Technical Information: Field Horticulture
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Organic matter content and the fertility of soils may decline under intensive cultivation. This can lead to soil erosion, surface water run-off and nutrient leaching, and decreasing crop yields.
Adding compost to your soil can reverse these trends and lead to sustainable crop production.
Compost characteristics
Fairfield's compost is made from fruit, vegetable, plant and woody waste. These are some recommended properties of a good compost for use in turf establishment:
|
Parameters |
Units of Measure |
Recommended Range |
|
pH* |
pH Units (1:5 water extract) |
7.0 |
|
Moisture Content |
%mm of fresh weight |
35 - 55 |
|
Organic Matter Content |
% dry weight basis |
>25 |
|
C:N RatioScreen |
|
Max 20:1 |
|
Aperture Size |
mm |
Max 25 most crops Max 15 for finer seedbeds |
*Fairfield's compost is pH7.
|
Nitrogen as N |
Phosphate as P O |
Potash as K O |
Magnesium as Mg |
Sulphur as S |
|
8.1 |
3.3 |
6.6 |
2 |
1 |
Soil improvement
Fairfield’s Compost not only provides valuable organic matter to soils, but also acts as a slow release fertiliser of Nitrogen, Phosphate, Magnesium and Iron, and provides a readily available source of Potash.
Other nutrients are also provided by composts such as Sulphur, and trace elements. Compost can also provide a valuable source of Calcium with a small liming effect (it may have up to 10% of the neutralising value of limestone on a dry matter basis).
What a typical application of 31.5 tonnes of compost (20 tonnes dry weight basis) will provide (approximate figures):
Nutrients
Total Amount (kg/ha)
Available year 1 (kg/ha)
Available year 2 (kg/ha
Nitrogen as N
250
25 (10%)
12 (5%)
Phosphate as P O
100
Potash as K O
200
Magnesium as Mg
60
Sulphur as S
33
