• To product selection guide
   
• To frequently asked questions

SOIL CARBON & FERTILITY
 
The soil has an enormous potential to capture and store Carbon, however fertilizers, chemicals and cultivation burn off of huge amounts from the soil and the impact of this Carbon loss is only just becoming appreciated in many soil based industries. In fact the loss of soil Carbon which has accelerated over the past 60 - 70 years (since the introduction of chemicals & fertilizers) is also responsible for a huge loss of beneficial soil microbes.
 
The loss of soil bio-diversity (microbes) is the reason that many soils are becoming tired and less responsive, and why plants grown in these soils suffer with ever increasing pressure from disease and pests.
 
Managing soil Carbon is as much about minimising damage as it is about the constant addition of organic amendments and reducing the loss of soil Carbon holds big advantages for the soil manager. Even gradual improvements in the organic status of the soil will increase the soils’ ability to retain nutrients and assist in building microbial activity, which has a multitude of benefits.
 
The preservation and effective management of soil Carbon should be a key strategy for anyone managing a soil based enterprise, and anyone interested in improving profits or reducing input costs and is it likely to become more important as time progresses.
 
PRODUCTS THAT REBUILD SOIL CARBON & FERTILITY
 
One of the secrets to managing soil Carbon is stability, there are a multitude of Carbon amendments available, but only those which contain complex, ‘long chain’ molecular Carbon will be able to build Carbon effectively.
 
Products such as (OziVerm or GranoVerm) and solid humic materials (Humi-K Soluble Humate & Calcium Humate) are the most stable and the Carbon contained in these products remains in the soil for some time. Similarly products such as (Soilsafe MEND and Soilsafe Activated P) also contain useful amounts of stable Carbon.
 
Manures may seem to be a cheap source of organic matter, but they are generally not a good source of Organic Carbon, unless they have been properly composted (not just aged). If composting hasn’t been done effectively the material will not be stable and Carbon will be quickly lost to the atmosphere as CO₂ , additionally if the material has gone through an anaerobic process, the material is also likely to contain disease organisms and have the potential to carry high salt loads.
 
The same can be said of all ‘composts’ because they must also be properly composted, otherwise you are just buying decomposing waste.
 
Fertilizers, particularly Nitrogen, burn off significant amounts of soil Carbon. To overcome this and protect Carbon, (humates) should be added every time you apply fertilizer products containing Nitrogen. For best results add solid humic products  (Humi -K Soluble Humate) or liquid products (Liquid Humate & BioGrow). Similarly you could use nutritional products which are buffered with organic acids (Activated P, CMB Trio, Cal Shuttle, Cal Phos &  Super K) are examples.
 
Possibly the most important builders and stabilisers of soil Carbon are the soil microbes themselves.
 
They breakdown and convert plant residues and have a primary role in stabilising organic Carbon in the soil. For these natural processes to function effectively however, a broad diversity of beneficial soil microbes need to be present, (Soil & Plant Tonic and OziVerm) are both broad based ‘live’ biological inoculants which can help enhance this natural process.
 
In addition to inoculating with the appropriate soil microbes, stimulating soil biology is also an important management strategy because different plant species require different microbial populations and these can be managed and manipulated to suit these different requirements.
 
In addition to inoculants, biological stimulants such as (BioGrow, Deep Sea Kelp, Fulvik Liquid, Fulvik Powder, Liquid Humate, Humi K Soluble Humate and Liquid Fish) can be used to build and manage beneficial soil microbes.


Guide to product selection.

The following is a guide to product selection only - Please refer to our Products & Services page for more detailed information
 
GENERAL SOIL & CROP MANAGEMENT

We have a number products and services to help manage plant nutrition and pest and disease pressures which are based on more natural ingredients to reduce the impact on the soil. 


To adjust nutrient deficiencies, maximise yield and reduce plant stress;

CMB Trio       – Calcium, Magnesium and Boron are three key elements that should be maintained at all times.
Super K         – a super available form of Potassium in a high pH form.
MicroCal        – Micronised (liquid Lime) in a complex with Fulvic acid to increase uptake.
Micro Gyp      – Micronised (liquid Gypsum) in a complex with Fulvic acid to increase uptake.
Micro Cal Mag – Micronised (liquid Dolomite) in a complex with Fulvic acid to increase uptake.
Micro Mag     – Micronised (liquid Magnesium Carbonate) in a complex with Fulvic acid to increase uptake.
Micro Mag     – MicronisedCalcium Phosphate complexed with fulvic acids – Nitrogen free (10%P 26%Ca)
OC KP           – Organically chelated Potassium and Phosphorus.
OC Calcium  – Organically chelated Calcium.
OC Boron     – Organically chelated Boron.
Trace Seven – A blend of seven major and seven minor trace elements.
 
To provide relief from insect and disease attack;

BiSect – contains Neem and botanical oils, a powerful/natural insect deterrent.
NemaGo Plus   – combines the insect deterring properties of steroidal Saponin with Neem.
TriGuard  – utilises the insect deterring benefits of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and Neem oils.
BioPhos  – contains Potassium Phosphites in a systemic anti fungal solution.


 To relieve soil compaction and improve the efficiency of irrigation, drainage and moisture retention;

Soil & Plant Tonic – improves soil aggregation and opens up channels to allow air and water to move more efficiently.
Nature Wet  – a powerful natural soil wetter and root stimulant.
OziVerm - improves soil aggregation and opens up channels to allow air and water to move more efficiently.
 
To provide on going protection from leaf diseases;

Soil & Plant Tonic  – the beneficial biology contained in Soil & Plant Tonic will help prevent infection from pathogens
 
To improve root health and assist with plant stress and tolerance to climatic conditions;

Root Max – combines the root stimulation effects of kelp with the steroidal benefits of Saponin.
DeepSeaKelp  – a natural stress reliever, contains plant growth stimulation with an range of important nutrients. 
 
To assist with the breakdown of crop residuals;

Soil & Plant Tonic– contains organisms to assist in the breakdown and conversion of crops residual into humic compounds
OziVerm – also contains organisms to assist in the breakdown and conversion of organic residues into stable humic compounds


To remediate and assist with soil salinity;

Leach – flocculates the soil helping to disperse Sodium and reduce the build-up of bicarbonates.
 
For base fertility and biological regeneration at cultivation;

SoilSafe Mend –  Carbon and biological benefits of GranoVerm in a complete natural fertilizer (10-2-8 + Trace)
SoilSafe Activated P – a mineral form of Phosphorous which resists ‘locking-up’ in the soil.
Cal-Phos – organic Calcium and Phosphorous complexed with Humic acids.
OziVerm – contains a light loading of nutrients including traces but has an ability to increase nutrient retention.
  
To assist with the breakdown and release of ‘tied-up’ Phosphorous;

Fulvik Liquid- will boost soil bacterial activity and solubilise ‘locked-up’ Phosphorus             
Soil & Plant Tonic – contains beneficial biology to breakdown and released ‘tied-up’ Phosphorous.
OziVerm – contains beneficial biology to breakdown and released ‘tied-up’ Phosphorous.
SoilSafe Activated P – a mineral form of Phosphorous which resists ‘locking-up’ in the soil.
 
Preventative control of nematodes, cut worms/ army worms and other root feeders;

NemaGo Plus– combines the insect deterring properties of Steroid Saponin with Neem.
TriGuard– utilises the insect deterring benefits of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and Neem oils.
BiSect– contains Neem a powerful/natural insect deterrent.
 
To help with the control of white fly aphids, moths and other leaf sucking insects;

BiSect – contains Neem a powerful/natural insect deterrent.
 
To increase the efficiency of foliar fertilizers;

FulVikLiquid – a powerful and natural chelation agent, will increase the uptake of all fertilizer products.
 
Help with problem analysis;

Soilsmart Diagnostic Services– comprehensive Soil and Plant testing which includes both chemical and biological analysis including;
 
Soil Chemistry (including available and tied-up P).
Soil Biology (including Microbial and Nematodes)
Plant Tissue Analysis
Sap Analysis

 
Back to top
 
 
 
Frequently Asked Questions
 
Q. Are there any obvious symptoms that can indicate when the soil biology has declined, or is out of balance?
 
A. There are a number of obvious symptoms to look out for.

- An increase in foliar and soil disease pressure
- A deterioration in soil structure and increased compaction
- A decrease in root activity and development
- A lack of breakdown in crop residues (thatch)
- Lack of response to fertilizers and chemical treatments
- Increased impact from root feeding nematodes and other insect pests

Of course the plants themselves are naturally weaker when biological levels are low or unbalanced, in these circumstances they will lack the strength or recuperative ability to deal with these increased pressures. Ironically the more chemicals we use to overcome or mask the symptoms, the more damage we end up doing to the soil biomass.
 
 
Q. Doesn’t the soil biology become inactive during the winter - is there any purpose in applying products in this period?
 
A. Some of the organisms will slow down over the winter months however there are always some which will be active and performing important soil management tasks. In our experience winter is a good time to build beneficial numbers, particularly if you have had pressure from pathogenic organisms during the warmer months.
 
 
Q. When using Soil & Plant Tonic, how much water do I need to apply?
 
A. You can mix Soil & Plant Tonic with as much water as you need to cover the treatment area. Because Soil & Plant Tonic is a solution containing live organisms, we are using the water as a delivery vehicle only, so dilution doesn’t matter just ensure that the product is delivered with sufficient water to cover the leaves and lightly wash the product into the soil surface.
 
Q. What happens if I need to spray fungicides or insecticides?
 
A. All fungicides and pesticides will have some impact on the soil biology, however we can now rejuvenate and rebuild the population on an ongoing basis. In fact the principal behind our programs is to build the populations to a level that can withstand some ill treatment, which will occur periodically. In practice most of our customers find that the need to apply chemicals diminishes within a relatively short time frame.
 
Q. Can I mix biological products like Soil & Plant Tonic or OziVerm with other chemicals or fertilizers?
 
A. Soil & Plant Tonic should always be applied by itself, using clean spray equipment that doesn’t have any chemical residuals. It can however be mixed with biological stimulants such as BioGrow, Deep Sea Kelp, Fulvik Liquid or Liquid Humate without any problem.
 
OziVerm is an extremely stable product and mixing with fertilizers will not have any reactionary effect, however the effect of the increased exposure to salt (from the fertilizer) is likely to have a detrimental impact of the biology contained in OziVerm, particularly if it is stored for any length of time.
 
Q. How long does it take to see results?
 
A. This is a difficult question to answer because every soil and management program is unique, and response will vary depending on the condition of the biological population at the start, but it will also depend on what other management practices occur during the process. It really depends on how degraded the biology is , we have however had customers report responses after a few days to a week from a single application, but most would take 2 – 3 months to show visible signs of change.

Back to top