GardenQuilts, I'm kind of confused about why you said "let's not go there".
My initial post was not any political statement about organic gardening, it was just a simple method for improving soil that could possibly also deter pests. Toni mentioned snakes as helpful in pest control in her yard. Snakes and hawks in my area are good at keeping the mouse population in check.
You brought up using hot pepper and moth balls. You don't see much discussion of these poisons on the rose forum because so many of us have pets. I have dogs, a cat, lots of wildlife, and I'm a bee keeper. Here's a link about moth balls in the garden:
http://www.gardeningknowhow.co...
Capsaicin is extremely toxic to bees and other beneficial insects. I don't have time to add links right now, but I can come back on later and list those that describe unintended consequences for hot pepper sprays.
The expanded shale is very different from regular rocks in the soil in both size and porosity. I'll look for links about the shale later, too.
