The use of compost and creating soil carbon is a valuable resource for viticulture, as it can help to improve soil health and produce higher quality grapes. Our special blend of composts and soil improvers is rich in nutrients and organic matter, which can help to improve soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability.
Building soil organic carbon with quality composted products will help you reduce stress on your vines in difficult conditions and reduce losses through disease. Promoting a diverse and active soil biology will result in a cycle of building soil health that further increases the benefits of our products.
Plants that are supplied with complex carbon forms can’t help but create more complex flavours in their fruit than a bare soil supplied with a limited range of refined nutrients. In addition there are implications between the plant pest and disease resistance effects of compost and production of secondary metabolites that can strongly influence the colour, aftertaste and aroma of wines. Contact us to find out how we can help you produce complex flavours from healthily complex soils.
Humicarb is our flagship for soil health. It is designed to provide the maximum of soil health benefits such as microbial stimulation, root growth increases and increased soil water holding. Humicarb can be used pre-planting to prepare a healthy soil, or it can be used on the surface of the soil around the base of existing trees, either on its own or in combination with a coarse mulch over the top. Use at rates between 5 and 30m3.
Quicken is a medium maturity product designed to provide a middle ground between soil feeding and soil health. It can be used pre-planting to build soil fertility and improve seedling establishment, or it can be used on the surface of the soil around the base of existing trees to improve plant health and productivity, either on its own or in combination with a mulch. Use at rates between 5 and 50m3.
Wandalup Gold is a mix high and moderate maturity components that gives an excellent balance between soil feeding and soil health benefits. It can be used pre-planting to prepare a healthy soil, or it can be used on the surface of the soil around the base to act as both a soil conditioner and a fine mulch. We have found fine mulches to be more effective at keeping soil temperatures stable (important in the middle of winter and summer) and preventing evaporation of soil water. Wandalup Gold contains long fibres that knit to create the cohesiveness that makes a good fine mulch. Use at rates between 5 and 50m3 per hectare for pre-planting and at thicknesses of 20-100mm as a mulch.
OSC (organic soil conditioner) can either be used as a cost effective way to build soil carbon during orchard planting, or as a durable and cohesive mulch. Our tests have shown that the fine structure of OSC has a greater ability to provide a moisture barrier between soil and the atmosphere than large coarse mulches. Compared to a coarse mulch we have seen significantly more stable soil temperatures and significantly less soil water evaporation. Use at rates of 10 to 100m3 per hectare for soil conditioners and at thicknesses of 50-100mm for mulches.
Eco mulch is a medium maturity, coarse mulch designed to protect the soil surface from heat and wind and water erosion. By protecting the soil surface from the elements the soil can be functional right to the surface, giving you a greater volume of active soil to for roots and soil biology to explore for oxygen, water and nutrients. Eco Mulch is best used in combination with a fine mulch. A fine mulch against the soil will provide an air insulation layer that more effectively prevents extremes of soil temperature, and reduces soil water evaporation. A coarse mulch above the fine mulch will prevent the fine mulch from being blown away by wind, or degraded quickly by sunlight.
Apply at thicknesses between 30 and 100mm around the base of the tree, preferably extending underneath 80% of the canopy.
If you would like to know more about our powerful soils that are creating naturally stronger growth and harnessing the power of soil carbon,gain access to our resource centre today. This features our product brochures, SDS’s and information about our unique range of soil improvers, mulches and services.