It is not just about reclaiming tired soils, releasing locked up phosphorus, fixing nitrogen or creating a disease resistant soil. Soil structure, water management, plant health and productivity are all part of the potential gift package when you refurbish your biological workforce.

The Seven Essentials

1) Hygeine is essential if you want to avoid contamination of your brew. Microbes are everywhere but they accumulate wherever there is a food source. Any residual liquid from your last brew, left in the bottom of the tank or within the pipes attached to the pump, is food for other organisms. It consists of microbe food and huge numbers of the bodies of those creatures you last brewed. Pathogens can breed up in these residues and some of them can be inadvertently brewed up, along with the good guys during multiplication. To avoid the introduction of undesirables, your brewing system should be cleaned and sanitised immediately after each brew and before beginning a new brew. NTS has developed a high-powered agricultural disinfectant, Path-X™, which is an ideal tool to sanitise the system before and after brewing. It simply involves the addition of 20 to 50 litres of water containing ten mL of Path-X™ per litre (a dilution of 1:100). Alternatively, you can just use household bleach or hydrogen peroxide as a sanitiser but make sure that the disinfectant has been completely flushed from the system or you may kill or compromise the beneficial workforce you are trying to multiply.

2) The microbe food source must be sterile. Microbes need the same things that we do. They require, protein, carbohydrates and fatty acids and these could theoretically be sourced from something as simple as dog food or, perhaps, soya bean meal. The problem is that these potential foods are invariably contaminated with a multitude of organisms, many of which can multiply during the brewing process. It is much better to start with a food that is completely sterile. You may be concerned that if a biocide was used to sanitise the food source then it may have a negative effect on the beneficial microbes in the brew, but this is not the case. Concentrated liquid food sources are generally used at one litre per 100 litres and this level of dilution ensures that the biocide has no ongoing negative effect. NTS has developed an exceptional liquid food concentrate for brewing microbes, LMF™ (Liquid Microbe Food). This food contains a wide range of nutrients to nurture the multiplying organisms and to ensure good microbe counts in the end brew.

3) Contaminated brewing water can be an issue if the only available water for brewing comes from a dubious farm dam. In this case the water can be easily sterilised with pool chlorine but the chlorine should be gassed off before adding the microbes. This process is simple to monitor. Just bubble the treated water with your aerator until there are no further emissions of chlorine gas (this process usually takes around 60 minutes) and then add the food and microbes.

4) Use your nose to monitor your progress. If the end brew has an unpleasant smell, then it may be contaminated and not safe to apply to your crop. I have seen anaerobic brews that have actually done crop damage, so this is an important consideration. An unpleasant smell usually heralds either contamination or poor aeration. Poor aeration can sometimes be linked to overheating during the brewing process. Heat is generated during the free-for-all, breeding party that unfolds during microbe brewing. The heat should be monitored throughout the brewing process and ideally should not exceed 30 degrees centigrade. You will need to throw cold water on the proceedings if overheating occurs.

5) Choose a brewing inoculum that best suits your requirements. For example, if you have used a multitude of chemicals in your farming operation over the years, it is a safe bet to assume that you will benefit from building biodiversity. The best choice here is compost tea, as you are multiplying many thousands of different species and re-introducing this diverse workforce to your soils. If your farm has a history of applied phosphate and you are seeking to access the locked up reserves that are part and parcel of the use of acid phosphate (up to 70% of everything you have applied in the past), then you will get a more pronounced response if you select a task-specific inoculum to release this frozen reserve. We have had tremendous results for the past 15 years in over forty countries with our task-specific inoculum, Nutri-Life 4/20™. Unlike compost tea, this blend contains huge numbers of a couple of dozen specialist species that excel in the release of locked-up phosphate and the fixing of nitrogen from the atmosphere. You will always see a more pronounced and obvious response with a task specific inoculum, like 4/20™, due to the nitrogen and phosphate response, but this should not detract from the importance of building biodiversity with compost tea. There are also cellulose digesting fungi in the 4/20™ blend and it is now possible to select for either bacterial or fungal dominance when brewing.

6) Don’t use molasses or sugar as bio-stimulants during microbe brewing. These simple sugars tend to select for a limited number of bacterial species and these species then completely dominate during the brewing process. The end result is less biodiversity and an increased likelihood of brewing undesirable organisms. For example, E-coli runs rampant in the presence of these simple sugars during brewing. It is a far better option to use fulvic acid to encourage bacteria. This natural acid boosts the full spectrum of bacteria.

7) Create your compost tea inoculum from several different compost sources for maximum response. There are quite different mixes of species in different compost sources. A compost made from cow manure contains different organisms to a compost made from chook manure, pig manure or no manure. The ideal inoculum would involve  a little of each. The compost should be stored separately before use rather than blending the mix in advance to avoid a likely loss of biodiversity that can occur over time in the warfare world of the soil foodweb. Seek the very best sources of these different composts and the cost is immaterial. Even if you pay an exorbitant price for a great compost, shipped from thousands of kilometres away it does not matter. There are only very small amounts of actual compost required to make compost tea. For example, one kilogram of compost makes one hundred litres of compost tea and that amount is applied to a hectare. If the compost costs as much as $400 per tonne, this still only equates to 40 cents per hectare, so you might as well source the very best inoculum.

If you have not yet discovered the multiple benefits of microbe brewing then it is time for a pleasant surprise. It may sound like some strange, foreign process but it is really quite simple and incredibly cost effective. You can source a 1000 litre shuttle for around $300 or a 200 litre drum for $50 and these serve as microbe brewing tanks (depending upon the scale of your operation). A small submersible pump can be used in the 200 litre drum or a spa pump can be utilised in the shuttle. You can make your own venturis to deliver oxygen or you can source venturi kits from NTS. We will offer advice to help a D.I.Y setup or we can supply a range of accessories for microbe brewing. The bottom line is that many soils have been biologically compromised with extractive agriculture and microbe brewing offers a unique opportunity to re-charge soil life at minimal cost.

The Eighth Essential

We’ve discussed the seven essentials for successful microbe brewing but there is an additional requirement that is at least as important. This eighth essential relates to your capacity to control the microbe brewing process to achieve a desired species mix. Herein lies a major problem experienced by most people who have embraced bug brewing. It is really difficult to achieve fungal domination when brewing microorganisms. This is a constant frustration because it is beneficial fungi that are the creatures most lacking in most soils, when a soil life count is conducted. Bacteria subdivide at a much more rapid rate than fungi, so, in a brewing situation, it is inevitable that the bacteria take command and unfortunately this creates undesirable conditions for fungal proliferation. Bacteria release alkaline exudates but fungi prefer acidic conditions so this simple biochemical ploy magnifies the bacterial dominance. You can start a compost tea with a compost, rich in visible fungi, but the bacteria that are still present exert their dominance within hours. One trick that helps slow down the bacteria is to add an acid material to the brewing tank. The pH of the brewing solution must be maintained below 5 throughout the process to encourage fungal domination. Vinegar or citric acid are popular choices but unfortunately it is not as simple as it sounds. The bacteria don’t give up without a fight. They continue to release their alkaline exudates knowing that if they can spike pH above 5 then they can resume control. The pH of the brew solution must be monitored throughout the 24 hour brewing process and more acid material is often required. This does not bode well for those who like their sleep!

It was an important step forward in brewing technology and user friendliness when NTS developed Dominate™ (fungi), a liquid that can maintain the ideal pH for fungi, throughout the brewing process, with the simple addition of just one litre per 100 litres of brew.  Dominate is the eighth essential and it is not just limited to success when brewing fungi. There is also a Dominate™ product that ensures huge numbers of bacteria.

Dominate™ (bacteria) sponsors a brew that is jam-packed with beneficial bacteria to the extent that it has often reached saturation point. Typically, a microbial brew needs to be applied the moment that it is completed – after the aeration ceases beneficial (aerobic) bacterial cells and fungal hyphae quickly decline. However with the use of Dominate™ Bacteria or Dominate™ Fungi the conditions of the brew encourage the formation of either fungal or bacterial spores. These spores are bacteria and fungi in their protected state – they are far more robust and stable than vegetative cells. This gives the final brew additional shelf life. This is a tremendous move forward in terms of user friendliness! If it rains when the brew is due it no longer matters. Microbes can now be brewed at a central location and transported to where they are required without the normal loss of efficacy. Applying a microbes in spore form also means they have a higher chance of surviving the application process.

Nutri-Life 4/20™ and Dominate™ – Perfect Partners

Most of the developmental work with Dominate™ involved working with the popular NTS microbe inoculum, Nutri-Life 4/20™. This freeze-dried blend involves both fungi and bacteria. Dominate™ (fungi) allowed us to produce a large numbers of beneficial fungi, when brewing 4/20™, the most abundant of which is a remarkable species called Trichoderma. Trichoderma is a multifunction species that can improve fertiliser efficiency and contribute to the creation of a disease suppressive soil but it is also a voracious cellulose digester that can build humus very effectively. A tank full ofTrichoderma could now be produced for a very low cost and we were justifiably excited.

If, however, the goal is to access free nitrogen from the atmosphere or to unlock some of your frozen phosphate reserves then you may prefer to use Dominate™ (bacteria) in conjunction with Nutri-Life 4/20™. With this inexpensive addition, you can now achieve huge numbers of desired species in a stable brew that will last for up to two weeks.

The Top Five Reasons to Brew

1) To boost humus building capacity – when carbon is stored in the soil as humus it is not creating havoc in terms of greenhouse gases and global heating. The key creatures (cellulose digesting fungi) required to build stable soil humus have been decimated in most conventionally farmed soils. Brewing offers an inexpensive option to get back in the game by replenishing these missing workers.

2) To reclaim your phosphate investments – soluble phosphate turns out to be a pretty ordinary investment as it is openly acknowledged that you lose on average 73% of applied phosphate to lockups in the soil. This raw deal is destined to get worse as Peak Phosphate arrives. When the first half of a non-renewable resource has been used, the second half rises and rises in price, until supplies are eventually exhausted. There has never been an exception to this trend in the history of economics. Many commentators now believe that the planet reached Peak Phosphate in 2001 and, if so, the price will continue upward. There is a massive frozen reserve of phosphate in Australian agricultural soils (in areas with a history of phosphate fertilising) and it is a great strategy to reclaim this frozen reserve by brewing and applying phosphate solubilising organisms.

3) To reduce nitrogen expenditure – the atmosphere contains the equivalent of 5000 truckloads of urea (as nitrogen gas) per hectare, and that is where we were supposed to access much of our nitrogen. Free-living nitrogen fixing organisms can be easily brewed and for minimal cost you can receive a significant percentage of your crop’s nitrogen requirements from the atmosphere.

4) To build a disease-suppressive soil – a fungal disease does not reflect a lack of a fungicide, it heralds a soil food web imbalance, where the creatures who would normally feed upon the pathogen, are no longer present in your soil. The chemical sledgehammer is often not the best solution. In this era of greater soil life awareness and research we now know that chemical control creates collateral damage. The chemicals can affect species other than the intended pathogen, and that can create a whole new range of problems. If you can build your biodiversity with compost tea and specialist inoculums you can reclaim both soil-life balance and your peace of mind.

5) To reduce the crop’s water requirements – humus can hold almost its own weight in water but there is another way in which introduced biology can minimise water usage. Bacteria release a sticky, gel-like substance that serves as a protective bio-film to slow down their predators. A single protozoa, for example, consumes 10,000 bacteria each day so it is a handy survival mechanism to become  like “the boy in the bubble”, to escape their ravenous attention. The good news about this sticky jelly is that it works almost like water crystals in terms of moisture retention in the root zone. It is common for growers to report significant reductions in irrigation requirements following the introduction of a regular brewing program.

To speak with an NTS Agronomist about the use of the Dominate options please phone +61 7 5472 9900.

Disclaimer: Prices quoted are estimates only and may vary without notice. Prices quoted are in Australian dollars.

Liquid fertilisers, injected directly into the root zone, have proven to offer the best value in cereals, legumes and cotton crops in recent years. However, their salt/acid base is harsh and their N and P component too overwhelming to be supportive to mycorrhizal fungi struggling to gain a foothold on the growing root. Liquid organic fertilisers are a softer, more supportive option to kick-start this fledgling relationship, but they have proven too expensive to be viable in large scale crop production.

NTS has spent a year developing a new fusion fertiliser, Springboard™, that cost-effectively solves this problem by boosting fungi, soil fertility and crop production. We are very excited with the results achieved with this new product.

Why Are AMF So Important?

Earlier this year we launched Platform™, a hardy mycorrhizal inoculum with massive spore counts and a Trichoderma tag-on. Platform™ contains so many organisms it can be used to successfully colonise cereal crops for as little as $5 /ha and pastures for just $10/ha.

AMF are the planet’s most powerful humus builders and it is this sequestered carbon that will become a farmer’s second income stream in the very near future. Glomalin, the sticky substance they produce, is recognised as the platform building block for over 30% of the world’s soil carbon. The decline in humus in our agricultural soils directly parallels the loss of AMF through extractive agriculture and there is an urgency to replenish our soils with these remarkably productive creatures.

Carbon building is just one of the many functions of AMF. They effectively increase the root surface area by 1000% when they colonise a plant. This gives the plant much greater access to moisture and nutrients.  AMF produce natural acids that release locked up phosphorus in the soil, (usually in the form of insoluble tri-calcium phosphate) providing a constant trickle feed of plant-available phosphorus and all-important calcium, directly to the roots. These root extensions also access immobile minerals like zinc and deliver them to the plant. Potassium often becomes trapped within clay platelets in the soil and these fine fungal strands can mine this trapped mineral.

There is also a powerful link between nitrogen-fixing organisms and AMF fungi. Research has revealed a potent synergy between these organisms. The AMF solubilise phosphate, a mineral that is required to fuel the enzymic process that fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil. In return, the nitrogen-fixers provide a constant source of nitrogen that builds the protein needed to sustain this massive fungal root extension.

These creatures are like little fertiliser machines and they can make a tremendous difference to the bottom line of any crop. Some of NTS’s large strawberry growers have just enjoyed their most problem-free season ever, following inoculation with Platform™ at planting.

Why Do AMF Need Their Own Fertiliser?

There is an intimate relationship between soil organisms and plants and it is important to understand this relationship to avoid the traps that can sometimes be a part of embracing biological principles. The plant feeds the organisms around its roots according to its nutrient requirements. If the plant needs nitrogen and phosphorus, then it will lace its sugar exudates with specific nutrients to encourage the creatures that will supply these minerals. If the crop has been supplied with an abundant source of water-soluble N and P at planting, there is no motivation to sacrifice glucose building blocks to feed the N-fixers and P-solubilisers. In this same manner, root colonisation of AMF can be compromised in the presence of water soluble P and N. This is why there has been a drastic need for a cost-effective liquid fertiliser that can, whilst feeding the plant, ensure production and also nurture AMF colonisation. We realised that we needed such a fertiliser to maximise the performance of our AMF inoculum, Platform™. Springboard™ is our solution. It costs less than $3 per litre and it is effective at just 8 litres per hectare.

The Springboard™ Secret

Springboard™ delivers a broad spectrum of nutrition that includes a healthy dose of NPK and a heavy trace element loading. We also placed special emphasis on calcium (over 9%) and forgotten minerals like silica, sulfur and molybdenum. The phosphorus (3.8%) in Springboard™ is available, but not water soluble, and this is part of the key to promoting rather than shutting down AMF. Similarly, the calcium is not based on calcium nitrate so the plant does not feel swamped in soluble calcium and it continues to support the creatures that will ensure calcium delivery throughout the season.

AMF benefit from trace minerals just as plants do. Springboard™ is loaded with trace minerals. Zinc, for example, is present at 3100 ppm, copper at 2200 ppm and boron at 1500ppm. Manganese, the mineral most required for germination and to kick-start seedlings, is well supplied at 4400 ppm. There is also 200ppm of molybdenum in the formula to ensure that nitrogen-fixing organisms can make the molybdenum-based, nitrogen-fixing enzyme, nitrogenase. Silicon is present in a plant-available form at 3.9% and Springboard™ also contains 1.65% sulfur.

For further information on Springboard™ and Platform™ or any other NTS product contact us on +61 7 5472 9900 or info@nutri-tech.com.au.

Disclaimer: Prices quoted are as at 24-10-11 and are in Australian dollars.  Prices may change without notice.  Prices exclude GST and delivery charges.

Potassium (K) is the mineral with the greatest influence upon crop quality parameters and, in this context, foliar-applied potassium during the business end of the season (from flowering onwards), can be particularly productive. Potassium is unique amongst major minerals in that it never becomes part of functional molecules involved in plant structure. Instead, it serves as a spark plug that triggers numerous biochemical and physiological processes related to plant growth, yield and quality. Extensive research into this mineral by Lester et al in 2005 and 2006 confirmed that adequate potassium nutrition is directly linked to increased yield, fruit size, shelf life, soluble solids and higher levels of ascorbic acid in many horticultural crops. It is also related to improved fruit colour and shipping quality.

An Essential Fruiting Food

In many plant species most of the potassium uptake from the soil occurs during the vegetative stage when root growth is not inhibited by the availability of plant sugars from the above ground plant. The delivery of sugars to the roots is often compromised when this glucose is needed to fuel the reproductive process once fruiting begins. This competition between roots and fruiting organs is often linked to a reduction in root growth and activity, and an associated reduction in potassium uptake. Potassium is the second most abundant mineral in the plant and there is a substantially increased drawdown during the reproductive period. Disruption in potassium delivery can prove costly at this critical time of the season, particularly if other factors are also impacting K delivery. Uptake of potassium from the soil depends upon a variety of factors including mineral balance, soil type and plant genetics. Excesses of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous can negatively impact the uptake of potassium but the mineral with the greatest adverse impact is nitrate nitrogen. In this context, I have always felt that there was a question mark about the popular practice of foliar spaying potassium nitrate as a K source. It seems like giving with one hand and taking with another and now some new research has confirmed my suspicions.

Potassium Nitrate Proves Counter Productive

New, published research by USDA research scientist, Dr Gene Lester and his associate, Dr John Jifon, involved analysis of the benefits of foliar potassium during fruiting and the study also compared various sources of soluble potassium including, potassium sulfate, potassium chloride, potassium nitrate and Mono Potassium Phosphate (MKP). In this comprehensive, multi year, field study (involving rock melons) the researchers analysed differences in petiole K, fruit K, brix levels and total sugars based upon different potassium inputs and a control that did not receive foliar potassium. In each of the three years of the trial, potassium nitrate performed poorly. In fact, it was the worst performer in each year on every parameter. It was even worse than the control in a couple of instances.

Next the researchers compared nutritional value and fruit firmness with the various imputs. They looked at vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fruit colour. Colour is linked to pigments, which are, in turn, antioxidants of considerable nutritional importance for humans. The more intense the colour, the greater the protective capacity of the fruit or vegetable. Again, potassium nitrate was the dismal performer, although it was edged out for the wooden spoon by potassium chloride on a few occasions during the three-year research project.

Finally, the study looked at yield, fruit size and discarded fruit. Here, the negatives associated with the K nitrate input became most pronounced. The yields on the potassium nitrate treated blocks were actually lower than the control in each of the three years of the study and the discards were substantially higher following K nitrate foliars. In fact, there was an average of three times more throwaway fruit when K nitrate was compared to potassium sulfate and twice the discards in comparison to the controls. This input proved to be seriously counterproductive and yet tens of thousands of growers around the globe religiously foliar spray potassium nitrate throughout the second half of the season. The authors of the study concluded that “potassium nitrate may not be suitable for late season foliar nutrition” and they are most certainly correct. Nitrate nitrogen is for vegetative growth. It does not provide a reproductive push and it can be antagonistic to potassium uptake. Nitrates are always absorbed with water so there is a nutrient dilution factor that inevitably reduces fruit quality. It is hard to imagine a more inappropriate choice for potassium nutrition!

The Indisputable Benefits of Late Season Foliar Potassium

This comprehensive study highlighted the importance of selecting the correct potassium input but it also demonstrated the value of late season potassium supplementation. Brix levels and total sugars increased by an average of 20% in line with increased potassium in the leaf and fruit. Fruit firmness increased by a similar percentage and key antioxidants (vitamin C and beta carotenes) increased by an average of 15%. Discards were considerably lower than the control in every block (with the exception of the K nitrate treated blocks). Yields were up to 20% higher in the blocks treated with the better potassium sources.

Potassium increases the translocation of sugars and is the major nutrient associated with fruit size and flavour. Small, acid tasting citrus fruit, for example, are a classic sign of potassium deficiency. This mineral can mean more to your bottom line than any other so it is important to get it right. We have achieved impressive potassium response with a specialist potassium foliar that can help maximize yield and quality.

K-Carb-35™ – pH Neutral, Foliar Potassium

K-Carb-35™ is a soluble, liquid potassium, based upon potassium citrate. Right back in 1959, Wittwer and Taubner carried out a study to compare plant uptake of potassium from different sources of potassium including potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, potassium sulphate and potassium citrate. They demonstrated that the uptake of K ions was higher with the citrate form of potassium. However, this high analysis concentrate (35% K) features additional agents to further boost the uptake of this important mineral.

Accomplished late American consultant, Bruce Tainio, was a strong proponent of the importance of late season foliar potassium. He believed that excess nitrates often limited potassium uptake at this critical time. He also insisted that the shortage might not be revealed on conventional leaf analysis data because the leaves are tested from the area to which potassium moves. Potassium is the most mobile of all minerals and it moves from the lower leaves to the upper leaves whenever there is a shortage.  This is the area from which leaves are selected for leaf analysis. We have found that the key here is to monitor the lower leaves with a Horiba Potassium Meter. Whenever the lower leaves reveal K levels 10% below the levels in the upper leaves, you have detected a potassium deficiency and should act immediately!

Liquid potassium fertilisers are notoriously caustic or they feature high salts or unwanted tag ons like nitrates or chlorides.  K-Carb-35™ is pH-neutral and delivers a gentle form of this mineral to the leaf, where it is rapidly absorbed with the help of cell sensitising (uptake enhancing) fulvates. This foliar fertiliser is applied at 5 litres per hectare whenever required during the last half of the season.

For more information please contact an NTS Agronomist on +61 7 5472 9900 or email us through our contact form here.

1. Young plants are more responsive to both humic and fulvic acid.Younger tissues have more active transport mechanisms to move nutrients to sites of metabolic activity. Foliar application is most successful is this context.

2. Humates are excellent brix-builders – enhanced carbohydrate production can be detected with a refractometer within 24 – 48 hours (increased quality and yield).

3. A combination of humic and fulvic acid has been shown to be most effective for promoting root growth.

4. It may take up to three applications of soluble humates to achieve sufficient concentration in the roots to allow 20 – 30% of the humic acid to be transported up to the shoots and leaves i.e. you will always see root growth before shoot growth when top dressing humates.

5. Humic acid in small amounts has been shown to “structure water”. The water molecules become more organised and arranged like fragments of ice structure. The water gains the desirable properties of “melted water” improving plant nutrition (Masaru Emoto).

6. Humates can be used to lower nitrate levels or prevent the accumulation of nitrate in plants with obvious stock health benefits. In this situation humates also increase potassium uptake which is normally inhibited by excess nitrates.

Recipe for Nitrate Reduction:
2% Magnesium sufate (2 kg per 100 L)
150 grams of Sodium Molybdate
150 grams NTS Soluble Fulvic Acid Powder™

7. If carbon sequestration is to be a new income stream in agriculture, then humates are a major tool. Humates are the most profound promotant of the creatures that build stable carbon in the soil (Cellulose digesting fungi).

8. Don’t discard the insoluble sludge (15%) when dissolving NTS Soluble Humate Granules™ as it is the sponge-like, mineral-dense humin fraction which is an excellent fertility builder.

9. Humic acid is a powerhouse tool for drought resistance. The large surface area and internal electrical charges help hold water in the root zone. Humates serve as sponges which can hold 7 times their volume in water. That stored water also facilitates nutrient transfer.

10. The combination of humic acid with liquid lime, dolomite or guano, liberates CO2 from calcium carbonate boosting photosynthesis.

11. Fulvic acid is proving a potent input to seriously stimulate clover growth in pasture to improve the legume to grass ratio.

The Canopy Conditioner

The 2010-11 growing season was a difficult one to say the least but Liz believes that Grape-Tech™ “played a major role in getting the crop over the line by maintaining active canopy condition”. She feels that improving and sustaining the longevity of an active canopy without stimulating vegetative vigor is the key to managing fruit quality in super premium vineyards in the Hunter Valley. She reports an obvious visible improvement associated with each application of Grape-Tech™ which included a change of colour and sustained canopy condition. The removal of the liquid fish component in the Grape-Tech™ formula and the associated reduction in natural nitrogen in the product, appears to reduce support for late season berry sizing which is not desirable when working with super premium quality. Liz explains that “large berries reduce the skin to pulp ratio and therefore reduced phenolic extraction (particularly in red varieties)”. From a human health perspective, there is a similar concern. The skins of red grapes contain resveratrol, a potent, heart protective, anti oxidant. The larger the berry, the lower the resveratrol per 100 grams of grapes because of this reduced skin to pulp ratio.

What Works in Grape-Tech™

Grape-Tech™ contains a unique hot mix NPK involving nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (each at 10%) blended together in forms that are actually incompatible. This chemical incompatibility produces an extreme heating response that persists for up to two days, but when the mixture cools a new, high performance, pH neutral compound is formed. This NPK liquid is specifically designed for foliar application. A full range of trace minerals, chelated with the proprietary Shuttle Mineral Delivery System are included with the Hot Mix NPK and this represents the first half of this complex formulation. The second half of the Grape-Tech™ formula involves a suite of biological inputs including liquid vermicast, vitamins B, C & E, saponins, fulvic acid, kelp and triacontanol. The flagship NTS Triple Ten™ range has proven to be spectacularly successful over the past ten years in over forty countries.

1) Forsaking Foliars

Foliar fertilisers are twelve times more efficient than soil-based nutrient delivery and this promotes more effective chlorophyll management. Chlorophyll is the green pigment where all the production happens within the plant. This productive capacity diminishes as stripes, blotches and pale colours reduce chlorophyl density, so the more rapid the correction the bigger the gain. Foliar fertilising increases in popularity each year as growers discover that you get more than just a nutrient correction. When chlorophyll density is increased with foliars, there is more sugar production and an associated increase in the sugars the plant donates to the army of microorganisms surrounding its roots. These creatures return the favour by fixing more nitrogen, solubilising more phosphate and releasing more beneficial exudates to stimulate their host. The end result commonly exceeds expectations.

It is common to see growers choose the easier option of fertigation to deliver nutrition but this can be a mistake. If you have mineral excesses (which is more often than not in intensive horticulture), their antagonistic effect can nullify the benefits of mineral correction in the soil. For example, if you have a soil containing 250 ppm of phosphorus, due to the extended over application of inexpensive chicken manure, then you will often see crop shortages of zinc, copper or iron induced by this excess. Addressing these shortages via fertigation will often not do the job because the excess P continues to impact the uptake of these minerals. The answer is to bypass the soil and deliver the minerals directly into the leaf. Timely foliars will always offer more effective crop nutrition, even if they require a little more effort than fertigation.

2) Shutting Down the Freebies

There are two key minerals that are supplied free of charge when mineral and microbe balance are in place. These minerals are amongst the most expensive inputs so it is never productive to shut down these freebies. Phosphorus and nitrogen together account for the majority of the average fertiliser budget but their cost can be minimised if natural delivery is optimised. In both cases, microorganisms can generate and deliver these minerals but the plant plays a major role in the equation. The plant varies its root exudates depending upon its requirements. If phosphate is required to initiate reproduction, then the plant will add some extras to the 30% of its glucose production that is allocated to soil life in the root zone. In a process not unlike a fisherman changing bait, the plant attracts phosphate solublilising organisms to supply P when it is needed. Nitrogen-fixing organisms are similarly stimulated when extra N is required. If we over supply N and P in fertiliser programs, the satiated plant has no motivation to encourage the natural supply. As a result, the grower misses his share of 74,000 tonnes of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere and access to ten billion dollars of locked up phosphate in the soil.

There is a fine line between a shutdown based on over supply and a balance that maximises production with the best of both worlds, but it is a line worth walking. Starter fertilisers, for example, are often over supplied. No tiny plant requires hundreds of kilos of DAP/MAP flooding the soil with soluble N and P. Growers are better advised to reduce the amount of this early nutrition and to include slow release fertilisers with their soluble inputs. Granular guano has a great role to play here as phosphorus and calcium are released throughout the crop cycle rather than all in one rush. Manures can offer a similar benefit in relation to nitrogen but a good N stabilising strategy using soluble humates or zeolite can be equally productive.

Understanding nutrient requirements in relation to the crop cycle can also be helpful. The major drawdown time for phosphate, for example, occurs during the reproductive stage and applied P has often locked up by then. Stabilising soluble phosphate with soluble humate granules reduces the lock up potential and minimises the flood of P which can otherwise cripple the biological supply of this mineral.

3)  Missing Out Monitoring

Precision nutrition is the key to maximum productivity and profitability and there is little room for guess work. A combination of regular leaf analyses and the use of in-field monitoring tools ensures insight into nutrient requirements at any given time. If you have reached the point where you can accurately read your crop without these tools then you have achieved master grower status, but even then there will always be a need for your footsteps in the field. We need to be part of the growing process to pick up changes rapidly. Check the roots for mychorrizal colonisation. Check legumes for nodulation and pinch the nodules to test for the inner pink that signals good nitrogen fixation. Check leaf size and thickness and stem strength and learn to recognise the missing minerals linked to stripes, blotches and pale colour. When your leaf test reveals a zinc deficiency, go to the crop and photograph that deficiency with your mobile phone. You now have a record of that specific chlorosis and the next time it appears you won’t need to wait till the leaf test data comes back.

It is a common excuse to miss out the monitoring due to other priorities but this can be a serious mistake. I always recall a visit to a corn farm in Kununurra, in Western Australia, during a national tour with American author/consultant, Gary Zimmer. The grower complained of repeated poor pollination and was intending to introduce bee hives the following season. Gary and I both recognised a boron deficiency and alerted the grower to the problem. He insisted that his starter fertiliser contained boron so this could not be the problem. However, the small amount of boron in the starter had leached out in these low carbon soils by the time the plant had moved into the reproductive stage and this is the time that boron is desperately required to fill out the cob. We suggested a leaf analysis to confirm this diagnosis, even though it was too late to correct the problem that season. The tissue test revealed the lack of boron and the grower realised the enormity of his oversight. He had lost 20% of his yield in 1000 acres of corn for several seasons for the sake of a $60 leaf analysis. This simple test, taken before flowering would have identified the problem at the start. A leaf analysis before flowering is a critically important strategy to make sure that everything is right for the business end of the season.

The key in-field monitoring tools include a refractometer and a pH meter that allows sap analysis. The refractometer is a guide to your skills as a chlorophyll manager (the central role of all growers). High brix levels mean less pest pressure, higher nutrient density, greater shelf life, more frost resistance and less weed pressure. Brix levels also offer a guide to nutrient balance within the plant (there should be minimum variation from top to bottom), calcium and boron nutrition and specific gravity.

Sap pH is also a guideline to yield, quality and potential pest pressure, but it offers more insight into the likely culprits when things are not right. If sap pH is lower than 6.4, then the likely deficiency will be either calcium, magnesium or potassium of a combination of these. Low sap pH spells an increased likelihood for fungal disease. Conversely, if the sap pH is higher than 6.4, then it is often related to an excess of nitrate nitrogen within the plant or it could be a shortage of the acid-forming minerals, phosphorus or sulfur.

4) Messing Up the Timing

Timing is everything when it comes to comedy and the same thing applies to crop production. There is a right time to test, plant, fertilise, protect and harvest, and messing up the timing can be costly.

Leaf tests should be conducted in conjunction with soil tests. It is important to consider them together as it gives a far better idea of how mineral balance (or lack of it) is impacting the crop. Often the leaf test will highlight lockups where you may need to bypass the soil and use foliar nutrition. The other important time to leaf test is immediately before flowering to ensure everything is right.

There are several ideal times to foliar fertilise. Young tissue is particularly responsive so it is a good plan to apply the first foliar as early as possible. There are also issues about the time of day that is best suited. Early morning or late afternoon is considered best. The early morning slot ties in with increased stomatal opening when the plant is accessing dew. The middle of the day is unsuitable because the stomates close in the heat of the day.

There are also critical crop stages where nutrition is most needed. In the corn crop, for example, there are two stages that will be most productive. They are linked to a decision making process where the plant audits its chlorophyll content to determine the sugar making potential during seed formation (the time of greatest sugar requirement). At five weeks after spiking the corn plant determines the number of rows of kernels on the cob. Chlorophyll density in this crop is often determined by nitrogen, so there can be considerable gain in foliar spraying urea at four and a half weeks after spiking (when the first leaf spike emerges). This involves a foliar application of 20 kg of urea with 1 kg of NTS Soluble Humate Granules per hectare. At nine weeks after spiking another decision is made. This time it involves the number of cobs per plant. An astute grower, aware of this timing, can literally double yield with another foliar application of urea and humic acid, at the same rate, at eight and a half weeks after spiking.

A recent innovation in relation to the timing of foliar sprays involves environmental conditions. Delta T involves temperature graphed against relative humidity and it relates directly to droplet life time and target accuracy. Many tractors are now fitted with equipment to monitor Delta T so growers can optimise their spray performance.

There is also a strong argument to plough, plant, prune and fertilise in accord with appropriate moon cycles. Farmers have worked by the moon for centuries and there really was no evidence to abandon this practice other than a belief that science could solve all of our problems. Biodynamic growers grow by the moon but there is no reason why anyone can’t gain by utilising lunar cycles. I have seen a tremendous difference in on-farm trials where growers have foliar sprayed one patch on any of the 6 days leading up to a new moon and compared response in a second patch that was sprayed on any of the six days leading up to a full moon. There was a huge difference over time, where the full moon timing proved vastly superior. If you are an orchardist conducting one foliar spray each month, you would be well advised to mark your calendar to coincide your timing with any of the six days leading up to a full moon. These are simple, free strategies that can be profoundly effective.

5) Meddling with Plant Immunology

It is now understood that the plant has an immune system not unlike ours. Plants produce phytoalexins that equate to antibodies in the human immune system. The higher the production of phytoalexins and similar compounds, the greater the protective potential of the plant, the lower your chemical bill and the healthier your working environment. There are various promotants that sponsor production of phytoalexins and several factors that reduce their production. It is important to understand this process to avoid a major plant blunder where you actually help generate increased reliance upon expensive chemicals. A small amount of pest and disease pressure is desirable as this activates the plant’s defence mechanisms. There are two systems involved. Systemic activated resistance (SAR) is like a fight or flight response based on a direct cue. An insect attacks, the plant sensory system identifies the invader and there is a rapid production of foul tasting chemicals to discourage the pest. Similarly, if a fungal disease is the invader then biochemicals are immediately produced to ward off the attack. There are signalling molecules that can trigger a SAR response and these include salicylic acid and chitinase. Aloe Vera is the richest plant source of salicylic acid and hence its increasingly popular use in agriculture.

The second protective system in the plant is called Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) and this is a vaccination-type response where beneficial microorganisms produce biochemicals responsible for inducing a systemic response. Two of the most researched organisms in this regard are Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtillus. However, cytokinins can also produce this systemic protection. This is one of the many benefits linked to the regular use of kelp.

The problem is that chemical protection regimes involving regular applications of fungicides and pesticides, regardless of the level of pest pressure, can backfire. When all of the insects, pathogens and beneficials are regularly poisoned off the leaf surface there are no longer any cues. Plant immunity no longer works and you have effectively increased your requirement for toxic chemicals. Interestingly, many of the protective biochemicals are also responsible for flavour and they also serve as powerful antioxidants for humans so not only do chemicals beget chemicals but we get to eat contaminated, substandard food into the bargain. Winemakers have become the first industry to fully understand this phenomena and hence the plethora of international awards for biological and biodynamic wines in recent years. Hopefully food producers will also come to understand that it is not possible to grow nutrient dense, medicinal food with a full-on chemical regime. Perhaps this recognition amongst consumers will help drive the necessary change.

6) Ignoring the Brix Builders

Brix is a measure of dissolved solids within the plant and it is a direct measure of photosynthetic potential. Photosynthesis is the most important aspect of crop production as it is responsible for 95 % of plant growth. The key minerals involved in photosynthesis are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and boron. We often refer to this quartet as “the big four” due to their critical importance. It is a major blunder to ignore these nutrients and yet over 30% of the thousands of leaf tests we analyse each year, are deficient in all four minerals. Ideally, these minerals should be maintained at luxury levels in the leaf but over one in three tests reveal that all are lacking.

Calcium is directly responsible for the uptake of seven other minerals and boron determines whether calcium does this job. Phosphorus is the main mineral involved in sugar production and magnesium is a phosphorus synergistic. Magnesium is also the centrepiece of the chlorophyll molecule and is to this green pigment what iron is to blood.

The best way to build plant levels of calcium and magnesium is to use high analysis, Micronised Mineral Suspensions (MMS) which deliver the target minerals without the tag-ons associated with calcium nitrate or magnesium sulfate. Even phosphorus can be addressed with this technology, using micronised guano. This ancient bird manure is also an exceptional source of calcium (25 – 30%) and a rich source of plant available silica. Boron is best addressed with soluble sodium borate (Solubor or Dissolvabor) combined with a little humic acid to form a much more stable and effective boron humate.

7) Jumping To Conclusions

There are several faulty conclusions linked to misinterpretation of leaf tests and monitoring tools and they need to be understood to be avoided. It is common to assume, for example, that low levels of magnesium in the leaf spells a similar situation in the soil, but this is not always the case. High soil magnesium can generate low levels of this mineral in the leaf and in this case there is no point in applying more magnesium to the soil to exacerbate the lockup. This situation calls for foliar application of magnesium, usually as magnesium sulfate combined with a little fulvic acid.

The battle to build luxury leaf levels of calcium can actually be linked to a lack of beneficial fungi in the soil. These are the creatures that have been most hammered by conventional agriculture and they are sadly lacking in most soils tested for soil life. You can watch your levels of calcium in the plant increase in line with the fungal counts in your soil. Fungal dominated compost is invaluable in this context as are the two most powerful fungi promotants, humic acid and kelp. It is a great idea to include humates or compost with lime for this reason.

A lack of phosphorus and zinc in the plant can sometimes reflect a lack of mycorrhizal fungi rather than missing minerals. The chief role of these creatures is to deliver these otherwise immobile minerals to the plant and if you have killed them off with herbicides, fungicides and nematicides, you will struggle with delivery of phosphate and zinc, regardless of your soil levels of these minerals.

If you test your brix levels following a prolonged dry period, you can jump to the conclusion that you are an amazing grower because you have achieved such good levels. Unfortunately, the moisture stressed plant concentrates solids within the sap and this is called a “false brix”, reflecting stress rather than health.

If your leaf analysis reflects a lack of zinc and an excess of manganese and these imbalances are not reflected in soil tests then you may have detected a potassium deficiency and no amount of zinc or manganese antagonists will correct the situation. When you apply some potassium you will see the zinc come up and the manganese will fall.

There is one further faulty conclusion that is also linked to potassium. If your nitrogen levels are high on your leaf test and potassium levels look OK, this may not necessarily be the case. Potassium is such a mobile mineral that it may have moved up to the area tested (the first fully developed leaf) and the leaf test is not a reliable guide. An undetected potassium deficiency will always be costly as this mineral governs size so it is a huge player in determining yield. The best way to monitor potassium involves a Horiba Potassium Meter. When you test and compare the K levels in the lower leaves with those in the upper leaves there should never be more than 10% variance. If the lower leaves exhibit significantly less potassium then you have detected a deficiency that can be immediately addressed to avoid yield loss.

In Conclusion

Food production is fraught with pitfalls and if we understand these problems we are more likely to avoid them. The successful management of the plant involves regular monitoring, timing and the nurturing of soil life. It also requires an understanding of the profound role of nutrition in plant health and associated disease resistance. I trust than you may now be better equipped to avoid some of these problems and that you will enjoy greater profitability and find more pleasure in your journey towards sustainable farming.

For more information please contact NTS on (07) 5472 9900 or info@nutri-tech.com.au .

The Farmers Footsteps

One of the American consultants made the comment that “the very best fertiliser is the farmer’s footsteps in the field” and this is profoundly true. We need to get amongst the crop on a regular basis. Dig up some roots and check root structure. Look for the sticky, fuzzy, brown sleeve that should encase each root. If your acid fertilisers have stripped off this sleeve, then you have created a dependence upon imported inputs because you have compromised the root zone. You will no longer receive a large percentage of your nitrogen free from the atmosphere. You will no longer have access to the massive frozen reserve of phosphate that most soils contain and you will have an increased reliance upon farm chemicals in the absence of disease-suppressive biology.

If you are growing legumes, check for nodulation. If the nodules are few and far between then you may have negatively impacted the roots with unbuffered acid, salt fertilisers or you may have inadvertently redirected the plants messaging system. This is a common phenomenon which is often not anticipated. If a legume is supplied with large amounts of nitrogen, then it is much less likely to message the roots to develop the nodules to house Rhizobium bacteria for nitrogen fixation. Why waste your energy building structures for N-fixers when you have already been supplied with enough nitrogen for your needs? This phenomenon also applies to non legumes in relation to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilising. Plants don’t just feed glucose to the microbe army beneath their roots; they lace the sugars with very specific nutrients. In a process not unlike using different bait to catch different fish, they vary their exudates depending upon their requirements during the crop cycle. If nitrogen is needed then the bait is changed and the nitrogen fixers are favoured. If phosphate falls short then a different lure is used to bring in the P solubilisers. Biological farming becomes a question of getting the balance right. The aim is to never apply too much N and P or you risk shutting down your natural supply of these two important minerals.

The other thing to check with legumes is that nitrogen fixation is actually happening in the nodules. The simple trick here is to pinch the nodules and if they are functioning well they should be pink inside. If your nodules are not “in the pink” they are probably short of either molybdenum or boron and application of these two minerals can be very productive.

In the process of leaving your footsteps in the field there are several other things you should check. Observe the thickness of the leaf and stem, the size of the leaves and the presentation of the leaf (as a solar panel) to the sun. Check for Mycorrhizal colonisation of the roots and watch out for the blotches, pale colours or stripes that may herald a trace element deficiency.

Success Without the Props

I have a graphic memory of an experience early in my consulting days. I had been speaking to a group of growers about the use of monitoring tools to increase diagnostic precision. A vegetable grower of Italian extraction was fascinated with this new approach. He noted that he had never ever monitored his crop during his growing career. He asked if we could move next door and measure some of his vegetable crops with these tools as he had been growing blind all of this time. I puffed out my chest and agreed to help him with superior science and the whole group moved next door to witness the evidence of his apparent ignorance. The crops looked perfect but I was sure that I would uncover some hidden yield limiter. I sampled crop after crop, with the expectant crowd watching my every move. I checked brix levels, sap pH, sap conductivity, nitrate levels and potassium in the sap, but could find nothing wrong. In fact, everything was perfect. This grower knew about footsteps in the field. He had learnt to read his crop to perfection without the use of props. Apparently his father had taught him this skill but there is no reason why every grower can’t learn these things. The use of monitoring tools and leaf analysis can be used to fast-track these skills. If you get a leaf test back that reveals a lack of zinc and manganese then head out to your crop and learn what these deficiencies look like. Take photos with your mobile phone to help as a guideline should the problem recur. If your refractometer shows a clear and distinct line between the two hemispheres, this is usually a calcium deficiency. Observe the crop to familiarise yourself with a calcium shortage. You might note the presence of broadleaf weeds, the tell tale sign of a calcium shortage in the soil or you may detect a tight soil when using a penetrometer. In both cases the flocculating capacity of calcium is required to help the soil breathe and to boost the biology.

Novel Ways to Use Diagnostic Tools

1) Use you refractometer to monitor weeds in comparison to crop plants. If the brix level of the weed is higher than the crop then you have a mineral balance that is favouring the weed and weed pressure is assured.

2). Check the lower leaves and the first fully developed leaves with your potassium meter. It is important that the levels are within 5% of each other. The moment that the lower leaves drop below that level, you have detected a potassium deficiency. This is a valuable tip because the standard testing site for potassium at the top of the plant is notoriously ineffective when monitoring this mineral. Potassium determines fruit or grain size so improved monitoring can lead to enhanced profitability.

3) Monitor the brix levels in your crop in both the morning and the afternoon. Levels should always be lower in the morning as the plant has translocated 30% of its sugars down to the roots overnight. If there is no difference, you may have detected a boron deficiency, as boron opens the trapdoor that allows the transfer of sugars. This simple shortage, that may cost less than $5 to correct, can be costly. When there is no sugar delivery to the army of organisms that deliver minerals and offer protection to the plant there will be expensive consequences.

4) Use a far infra-red temperature gun (available from electronic stores for less than $50.00) to monitor your crops need for water. Here’s how it’s done. Hold a sheet of white paper 30 cm away from the gun and measure the air temperature between the end of the gun and the paper. This is called ambient temperature. Now point the gun at the foliage, maintaining the same 30 cm distance, and measure the temperature of your crop. There should always be a difference. The crop uses evaporative cooling to always keep its temperature lower than the ambient temperature. If the crop is the same temperature or higher than the surrounding air, then you have detected a water shortage and should act. There are a few rules with this strategy. Test your crop when it is warm enough to detect stress. Keep the sun behind you and the wind must not exceed 15 km per hour.

Call NTS to talk to an Agronomist on +61 7 5472 9900 or email NTS at info@nutri-tech.com.au .

Imagine a worker who can aerate your soil while fertilising, soil conditioning, liming, and creating humus. This same creature can mineralise soil and repopulate beneficial biology while also improving structure. If your soil contains good numbers of these workers then it is a good indication that you have a happy and productive soil food web. It has been suggested that the presence of this remarkable life form can be seen as a marker of the success and sustainability of any given society. I refer here to the humble earthworm.

All Important Oxygen

It could be argued that oxygen is the single most important element for plant production. Plant roots need an abundant supply and the organisms that crowd around those roots can’t function without it. The calcium to magnesium ratio is the single most important ratio in the soil because it governs oxygen delivery. The lower your soil-life counts the higher your requirement for aeration to introduce oxygen. It is always much more cost-effective to use your earthworms to aerate rather than hauling a spiked roller all over the farm! Earthworms create the perfect passageways to improve gas exchange and improve water infiltration. The earthworm castings also increase crumb structure which also improves oxygen availability.

Free Fertiliser

There is a massive difference in the nutrient analysis of the surrounding soil compared to what comes out of the back end of an earthworm. In fact, these slimy strands are essentially fertiliser factories. The castings contain 7 times more phosphorus, 10 times more potassium, 5 times more nitrogen, 3 times more magnesium and 1.5 times more calcium than surrounding soil. At the Gatton field days, several years ago, the DPI conducted trials on several organic fertilisers, including manure, feedlot compost and vermi-compost. The vermi-compost completely outperformed all other inputs in the trial. In fact, there were impressive results at application rates of just 1 tonne per acre or 2.5 tonnes per hectare. Here’s the holy grail of biological farming. If you can achieve counts of 25 earthworms per shovelful then your days of buying fertiliser are over. This number of earthworms will produce 300 tonnes of earthwork castings per year. The cost of commercial castings exceeds $200 per tonne so you are effectively receiving $60,000 of free fertiliser from your earthworms and why would you need to apply any more?

Repopulating Your Workforce

The earthworm does not digest with enzymes when plant matter passes through its system. Instead it employs microorganisms for this energy intensive task. A unique range of microbes are incubated within the earthworm and are excreted amongst the castings to introduce these organisms to the soil. That is why growers have achieved such good results from earthworm juice (water that has passed through the worm beds and accumulated these organisms). If you do not have earthworms in your soil then you do not have this valuable range of organisms and there will be good gains in introducing them. As always it is a “give and you shall receive” deal in nature. The earthworm is seeking as much plant matter and beneficial biology as possible because that is what it eats. The bacteria it delivers sponsor production of more biomass, which means more food for the earthworm. These bacteria are also a food source for protozoa which, in turn, are the favourite food of earthworms. In this manner, the system becomes self supporting as is the case with many natural systems. The problems usually emerge when we intervene and disrupt the balance.

Building Humus

Since 1850 the loss of humus from our soils equates to 470 gigatonnes and this accounts for a great deal of the offending CO₂ in the atmosphere. There is an urgent need to return this CO₂ to the soil as humus and it is here that the earthworm has a hugely important role to play. Earthworms compost 4 times faster than conventional composting and composting is about humus production, whether that occurs in the field or in the composting plant. If your earthworms are delivering 300 tonnes of humus rich castings per hectare then you will see an associated increase in organic matter (for which you will soon be paid). Increasing your earthworm numbers is a prime humus building strategy and yet most conventional farms have very few remaining earthworms at work.

Lime For Free

I often suggest that there is little need for fertiliser inputs if you can fire up your earthworms. Seminar patrons often ask “what about liming?”. It’s a good question because calcium is the most important nutrient and it is removed with every crop. Earthworms are like little lime works; they have a calciferous gland that adds calcium carbonate to everything that passes through them. They are also burrowing deep in the profile bringing calcium and other minerals up into the root zone.

What Drives Out the Worm Workers?

Earthworms follow food. They love to eat fungi and protozoa so if these creatures are missing in your soil, so too will be the creatures that feed upon them. Earthworms also love dead plant matter. I have graphic childhood memories of digging in Dad’s lupin cover crop at the end of winter and an army of earthworms would appear overnight to enjoy the feast.

Salt fertilisers dehydrate fungi and bacteria and thereby reduce earthworm food. These inputs also irritate the worms and they disappear quite rapidly. There has not been a lot of work looking at the effect of farm chemicals on earthworms but we do know that fungicides kill fungi (good and bad) and several herbicides appear to kill fungi as efficiently as they kick out weeds.

Compacted soils with a poor calcium to magnesium ratio are inhospitable to earthworms. Why battle your way through the hard stuff when you can so easily travel elsewhere for easier pickings.

Cultivation also impacts earthworms. It obviously chops them up and opens the soil to feathered predators but there is another dynamic involved. Native earthworms burrow down to 30 cms, line those burrows with slime and organic material which attracts other organisms and these visitors serve as a food source. Every time they head to the surface they vacuum this supplementary tucker from their burrows en route. Tillage tears apart these pantry passageways and discourages the return of earthworm workers. This is why research has shown that minimum till and no till agriculture usually encourages more earthworms and associated humus production.

Bringing Back the Fertility Builders

How do you recover your earthworm populations to profit from this wondrous workforce? There are several foods that stimulate earthworms. Anything that increases the number of fungi in your soil will boost earthworm populations because fungi are a major food source for these creatures. Humic acid is the most powerful promoter of fungi followed very closely by kelp. Both of these materials offer a wide range of other benefits and this is why they have become integral components of the biological approach. The other biological essential which can have a magical effect upon earthworms is liquid fish fertiliser. It is common to see an immediate marked increase in earthworm numbers following the application of fish to the soil. It is actually like they come from nowhere to enjoy this concentrated mix of protein, fatty acids, carbohydrates and minerals. The one secret here is that you need to source a liquid fish fertiliser that still contains the full oil component (Nutri-Sea Liquid Fish) as the fish oil is a major attractant.

The other way to increase numbers is to feed the soil with plant matter by building a cover crop or green manure crop into your program. Ideally, there should be no time at which your soil is left bare. Whenever the opportunity presents, the aim is to produce some soil food rather than fallow your soil. Some people argue that they do not want a cover crop to steal moisture that they are trying to conserve for the following crop. This is not what occurs. The cover crop increases organic matter and biological activity. Bacteria produce a sticky, alkaline film that works just like water crystals in the soil. The more bacteria you have, the greater your potential to retain moisture. Similarly, an increase in organic matter means more moisture retention. A 1% increase in organic matter means that your soil can retain 170,000 extra litters per hectare. In a home garden this represents 17 liters per square meter.

The other worm building tip involves a creature called protozoa. Protozoa are to earthworms what potatoes are to humans. Potatoes are our favourite vegetable (often linked to our huge consumption of chips). Protozoa numbers are often depleted due to their susceptibility to farm chemicals and, in this case, the earthworms go elsewhere in search of their favourite food. If you want to return your farm to a fast food heaven for earthworms then you need to bring back the protozoa. It turns out that this is not that difficult to achieve and it involves something called Lucerne tea.

For some reason, protozoa love Lucerne and all three species are found in abundant numbers in Lucerne hay. The idea is to harvest these creatures from the hay and multiply their numbers prior to introducing them to the soil. The one caution here relates to chemical contamination of the hay. The safe option is to source organic Lucerne as it appears that the chemical used to control Lucerne flea can seriously impact protozoa populations living on the Lucerne. Here’s how to make a Lucerne tea. Add 7 kg of Lucerne hay to 200 liters of water. The best idea is to place the hay into a simple, drawstring bag made of shadecloth so that it will not clog the pump. However, this is not necessary if you are using brewing apparatus based upon air compressors rather than impeller pumps. Next you add some food to feed the protozoa. We have developed a food called LMF (Liquid Microbe Food) that works well for this purpose. Two litres of LMF is required for the 200 litre drum (1%) and then you leave the mix to brew for at least 24 hours. You will then need to filter the end product (if it is not in a drawstring bag) before applying it via boom spray or fertigation at a rate of 100 litres per hectare.

In Conclusion….

In turbulent times when agriculture is threatened with the twin spectres of peak oil and climate change, those who are earliest to adopt viable solutions will be those most likely to profit amidst the turmoil. The earthworm offers exactly that kind of edge. The presence of these remarkable life forms in your soil heralds a disease suppressive soil with more carbon building potential and less requirement for chemical intervention. The food produced on these soils will be more nutrient dense and the cost of production significantly less. Bring back the earthworms to your soil and you will also have a lot more fun in your chosen profession. Farming with nature is dominated by pride, purpose and pleasure and life is too short to compromise.

2) Maximise Your Nutrition Investment – Fertilisers, natural and conventional, are destined to rise in price as non-renewable resources become depleted. Some of the experts suggest that we have already reached Peak Phosphate and the prices are set to increase. The key strategy here is to magnify and stabilise all inputs with humic and fulvic acid. These certified inputs increase nutrient absorption by over 30% and they bond with leachable minerals like sulfur, nitrogen and boron to retain them in your soil. They also form phosphate humates to stabilise this most unstable mineral.

3) Practice Proactive Disease Management – You don’t have many crutches in organics so it is critically important to create a disease resistant soil and a plant that can fight its own battles. You can learn all of the cutting-edge techniques to achieve this at the four-day, NTS Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture course. This is an internationally acclaimed course that has been attended by more than 4000 farmers over ten years in four continents. The former head of the USDA organic division has called this course, “Essential training for all biological farmers”.

4) Develop Your Market – The missing link in most business plans is the marketing of the end product. You can produce the best organic product ever, but there is a limited market and you need to actively expand your outlets. Exporting to Asia, for example, is not difficult but you may need some guidelines. NTS can suggest where to get advice. One of our highly successful growers has a degree in marketing and he is unable to keep up with the export demand for his product. He is happy to share his knowledge.

5) Feed Your Soil and Your Plant – Some branches of organics frown upon foliar fertilising and it is actually discouraged. This is patently absurd! There is copious research quantifying the multiple benefits of an approach that is 12 times more efficient than soil feeding. Nutrient uptake is about mineral balance and an excess of one mineral can limit the uptake of another. Foliar fertilising bypasses these soil-based lockups and takes the direct route into the plant. It is common to see copper and phosphate excesses in organics that limit uptake of zinc and molybdenum. Feed the plant and solve that problem. NTS has the largest number of certified foliar inputs in the world (76 BFA Registered Inputs).