Soil people, same as you.
Soil Supply Co. started because we got sick of paying premiums for inputs that under-delivered. If we wouldn't put it in our own soil, it's not on the shelf.
Waterfall Way Basalt comes from the New England Tablelands of northern NSW, milled from the deep basalt beds left behind by the ancient Ebor Volcano. This was once a huge shield volcano — at least 45 km across, rising more than 800 m above the surrounding country, formed around 19 million years ago as the Australian plate drifted north over a volcanic hotspot. Erosion has since stripped away roughly 90% of it, leaving thick sheets of hard basalt across the plateau. The road that climbs from the coast up to Armidale — Waterfall Way — is named for the rivers that pour over the edges of those old lava flows, and at Ebor Falls the water drops over dramatic columns of basalt. That's the rock this product is made from.
Because it came from that setting, the stone is a hard, dense, olivine-bearing tholeiitic basalt that carries one of the highest paramagnetic readings of any basalt available in Australia. Paramagnetism is a measurable physical property of the rock (expressed in CGS units), and iron-rich basalt sits at the top of the scale. Unlike a fertiliser, basalt dust is a slow-acting remineraliser: it feeds soil biology and gradually releases a broad spectrum of minerals as it weathers, rather than delivering a quick nutrient hit. Because it breaks down slowly, a single application keeps working in the soil for a long time.
Compared to palagonite, Waterfall Way Basalt is harder and less oxidised, and it carries more reactive calcium — much of it held in calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar — which is what makes the two work so well together. Palagonite is itself a form of basalt, but its different mineral structure gives it a different release pattern, so pairing the two broadens both the range of minerals on offer and the timeframe over which they're released. The extra reactive calcium makes this basalt particularly useful in peat-based mixes and acidic soils, where a source of slow, gentle calcium helps buffer the profile without the fast pH swing of lime. Mix it through at soil-building stage, or top-dress and water in on established beds and containers.
Silica, reactive calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium (trace), plus a broad spectrum of trace elements.
Paramagnetic remineralisation and soil conditioning, providing a slow-release source of reactive calcium and trace minerals well suited to peat-based and acidic mixes.
When building a new mix, work 40–80 g per 5 L of soil through evenly at the building stage. For heavy remineralisation or a maximum paramagnetic boost, push this up to 100 g per 5 L. On established soil, top-dress at the equivalent of 20–50 g per 5 L, working it into the surface and watering in.
Soil Supply Co. started because we got sick of paying premiums for inputs that under-delivered. If we wouldn't put it in our own soil, it's not on the shelf.