Ecolite Zeolite Soil Amendment

Ecolite is an ideal soil amendment to help improve CEC, turf establishment, soil structure and long-term performance. When you add Ecolite to your soil, you are adding a reservoir for the storage of water and
nutrients.

Ecolite is a zeolite mineral and has the highest CEC of all physical soil amendments on the market. The CEC value of Ecolite is around 200 me/100g as compared to 40 me/100g for comparable calcined clay and diatomaceous earth products. This is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined, crushed and screened to an ideal particle size. It has a low bulk density of about 1,300 pounds per cubic yard, as well as a unique, rigid crystalline lattice structure. This porous structure enables the product to retain and slowly release water and nutrients into the root zone.

Research at Cornell University showed that when Ecolite is mixed with a USGA-type sand at a 10 percent rate, the CEC of the mix is more than 160 times greater than sand alone. In effect, it makes all fertilizer applications “slow release.” More of the applied nutrients end up being used by the grass plant, surge growth is diminished, and the turf grows more consistently. 

One of the greatest advantages of Ecolite, next to its CEC, is its ability to hold and release both potassium and ammonium. It adsorbs and releases these two primary nutrients with a 100-to-one preference over calcium and magnesium and a 50-to-one preference over sodium. Potassium can now be held on the soil colloid and released to the plant in both heavy soils and sand based mixes. This mineral is used for many commercial filtration products because of its ability to hold ammonium. In soil applications, this means better nitrogen holding capacity and more available nitrogen. Holding the ammonium molecules in the soil, without leaching, allows nitrogen to go through nitrification more efficiently. 

Ecolite will help build air porosity in the tightest soils. The effectiveness of Ecolite in managing air/water relations in the root zone produces two major benefits. The low bulk density, high percolation rate and increased aeration porosity significantly reduce waterlogged, anaerobic and “black layer” conditions. Its ability to hold and release plant-available water dramatically reduces the incidence of “hot spots”, or localized dry spots. Both sand and soil benefit from Ecolite when it comes to air movement through the soil.

Ecolite is available in 50 pound bags and is produced by EarthWorks Natural Organic Products.