How it works
Silica, wollastonite, and your soil
Silicon is a beneficial element for plants. Silifolia makes it easy to add — as a liquid you spray or a granular amendment you work into soil. Here’s the honest version of why it matters.
What wollastonite is
Wollastonite is a natural calcium-silicate mineral (CaSiO₃). As it weathers in soil it slowly releases calcium and plant-available silicon, and it gently raises pH — a lot like agricultural lime, but with a silicon package lime doesn’t provide. Ontario is home to one of the world’s notable wollastonite deposits, which is why this is such a natural fit for a local product.
What silicon does for plants
Plants take up silicon and deposit it in their tissues, reinforcing cell walls and the leaf surface. Peer-reviewed research on wollastonite and silicon has associated this with sturdier structure, better moisture retention under drought, and improved soil physical condition. Silifolia’s job is simply to make that silicon — and the calcium alongside it — easy to apply, whether you farm hundreds of acres or a few raised beds.
Liquid or granular?
- SiliFol Concentrate (liquid): a fast way to get silicon onto and around plants as a foliar spray or root drench — great for gardeners, market gardens and greenhouses.
- SiliCal Soil (granular): milled wollastonite worked into soil for slow-release calcium, silica and pH correction — great for beds, pasture and field crops.
Typical starting rates
A starting point only — always adjust to your crop and a current soil test.
| Product | How to use | Typical starting rate |
|---|---|---|
| SiliFol Concentrate (liquid) | Foliar spray or root drench | ~1–2 mL per litre of water; repeat every few weeks in the growing season |
| SiliCal Soil (granular) | Worked into beds & pots before planting | A light handful per square metre, mixed into the top few cm |
| SiliCal Soil (field) | Spread with a lime/fertilizer spreader | Set from your soil test — roughly 1.2–1.3× your ag-lime rate by neutralizing value |
Not sure which size or rate you need? Tell us your crop and acreage and we’ll suggest a rate — free.
What we can say
- Raises soil pH comparably to ag-lime (at roughly 1.2–1.3× the rate).
- Supplies calcium plus plant-available silica (SiO₂) that lime alone does not.
- Releases calcium slowly — measurable in follow-up soil tests over several seasons.
- Adds plant-available silicon, linked in research to stronger cuticles and drought resilience.
- Improves water infiltration and soil physical condition.
- Weathers in soil, capturing carbon as it does — a genuine climate co-benefit.
What we won’t overclaim
- We don’t claim Silifolia “cures” pests or diseases.
- We don’t make plant- or animal-health or medical claims.
- We don’t call it a soil-microbiome booster or a regenerative “silver bullet.”
- We don’t market it as certified organic unless a specific product is certified.
Ontario field studies of wollastonite (University of Guelph and others) have reported crop yield responses in the range of about +9–20% along with measurable pH gains, and pot/microplot studies show larger effects at high rates. We present these as research on the mineral, not as a guarantee of results on your farm. Silifolia is a soil amendment sold in compliance with Canada’s fertilizer regulations; product labels carry the guaranteed analysis.
See it on your own soil
The best proof is your own plot. Request a free sample and try silica this season.