from an ancient deposit left by an volcanic eruption that filled a small nearby seabed an estimated 30 million years ago. AZOMITE® is used as a naturally rich soil re-mineralizer for plants, as well as a feed ingredient for animals. In a typical chemical assay, AZOMITE® contains more than 70 trace minerals which include many rare earth elements (lanthanides). Many of these elements have been depleted from soils worldwide.

AZOMITE® is mined from an ancient volcanic ash deposit in central Utah, USA. Scientists believe that the unique chemical make-up of AZOMITE® was created when an ancient volcano erupted and the ash settled into a seabed. The combination of seawater, fed by hundreds of rivers rich in minerals, and the rare and abundant minerals present in volcanic ash created the AZOMITE® mineral composition unique toits deposit. Today, this geologic characteristic is an outcropping known as a "hogback". The minerals are gathered and packaged by AZOMITE® Mineral Products, Inc. for distribution all over the world.

AZOMITE® (pronounced ā-zō-mite) is an acronym created and registered as a trademark by its founder, Rollin Anderson, for the"A to Z Of Minerals Including Trace Elements".

According to research and customer reports, plants grown with AZOMITE® produce more and larger fruits and vegetables per plant resulting in a better tasting food products with improved resistance to disease. AZOMITE® has shown positive results in a wide variety of plants in the field and in the laboratory. There is evidence that AZOMITE® improves nutritional benefits.

AZOMITE® is available in three forms for targeted soil application including Micronized, Field Grade and Granulated. It is produced as both Micronized and Feed Grit for animal feed use. A detailed description of AZOMITE® products available can be found here »

AZOMITE® Mineral Products has documented numerous University, fertilizer company, AZOMITE® Distributor, and farmer field test research results. These show positive results on a variety of soils and plants all over the world. The pH of AZOMITE® itself is alkaline, however adding AZOMITE® does not seem to raise the pH of the soil or soil-water, so it can be used on any pH soil or soil type.

Micronized AZOMITE® is processed into a fine powder that is around minus 200 mesh and is the most available to plants. As it is a very dusty product, it must be applied by hand or mixed with compost. A coarser product, AZOMITE® Field Grade, is also available for soil use. It is moderately dusty and more affordable than the Granulated AZOMITE®. Lastly, Granulated AZOMITE® is available for easy soil application in a broadcast spreader. As long as AZOMITE® is in the root zone, the plant will benefit. Most farmers apply AZOMITE® directly to the soil at planting. Water will ensure that the roots are able to reach the trace elements.

AZOMITE® tests have reported positive results in many plant species including: wine grapes, table grapes, sugarcane, potatoes, rice, watermelon, tomatoes, melons, cantaloupes, onion, garlic, papaya, lemons, oranges, cocoa, coffee, mango, oaks, pines, peaches, chilies, berries, eggplant, tobacco, ornamentals, wheat, corn and many others. AZOMITE® is uniquely capable of nourishing most plant life as it provides the trace elements that the native soil is often lacking.

In most cases, no. The world's cropland has been under cultivation for many decades and each crop cycle removes trace minerals from the soil or the elements are lost through erosion and pesticide use. Since most fertilizer programs only replace Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), crops become deficient when the soil has been depleted of the trace elements. Plants can complete their life cycle without the full range of minerals but will not produce at their full potential with optimum resistance to disease.

Most conventional fertilizers contain mainly Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), which are called macronutrients. Plants require macronutrients in large amounts. NPK are only three of the essential nutrients required by plants. When choosing a fertility program, growers often neglect trace minerals and focus primarily on NPK. For plants to complete their life cycle and produce at full potential, a wide range of trace minerals is necessary; AZOMITE® contains a wide range, from A to Z. AZOMITE® is a natural inorganic substance and does not harm the environment. AZOMITE® is 100% natural and OMRI-listed for use in organic production.

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. Conventional fertilizer programs focus on the macronutrients like Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). However, if one of the many essential trace elements is deficient in the soil, the plant will not perform at its optimum, affecting yield and immune function.

AZOMITE® supplies trace elements and some Potassium (K). and does not provide Nitrogen (N) or Phosphorus (P), therefore farmers should not reduce any part of their fertility program that provides N or P. Farmers can reduce other silicate-based fertilizers or micro-nutrient providers with AZOMITE® use but it is difficult to say how much without a soil analysis. AZOMITE® use has shown increased yields and improved disease resistance even in addition to a complete fertility program. Most farmers report a more rapid rate of growth and increased yields within one harvest.

AZOMITE® is listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic production. Many fertilizers receive chemical alterations or go through an intensive manufacturing process. AZOMITE® is simply mined, crushed and sold and is 100% natural in the most basic sense. Chemically, the term "organic" means that the minerals are bound to a carbon atom. As the minerals in AZOMITE® are oxides, not bound to carbon, they are technically considered "inorganic".

No, Bentonite is an absorbent aluminum phyllosilicate. AZOMITE® is a Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate (HSCAS), and does not swell.

We do not market AZOMITE® for human consumption.

Yes, but it is very different from the few glacial rock dust products on the market. AZOMITE® is a mineralized, compacted volcanic ash in origin and is volcanic rather than glacial.

Yes, but in lesser amounts than exist in a typical soil sample. Chemically, AZOMITE® is a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS), which carries a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) classification. In addition AZOMITE® is listed for certified organic agriculture use by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). AZOMITE® is a natural product from the Earth, which has not been chemically altered and cannot harm the environment.

The European Union's regulatory upper limit for Dioxin/PCB contamination of a mineral feed additive is 1 TEQ (1 nanogram/kilogram). None of the assayed raw materials in AZOMITE® have reached these limits. An assay prepared by an independent contractor documented results in two separate tests »

No. The FDA and American Association of Feed Control Officials establish strict guidelines for the amount of various natural contaminates that show up in all types of feed ingredients. At 6.2ppm, AZOMITE® falls well below the guidelines for allowed lead in natural feedstuffs.

No. The alumina in AZOMITE® is not biologically available. It is bound to the silica and is an aluminosilicate. "Aluminum the metal" can only be derived from "alumina" through the process of smelting. Sand, clay, most rock deposits, and soil deposits are primarily aluminosilicates. In the words of Sally Fallon, President of the Weston Price foundation, "It does contain aluminum, but it is also rich in silica, which counteracts the aluminum. People have been eating clay and dirt as a tradition for thousands of years and all clay contains aluminum and silica." A full certificate of analysis is available here »

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) refers to the capacity of exchange between a cation (a positively charged ion) in solution, in the soil, and another cation on the surface of any negatively charged material such as AZOMITE®. CEC is a measure of soil fertility, nutrient retention capacity and the capacity to protect groundwater from cation contamination. AZOMITE®'s typical CEC range is 25 - 30 meq/100 g.

No, AZOMITE® is no more radioactive than common dirt. While there is a very slight reading with use of sophisticated instruments, it is primarily associated with the amount of the valuable potassium contained in AZOMITE®. The reading is comparative to the reading for a radish, carrot or Brazil nut and even lower than the typical amount from a glass of milk. For more detailed professional data, please refer to the most recent gross alpha/beta test report prepared by the Life Sciences Division of ALS Environmental Laboratory Group ».