Posts

The management of soils with excessive sodium and magnesium levels

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Reading Time: 15 minutes

Soils containing excessive concentrations of sodium and magnesium can have detrimental effects on plant growth and productivity. These minerals can accumulate in the soil to high levels due to various factors, including irrigation with water containing high salt content, excessive application of fertilizers rich in these minerals, and the deposition of animal excreta from grazing animals, which contain significant amounts of sodium and magnesium.

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Biological N fixation and legumes

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Taking advantage, or greater advantage, of biological nitrogen fixation, seems like a logical option for a chemical nitrogen substitute. Adding legumes to your cropping system, and managing them well, has great potential to add significant amounts of nitrogen to your system, in a more sustainable way than chemical fertilisers.

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protozoa and bacteria graphic

Protozoa and protozoa tea

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

What are protozoa? Protozoa are microbes beneficial to soil health. They help to cycle nutrients such as nitrogen as well as attract earth worms. Find here instructions to make your own protozoa tea to inoculate the soil.

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What is nature telling you?

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Often farmers treat the farm as a whole and that is completely wrong. Fields within a few meters from each other can have completely different characteristics, especially with regards to soil biology.

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The fate of nitrogen: nitrate-N vs ammonium-N

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Nitrogen is the growth element. Plants need it, no doubt about that. In the first half of a plant’s growth cycle, it takes in about 80% of the total nitrogen it needs for the entire cycle.

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Spreading lime

Understanding lime and gypsum better

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

There is often confusion about what type of lime to use, how effective lime is and what the difference is between lime and gypsum. Read this blog to understand all this better.

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Plants, the root of your profit

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

The unique and constant interaction between plant roots, bacteria and fungi creates a fantastic symbiosis. Farmers are able to facilitate or limit this interaction through the practices they implement.

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Know your soil

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

The soil is more than just a big blob of brown stuff. It has organic matter, mineral particles as well as a variety of microorganisms. The quantity of each of these determines the health of that soil.

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Don’t expect miracle pastures from nitrogen alone

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Nitrogen alone cannot carry the responsibilities of other nutrients in the plant. That is why farmers need to have a balance of all essential plant nutrients in order to archive optimal growth.

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The law of the minimum

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

In order to gain anything from the law of the minimum, it is imperative that we know what the least available resource is.

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