Re: seedling mulch

> From: Richard T. Apking <richa@midlands.net>
> Hi Marge,
> > What is grit (I know and loath what grits are) and what brand
name do I look
> for???  Rich in Z-5
----------

Rich, grit is ground up granite (generally - I understand in some
places it can be ground oyster shell and I think you can get ground
quartz or other types of stone in the far west).  I believe it's
really a byproduct of granite quarry operations, not something that's
produced as a primary item.  It's sold at feed and grain stores -
mostly to poultry farmers as a feed additive as birds require grit to
digest their food.  

The grit I buy is produced by the North Carolina Granite Co. in Mt.
Airy, North Carolina under the name of Gran-i-grit...I am assuming
they limit their distribution to the east coast and that grit found
in the midwest comes from another source, but I do not know this for
a fact.  I know they have a distributor in New Jersey and maybe
farther north as well.

I have come to adore grit - it's so great for topping seed pots,
mixing with potting soil, adding to clay soil - the grower size works
a treat for loosing up clay.  I've even exchanged email with the
president of the company, trying to convince them they need to market
this at Home Despot, Lowes and garden centers - think they are
missing a major marketing item here in the hort. world.  Seems the
hold up there is that the big box stores need a distribution system
that is dramatically different from what they now use in catering to
farm suppliers...one can live in hope since I now have to go 45 miles
to get mine since my area has become so suburbanized all the feed and
grain stores are gone.  It is NOT something you're going to find
easily in an urban area.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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