How to use these documents

Throughout these documents you may see various links that look like this one, or like this one. These are used when a technical term is used that may need an explanation. Hover over them to find out how they work.

These pages are designed to be accessible to the public, without excessive scientific jargon. With that in mind, it is still our aim to be 100% scientifically accurate and in the future we will publish our scientific data to complement these articles.

We have specifically tried to refrain from mentioning our own products, however these documents contain the science from which all our products are based.

Subject to change

We are all constantly learning new things, and although it may seem slow at times, agriscience is a rapidly evolving field. These pages may be updated woth the latest and greatest that science has to offer, or to make existing articles more accurate and understandable.

The need to fertilise

In a closed ecosystem, where there are no external influences, nutrients stay in balance. Animals eat grass, lessening the nutrients in the soil but when they die they decompose and replenish the soil again with those nutrients. This is just one simple natural cycle.

The need for fertiliser arises when there are external influences – namely agriculture. A farmer will send their stock away to be eaten, or they may irrigate faster than the soil’s ability to hold nutrients and leaching will occur. This is why it is essential to fertilise. The benefits go beyond just quantity of pasture or orchard growth, it will mean healthier livestock and, depending on the fertiliser, an increase in the soil’s ability to hold nutrients.

Choosing the right fertiliser

The fertiliser industry would like you to think that you can put any fertiliser on the ground and it will benefit your vegetation, especially when it comes to pasture. However there is no simple “one size fits all”.
In some cases applying more fertiliser can be detrimental to your vegetation, as it could trigger responses in the vegetation that are not beneficial to the seasons, or may increase an element to a dangerous level. Some fertilisers break down too quickly and are consumed or leached before they will have the best impact. It is important to educate yourself on how different fertilisers interacts with your own farm, using your experience and common sense before accepting a salesman’s recommendations.