Table of Contents
What’s Inside
Ways to Feed Your Plants
Learn three methods of using Root-Candy with Watering Stones, Deficiency Dusts, and Substrates. We’ve made it easy for you to tailor the way you add nutrients to your garden. You’ll see these symbols often, click on them to read more and learn!
A Deeper Dive
Take a closer look at each stone included in your collection and how to properly use them.
Amazonite
Potassium like dried banana peels
BOOSTS Potassium
HELPS: All aspects of growth and photosynthetic
SUGGESTED USE: Watering stone potassium is a much-needed macronutrient, keep amazonite watering stones for a small feed every time you water.
Vivianite
Iron Phosphate
BOOSTS Phosphorus + IRON
HELPS: Strong cell walls and grow strong roots
SUGGESTED USE: Bone meal is a standard source of DIY phosphorus. Iron is included in standard fertilizers. Some plants need more phosphorus than others particularly flowering plants like hoya and those with thicker root systems.
Green Aventurine
Silica
TEXTURE: Rough porous rock
HELPS: Strengthen roots
SUGGESTED USE: Top dressing inside and out. On potted plants to cover the surface of the soil around your plant. This will help maintain moisture levels and keep pests like soil gnats at bay. Use outside as a tool to train wildlife away from plants.
Thulite
Like eggs shells and seaweed
BOOSTS: Calcium and Manganese
HELPS: Macro and Micro feeder
SUGGESTED USE: Watering Stone. A manganese deficiency in plants often results from soils too rich in organic matter.
Optical Calcite
Calcium like egg shells.
BOOSTS: Calcium
HELPS: Cell wall, photosynthesis, growth
SUGGESTED USE: Add sparingly to top cover or bare soil as a macro-nutrient supply. Amount varies on need of plant. It may be left in pot for the life of plant and turned into the soil when depleted as calcite will dissolve in water over time. This is why you have so many!! Feed those plants.
Other Uses For Root Candy
BEAUTIFUL STONE FILTER FOR HUMIDITY TRAYS simply a tray or shallow dish filled with rocks and water. Place your potted plant on top of the tray increase the moisture in the air around the plant.
PLANT TEA Best for any of our macro and micro nutrients candies, fill a clear container with rocks and soak in water for up to 24 hours. Use this charged water to give your plants a boost of growing fuel. This is also a great way to increase any ritual work you do with moonwater or intention work you do with your plants.
MARKERS Have a plant that needs extra love or attention? Use root candy to color code your plants based off their needs. Also great for house sitting or forgetful plant parents. Which plants need to be watered everyday? Oh ya, the ones with blue rocks! Easy.
Watering Stone
Water Stones are beautiful and functional. Stones can be placed around plant in any design you wish. Simply water directly onto the stone instead of watering your soil. Nutrients slowly trickle into the soil and root system. Water will change the appearance of your watering stone, causing it to be richer in color and more gemmy. Keep watering stones with plants for as long as necessary. They can be rearranged or used with other plants, just be sure to clean them in between. Watering Stones are a great way to feed your plant necessary macro + micronutrients over time without any chance of over feeding. After many waterings some stones may begin to degrade. This just means it’s working! Some stones will break down more quickly than others based off the hardness of the stone. Make sure to only use Root-Candy stones for your plants. Many stones have chemical treatments or polishing compounds that are harmful to plants. Root-Candy rocks are selected for being natural and untreated, which does mean they will overtime be eaten by your plants
Small Feeders
Similar to our line of Deficiency Dusts, small feeders are somewhere between a watering stone and a dust, slow over time release. They provide essential macro and micronutrients while being beautiful and keeping their raw crystal form. Some dust will gather in the bottoms of the containers use this as a normal deficiency dust. There are many ways to use just keep in mind these stones will release macro and micro nutrients so too many can overfeed a plant. Add a few stones in a group to use as a watering place in potted plants, or if your plant is small enough these make great little watering stones. You can also scatter cover outside and larger potted plants. You don’t want to use small feeders as a Top Cover (dense rock covering all visible soil of a potted plant) because you can overfeed and create a nutrient excess. However Small feeders are perfect to used in conjunction with a “free element” top cover. Add a few stones as decorative accents in a top cover and use like a watering stone.
Top Cover
Use “Top Dressing” to cover the surface of the soil of your potted plants. See The Autumn Collection for more details on how to use Top Cover this way. For Spring we find a top cover very helpful for outdoor gardens. Scatter green aventurine around freshly sown seeds to “teach” birds those soon-to-be green sprouts are rocks. This is a great trick to use for strawberries and other plants that birds love to nibble. Scatter like colored stones prior to the ripening of your crops to trick birds into leaving your new plants alone. You can do this with Macro and Micro nutrient rich stones for a feeding. We suggest a lighter hand in the amount of nutrient rich stones you use until in this way so not to overfeed.
Gemstones and minerals can provide the same nutrients as synthetic and lab cultured chemical plant foods.
Macronutrients are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) , Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sulfur (S),
Micronutrients are Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Boron (B), Molybdenum (Mo), Cobalto (Co) and Zinc (Z)
There are also “Free atoms” not considered a nutrient to supplement, and these three atoms make up over 50% of the mass of any organism; they are: Carbon (C) and Oxygen (O), and Hydrogen (H), converted from carbon dioxide and water in the environment. Silica is a great soil additive that is similar to other inorganic amendments like vermiculite, perlite, and gravel.
Looking For More Guidance?
We’re always happy to help you and your plants! Email us at hello@root-candy.com
Helpful & Interesting Links
A friend of ours recently an interesting article on how to detect crystals by surveying the plants found in your area. Read the Organic Mining article here!