NATURAL MINERALS AND ROCKS
PUMICE (POMZA)
Basaltic pumice, a marvel of nature, is a highly porous material rich in iron and magnesium, formed in a spongy structure after rapid cooling of volcanic lavas. Pumice provides unique benefits in agricultural use with its physical and chemical properties. Pumice alone regulates drainage especially in clayey fields, improves root development, and is used to increase soil temperature by 1-3°C due to its black color. In addition, pumice is used as an important input material in solid organo-mineral soil conditioners registered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.
Basaltic pumice, which has high porosity, was first used for agricultural purposes in Turkey in organic agriculture by Alternatif Tarım A.Ş. due to its superior physical and chemical properties. Pumice is also used in soilless agriculture due to its unique physical conditions. Our company produces pumice from its own resources in a very wide diameter range. While pumice provides physical support such as optimal aeration, drainage and aggregation in soil, it provides chemical improvement support by supplying potassium, iron and magnesium elements to the soil. Moreover, beneficial organisms for agriculture in soil (mycorrhiza, earthworms) increase their populations due to the suitable environment provided, supporting the increase in soil quality.
Chemical Properties of Pumice
| Oxide | Amount % |
|---|---|
| SiO2 | 43.04 |
| Al2O3 | 14.88 |
| Fe2O3 | 12.94 |
| TiO2 | 2.89 |
| MnO | 0.19 |
| Cr2O3 | 0.03 |
| V2O5 | 0.03 |
| P2O5 | 0.92 |
| CaO | 8.95 |
| MgO | 10.10 |
| BaO | 0.04 |
| K2O | 1.83 |
| Na2O2 | 3.30 |
| pH | 7.0 |
A unique natural material you need to use to reclaim your soils that have lost their health and quality, and to meet your 30-year fertilizer needs when establishing a garden.
If you use 10 tons per decare:
- No need for potassium fertilizer for 50 years
- No need for phosphorus fertilizer for 10 years
- Iron meets your need for 500 years
- Zinc meets your need for 40 years
- Manganese meets your need for hundreds of years
If you want to meet these plant nutrients with chemical fertilizers currently sold in the market, you will need to spend approximately 10 times the cost for potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc and manganese nutrients that 1 ton of pumice will provide at today’s prices. For this reason, it becomes clear why the scientific world attaches importance to natural, long-lasting and water-saving basaltic pumice in our country and in the world. Alternatif Tarım A.Ş. is proud to offer our country’s highest quality and most economical basaltic pumice to our producers.
Use of Pumice in Agriculture Industry:
- In soil improvement
- In plant cultivation in low-soil or soilless environments
- Provides economical and healthy solutions in water-based agricultural production and green areas
In addition, in places with drought problems, it reduces the amount of irrigation due to its high water holding capacity.
