1. Soil is the stomach of the plant; please don't feed it chemicals. We are a reflection of the soils health.
2. Most chemical fertiliser kills or reduces microbes, causing imbalances. Urea and other soluble fertiliser products are deadly to soil fungi. Nitrogen is the only major plant nutrient that you can grow yourself. Watch salt and ammonia levels, insist on applying only fertilisers which do the least damage to soil life and plant roots - you can reduce nitrogen inputs over time by promoting soil life.
3. Eighty to ninety-five percent of plant yield comes from the atmosphere, while only 2-5% comes from the soil (sources vary).
4. Fertiliser programmes must be based around the calcium content of your soil. If base saturation calcium is below 60%, you will virtually have to purchase fertiliser ad infinitum.
5. The correct base saturation figures for pasture are:
Calcium 68%,
Magnesium 12-15%
Potassium 3.5-5%
Sodium 0.5-1.5%.
Many NZ soils are well below these figures.
For tree crops, vines and berries, including strawberries, increase potassium to 5-7.5%. Once these conditions have been met fertiliser requirements will drop substantially.
Soil PH will auto-correct to about 6.4 when the above conditions are fulfilled.
6. It is extremely important to get functional calcium levels up. Calcium is responsible for carrying other minerals into the plant, however too much calcium can tie up other nutrients and cause deficiencies. Limit applications of agricultural lime to 500-1000kg/ha for one application. Limit fine lime to less than 400kg/ha. Soil testing is the only way to effectively measure base saturation and calcium levels.
7. Calcium and boron are the synergists so lime is more effective with boron added. Boron, along with selenium and cobalt, is commonly deficient in New Zealand soils.
8. Lime to correct calcium needs, not to correct pH, Calcium:
9. Golden Bay Dolomite is highly rated for its calcium and magnesium content; Magnesium is found at the center of the chlorophyll molecule, the plants light-harvesting, energy-producing center. Magnesium also plays an important role in the production of oils and proteins, and in energy metabolism.
10. Fertiliser and lime are more effective with carbon added. Carbon is food for the microbes. Carbon sources are well made compost, microbial inoculated aged bark, humates and/or charcoal.
11. Feed the soil life using carbon from compost, green manures, livestock manures and crop residues; apply calcium from a good plant – available source.
12. Soil fungi are responsible for retaining 100% of available calcium in the soil. It is a fallacy that one tonne of lime or another product is required to move soil PH by one point. The soil microbes have the ability to move the PH of your soil without the physical input of calcium.
13. If Lucerne, oats and similar crops have hollow stems, calcium is lacking and yield will not meet potential. Adequate calcium also translates into better stock growth rates and weight gain.
14. Not all N, P, K, Mg, S etc is the same. Organic forms are far superior to chemical forms, and some chemicals are worse than others. The bioavailable forms of nutrients are the only healthy options.
15. An organic fertiliser programme must feed the microbes first, which will then feed the plants. Microbes include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nemotodes, algae, ciliates, arthropods and earthworms.
16. Bacteria have a Carbon Nitrogen ratio of 5:1 which means for every six bacteria eaten, five parts of N are released. Nematodes are 100:1, so for every 20 bacteria eaten, 10 parts of N are released into the soil. This is why it's so important that the soil is in balance.
17. The number of earthworms in the soil is an excellent visual sign of a healthy soil, and they can produce 30-300 tonnes /ha of casts per year. Worm casts from 20 worms per spade square contain 5xN (1.2/ha), 7xP, 3xMg,11xK and 1.5xCa, far more than ordinary soil (62 earthworms per square metre).Sulphur iron, zinc and trace elements also increase. Pasture fibre increases by over 100%.
18. Sixty percent of the sugars manufactured in leaves are dumped into the roots at night. Because sugar content in leaves is highest then, endeavour to cut hay or silage in late afternoon or evening.
19. Fifty percent of that sugar is exuded into the soil to feed the microbes. Microbes in turn make minerals available to the plant. The nutrient responsible for that happening is Boron.
20. Brix levels are a measurement of soluble solids (superior nutrition.) Urea-fed pasture tends to have low Brix readings. The minimum reading for pastures able to resist pests and diseases is 12, while an excellent pasture will measure 24. A bee will not work flowers/nectar with a Brix level below 7; otherwise it will expend more energy in collection than it will get back. Using a refractometer regularly will aid in monitoring Brix levels.
21. There are 74,000 tonnes of free nitrogen above every hectare. This can be sequestered in the soil by having a 7:1 Ca: Mg ratio, available phosphorus, iron, cobalt and molybdenum. If one of these five requirements is missing, you may have to import nitrogen.
22. Dr Linus Pauling, winner of two Nobel Prizes, stated: "In my opinion, one can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to mineral deficiency." If you accept this statement, then:
23. Most people confuse symptoms with causes. This is deeply ingrained in our lives. The disease itself is not the cause; it is a symptom of an already failing and deficient system. Once you accept that, you will have control over whether you and your property will be susceptible to disease or not.
24. Similarly, we have been brainwashed into believing we need x units of this and y units of that. This is the replacement theory and it is incorrect. If you subscribe to that view, you will have to purchase fertiliser ad infinitum. If the soil is not in balance, you cannot balance it by adding what is being removed on an annual basis.
25. Organic matter (OM) is the single most important factor determining profit, yet just one kilogram of excess nitrogen will account for a loss of 110kg of soil carbon, so organic matter will decline slowly but surely.
26. Most farm soils being "fed" by chemical fertilisers are losing organic matter and the ability to hold nutrients and moisture. They are becoming more drought-prone, and pasture growth rates are decreasing, even with applied chemical nitrogen.
27. Over time, correct fertiliser policies substantially drought-proof the soil, build organic matter and improve health.
28. The amount of soil with one percent of organic matter (OM) will contain about 5900kg carbon. Carbon holds four times its weight in water, so 1% OM soil can only hold 5900x4=59000kg/ha, or 5900 litres, or the equivalent of 6mm rain before the water runs off. But go up to 5% OM and the soil can hold 30mm of rain. More than 30mm of rain falling on soil with 5% OM will be lost to runoff. If soil does not have good levels of organic matter, it will not store enough water to feed rivers over summer, which is why summer river flows are decreasing.
29. About 75% of soluble phosphate products complex (tie up) with aluminium, calcium, manganese and iron within six weeks of application.
30. Phosphorus, along with nitrogen is responsible for eutrophication of our water supplies. Eutrophication is increased algal growth and decreased oxygen levels of drains, rivers and lakes, owing to chemical phosphorus and nitrogen reaching waterways. One kilogram of phosphorus can grow 350-700kg of algae.
31. Available (not soluble) phosphorus translates into better stock growth rates and weight gain. Replacing soluble phosphorus with Dicalcic or RPR fertilisers and increasing calcium levels will cause elevated aluminium and iron levels to fall as the soil comes into balance. Weed pressure will also reduce.
32. Hybrid maize is called "dent" maize. The dent in the kernel is carbohydrate collapse caused by lack of phosphorus and represents a considerable loss of yield. You cannot eliminate the dent by using soluble phosphate products, but you can eliminate the dent by using good quality Dicalcic or RPR.
33. Soluble phosphorus products kill vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAM). Mycorrhizal fungi can increase the roots effectiveness by up to 1000 times, and plants grown with VAM have superior nutrition. Lack of VAM leads to soil erosion and leaching. New Zealand's rates of soil erosion and leaching are very high.
34. Soil scientists claim 16 elements are required to support life. However, some geneticists maintain that at least 64 nutrients are required for healthy life. If one or more minor element is missing, another can substitute, but it cannot carry out the same function as the missing nutrients, so disease will follow.
35. Potassium chloride (KCI) kills microbes; just 2ppm (4kg/ha) of chlorine is enough to cause harm and the net effect of this is a rock-hard soil. KCI also encourages certain weed growth. Potassium chloride has a salt index of 116 – Potassium Sulphate has a salt index of 46. When correcting soil potassium deficiencies, insist on applying only Potassium Sulphate.
36. Silicon is abundant in the soil, but not necessarily available. Available silicon in plants will thwart penetration by fungal hyphae and will cause dehydration and death in insects. Silicon can be addressed by applying highly paramagnetic rock dust from approved sources in a balanced fertiliser blend.
37. In general, the more NPK applied, the higher the yield, but the lower the mineral content, health and quality of that product.
38. NPK does not build fertility or organic matter, only carbon, calcium and microbes do. The higher the organic, the greater the ability of the soil to hold nutrients and moisture.
39. NPK has grown grass and is growing grass, but the decline of organic matter (or transfer of carbon to the atmosphere) is not sustainable or acceptable and must be addressed if farming is to be sustainable in the long term.
40. Trace Elements, every mineral is needed. Calling some minerals "major" and others "trace" attached an importance to them that has nothing to do with which minerals a plant needs. Major, secondary and trace are terms that signify quantity not importance, pasture and tree crops need more of the major minerals, less of the secondary minerals and just a little bit of the trace minerals. All of the minerals need to be included in a balanced crop fertiliser because they are all required to grow healthy crops. A shortage of trace minerals will cause crop problems the same way that missing major minerals do.
41. When base saturation comes into balance, foliar applications work far more effectively and can have a positive effect on quality and yield.
42. Use pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, biotechnology and nitrogen in minimum amounts and only when absolutely necessary. These inputs never make things better and are a sure sign that soil health is not optimum.
43. A comprehensive soil test should be completed annually to determine what nutrients should be applied to the soil to maintain the balance, and then feed the soil a balanced supplemented diet.
2. Most chemical fertiliser kills or reduces microbes, causing imbalances. Urea and other soluble fertiliser products are deadly to soil fungi. Nitrogen is the only major plant nutrient that you can grow yourself. Watch salt and ammonia levels, insist on applying only fertilisers which do the least damage to soil life and plant roots - you can reduce nitrogen inputs over time by promoting soil life.
3. Eighty to ninety-five percent of plant yield comes from the atmosphere, while only 2-5% comes from the soil (sources vary).
4. Fertiliser programmes must be based around the calcium content of your soil. If base saturation calcium is below 60%, you will virtually have to purchase fertiliser ad infinitum.
5. The correct base saturation figures for pasture are:
Calcium 68%,
Magnesium 12-15%
Potassium 3.5-5%
Sodium 0.5-1.5%.
Many NZ soils are well below these figures.
For tree crops, vines and berries, including strawberries, increase potassium to 5-7.5%. Once these conditions have been met fertiliser requirements will drop substantially.
Soil PH will auto-correct to about 6.4 when the above conditions are fulfilled.
6. It is extremely important to get functional calcium levels up. Calcium is responsible for carrying other minerals into the plant, however too much calcium can tie up other nutrients and cause deficiencies. Limit applications of agricultural lime to 500-1000kg/ha for one application. Limit fine lime to less than 400kg/ha. Soil testing is the only way to effectively measure base saturation and calcium levels.
7. Calcium and boron are the synergists so lime is more effective with boron added. Boron, along with selenium and cobalt, is commonly deficient in New Zealand soils.
8. Lime to correct calcium needs, not to correct pH, Calcium:
- Improves root development
- Enhances microbial activity
- Increases the transport of minerals, Calcium is the vehicle that moves minerals into plants
- Improves soil structure
- Acts as a secondary messenger
- Improves plant health and disease resistance
- Is required for cell walls (pectin)
- Enhances the rate of protein synthesis
- Serves as a weed indicator
9. Golden Bay Dolomite is highly rated for its calcium and magnesium content; Magnesium is found at the center of the chlorophyll molecule, the plants light-harvesting, energy-producing center. Magnesium also plays an important role in the production of oils and proteins, and in energy metabolism.
10. Fertiliser and lime are more effective with carbon added. Carbon is food for the microbes. Carbon sources are well made compost, microbial inoculated aged bark, humates and/or charcoal.
11. Feed the soil life using carbon from compost, green manures, livestock manures and crop residues; apply calcium from a good plant – available source.
12. Soil fungi are responsible for retaining 100% of available calcium in the soil. It is a fallacy that one tonne of lime or another product is required to move soil PH by one point. The soil microbes have the ability to move the PH of your soil without the physical input of calcium.
13. If Lucerne, oats and similar crops have hollow stems, calcium is lacking and yield will not meet potential. Adequate calcium also translates into better stock growth rates and weight gain.
14. Not all N, P, K, Mg, S etc is the same. Organic forms are far superior to chemical forms, and some chemicals are worse than others. The bioavailable forms of nutrients are the only healthy options.
15. An organic fertiliser programme must feed the microbes first, which will then feed the plants. Microbes include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nemotodes, algae, ciliates, arthropods and earthworms.
16. Bacteria have a Carbon Nitrogen ratio of 5:1 which means for every six bacteria eaten, five parts of N are released. Nematodes are 100:1, so for every 20 bacteria eaten, 10 parts of N are released into the soil. This is why it's so important that the soil is in balance.
17. The number of earthworms in the soil is an excellent visual sign of a healthy soil, and they can produce 30-300 tonnes /ha of casts per year. Worm casts from 20 worms per spade square contain 5xN (1.2/ha), 7xP, 3xMg,11xK and 1.5xCa, far more than ordinary soil (62 earthworms per square metre).Sulphur iron, zinc and trace elements also increase. Pasture fibre increases by over 100%.
18. Sixty percent of the sugars manufactured in leaves are dumped into the roots at night. Because sugar content in leaves is highest then, endeavour to cut hay or silage in late afternoon or evening.
19. Fifty percent of that sugar is exuded into the soil to feed the microbes. Microbes in turn make minerals available to the plant. The nutrient responsible for that happening is Boron.
20. Brix levels are a measurement of soluble solids (superior nutrition.) Urea-fed pasture tends to have low Brix readings. The minimum reading for pastures able to resist pests and diseases is 12, while an excellent pasture will measure 24. A bee will not work flowers/nectar with a Brix level below 7; otherwise it will expend more energy in collection than it will get back. Using a refractometer regularly will aid in monitoring Brix levels.
21. There are 74,000 tonnes of free nitrogen above every hectare. This can be sequestered in the soil by having a 7:1 Ca: Mg ratio, available phosphorus, iron, cobalt and molybdenum. If one of these five requirements is missing, you may have to import nitrogen.
22. Dr Linus Pauling, winner of two Nobel Prizes, stated: "In my opinion, one can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to mineral deficiency." If you accept this statement, then:
- Stock health problems are caused by poor fertiliser practices.
- Insect problems are a system of poor fertiliser programmes.
- Fungal and bacterial diseases are a symptom of poor fertiliser programmes.
- Fruit and vegetables that rot and do not store have been grown with incorrect fertiliser programmes.
- If you are dipping, dagging and drenching, your fertiliser programme is not working.
- If you have to constantly re-grass areas of your farm, your fertiliser is failing you.
23. Most people confuse symptoms with causes. This is deeply ingrained in our lives. The disease itself is not the cause; it is a symptom of an already failing and deficient system. Once you accept that, you will have control over whether you and your property will be susceptible to disease or not.
24. Similarly, we have been brainwashed into believing we need x units of this and y units of that. This is the replacement theory and it is incorrect. If you subscribe to that view, you will have to purchase fertiliser ad infinitum. If the soil is not in balance, you cannot balance it by adding what is being removed on an annual basis.
25. Organic matter (OM) is the single most important factor determining profit, yet just one kilogram of excess nitrogen will account for a loss of 110kg of soil carbon, so organic matter will decline slowly but surely.
26. Most farm soils being "fed" by chemical fertilisers are losing organic matter and the ability to hold nutrients and moisture. They are becoming more drought-prone, and pasture growth rates are decreasing, even with applied chemical nitrogen.
27. Over time, correct fertiliser policies substantially drought-proof the soil, build organic matter and improve health.
28. The amount of soil with one percent of organic matter (OM) will contain about 5900kg carbon. Carbon holds four times its weight in water, so 1% OM soil can only hold 5900x4=59000kg/ha, or 5900 litres, or the equivalent of 6mm rain before the water runs off. But go up to 5% OM and the soil can hold 30mm of rain. More than 30mm of rain falling on soil with 5% OM will be lost to runoff. If soil does not have good levels of organic matter, it will not store enough water to feed rivers over summer, which is why summer river flows are decreasing.
29. About 75% of soluble phosphate products complex (tie up) with aluminium, calcium, manganese and iron within six weeks of application.
30. Phosphorus, along with nitrogen is responsible for eutrophication of our water supplies. Eutrophication is increased algal growth and decreased oxygen levels of drains, rivers and lakes, owing to chemical phosphorus and nitrogen reaching waterways. One kilogram of phosphorus can grow 350-700kg of algae.
31. Available (not soluble) phosphorus translates into better stock growth rates and weight gain. Replacing soluble phosphorus with Dicalcic or RPR fertilisers and increasing calcium levels will cause elevated aluminium and iron levels to fall as the soil comes into balance. Weed pressure will also reduce.
32. Hybrid maize is called "dent" maize. The dent in the kernel is carbohydrate collapse caused by lack of phosphorus and represents a considerable loss of yield. You cannot eliminate the dent by using soluble phosphate products, but you can eliminate the dent by using good quality Dicalcic or RPR.
33. Soluble phosphorus products kill vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAM). Mycorrhizal fungi can increase the roots effectiveness by up to 1000 times, and plants grown with VAM have superior nutrition. Lack of VAM leads to soil erosion and leaching. New Zealand's rates of soil erosion and leaching are very high.
34. Soil scientists claim 16 elements are required to support life. However, some geneticists maintain that at least 64 nutrients are required for healthy life. If one or more minor element is missing, another can substitute, but it cannot carry out the same function as the missing nutrients, so disease will follow.
35. Potassium chloride (KCI) kills microbes; just 2ppm (4kg/ha) of chlorine is enough to cause harm and the net effect of this is a rock-hard soil. KCI also encourages certain weed growth. Potassium chloride has a salt index of 116 – Potassium Sulphate has a salt index of 46. When correcting soil potassium deficiencies, insist on applying only Potassium Sulphate.
36. Silicon is abundant in the soil, but not necessarily available. Available silicon in plants will thwart penetration by fungal hyphae and will cause dehydration and death in insects. Silicon can be addressed by applying highly paramagnetic rock dust from approved sources in a balanced fertiliser blend.
37. In general, the more NPK applied, the higher the yield, but the lower the mineral content, health and quality of that product.
38. NPK does not build fertility or organic matter, only carbon, calcium and microbes do. The higher the organic, the greater the ability of the soil to hold nutrients and moisture.
39. NPK has grown grass and is growing grass, but the decline of organic matter (or transfer of carbon to the atmosphere) is not sustainable or acceptable and must be addressed if farming is to be sustainable in the long term.
40. Trace Elements, every mineral is needed. Calling some minerals "major" and others "trace" attached an importance to them that has nothing to do with which minerals a plant needs. Major, secondary and trace are terms that signify quantity not importance, pasture and tree crops need more of the major minerals, less of the secondary minerals and just a little bit of the trace minerals. All of the minerals need to be included in a balanced crop fertiliser because they are all required to grow healthy crops. A shortage of trace minerals will cause crop problems the same way that missing major minerals do.
41. When base saturation comes into balance, foliar applications work far more effectively and can have a positive effect on quality and yield.
42. Use pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, biotechnology and nitrogen in minimum amounts and only when absolutely necessary. These inputs never make things better and are a sure sign that soil health is not optimum.
43. A comprehensive soil test should be completed annually to determine what nutrients should be applied to the soil to maintain the balance, and then feed the soil a balanced supplemented diet.
