The key determinant of a high quality soil for plant growth is high organic matter content. Organic matter can hold on to plant essential nutrients and water molecules and provide them to the plant when required. Organic matter is also strongly associated with the soils structure and porosity. A porous soil has good delivery of oxygen and water to the plant both essential for growth. Furthermore, organic matter stimulates seed germination, root development and general plant growth. Thus, as Biogreen’s peat source is

Humus is the stable part of soil organic matter that remains after decomposition. It increases the soil's ability to hold and supply plant nutrients. When humus breaks down, nutrients are released into the soil. Humus is essential for the well being of soil and its ability to support plant life. The most active parts of humus are the compounds, which have acid properties (humic and fulvic acids). These acid compounds assist in speeding up the growth of plants by various means- such as acting as carriers of plant nutrients, enhancing the microbial environment, water retention and stimulation of plant shoot and roots.

Peat is organic matter (plant material and soils etc) that has been decomposing over thousands of years. Biogreen peat is sourced out of Colac Victoria. It is very high in organic matter, 60-70% of which 40-60% is humified organic matter (decomposed into humus and other humic substances). The peat is also very high in fulvic and humic acids. Therefore, Biogreen peat is an excellent plant-growing medium and results in vigorous, healthy green plants.

A good plant-growing medium must offer an adequate supply of water and oxygen. Without an optimum supply of both, the plant's growth will be inhibited. In severe cases the plant will die. Too much water, or poor drainage, can lead to water logging. Without sufficient oxygen to its roots, the waterlogged plant drowns.

For good drainage, the growing medium needs to be porous and open, with large spaces between its particles. But water cannot be held easily in these large pores. They drain quickly and then fill with air. The problem with a medium that is too porous is that it cannot hold enough water to prevent the plant's roots from drying out.

On the other hand, if the particle size is too small, while being a great water absorber, the growing medium is extremely poor in releasing it. Quality products release water only as a plant requires, preventing any wastage and ensures adequate supply in times of drought.

Biogreen peat can hold greater than 150% its weight in water and therefore can greatly reduce watering requirements in garden beds and as a potting medium.

Biogreen’s peat has excellent structural qualities with many fine aggregates (small peat particles of various sizes), which aid porosity so root development is maximized when plants are grown in a Biogreen peat medium.

Biogreen Peat may also remove the potential of nitrogen drawdown. Nitrogen drawdown, or nitrogen demineralization, is when the microbes in the soil decompose organic material and use the released nitrogen for their own growth rather than producing nitrogen in a plant available form. This can result in the plant being starved of nitrogen. Whether or not this occurs depends on the ratio of carbon to nitrogen of the plant medium.

The components of a potting mix vary, but generally include, pine bark chips and to a lesser degree sawdust- these products are high in carbon and therefore microbes will use the nutrients released for their own growth. Biogreen peat contains its own natural source of nitrogen and therefore the ratio of carbon to nitrogen is lower so when microbes decompose material nitrogen is released and can be used by the plant for growth. Furthermore, slow-release fertilisers, such as Biogreen’s organic based Superior Boost will supply the required nitrogen and curb the need for microbes to drawdown nitrogen from the plant.

Plants rely on their growing medium to provide them with the essential nutrients they require. It is essential that the growing medium is able to supply these nutrients in the right quantity. All plants are made up of water, carbon molecules (called carbohydrates), and a range of minerals.

The most important mineral is nitrogen (N), then in descending order of importance: phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). Some are cations (positive charge) and others are anions (negative charge).

Nitrogen

Biogreen Peat is particularly high in nitrate. Nitrate is a component of nitrogen, which is the most important mineral because, depending on the type of plant, it constitutes between 1.5 and 4.5% of the plant's make-up. It forms the biggest niche in fertiliser sales with over half a million tonnes sold in Australia per annum.

Nitrogen exists as a gas in the atmosphere. Some plants are able to fix the nitrogen from the atmosphere in to a mineral form - plants are only able to take up nutrients in this purer mineral form. The two mineral forms of nitrogen are ammonium, which is a cation (positive charge), and nitrate, which is an anion (negative charge).

The ammonium form of nitrogen can be toxic to some plants - particularly seedlings. It should be kept to minimum of 50ppm.

Biogreen’s Superior Boost provides nitrogen to the plant in the nitrate form which reduces acidification and minimizes the likelihood of plant burning due to supply of nitrogen in the ammonium form.

Phosphorus

There is a direct interaction between phosphorus and iron. Iron locks up phosphorus in to unavailable forms when phosphorus levels are too high. Iron is present in Biogreen Peat resulting in lower phosphate levels. This is advantageous to iron inefficient native Australian plants.

Plants remobilize nutrients from older leaves - pulling nutrients from them - and translocate (transport) them to the new growing tips. Iron and phosphorus are immobile nutrients - plants are unable to translocate them. A deficiency in either nutrient will be visible in the foliage (symptoms include spots of dead leaf tissue and leaf discolouration).

For plants with Phosphorus toxicity or iron deficiency symptoms use Biogreen peat as a potting medium or substitute at least 20% of current potting mix with Biogreen Peat to increase iron levels of the overall mix and, therefore, control the available phosphate.

Plant species differ in their tolerance and requirement of phosphorus.

Potassium

Potassium is an essential plant nutrient particularly for flowering plants as it is important in bud burst and length of flowering. Biogreen Peat contains natural levels of potassium. Potassium is very easily leached below the root system where it is not plant available. If Biogreen peat is used as the growing medium the high cation exchange capacity of the peat will result in reduced potassium leaching and an increase in potassium in the plant available form.

Biogreen’s Superior Boost contains a potassium fertiliser source. Manure based fertilisers can lose potassium in as little as two weeks. Trials indicate superior Boost can release levels of potassium for up to 90 days resulting in healthy plant foliage without frequent fertiliser applications.

Sulphur

Slow-release fertilisers are responsible for the provision of sulphur. Biogreen’s Superior Boost has added sulfur that can be provided over up to a 90 day period.

Calcium & Magnesium

There is an interaction between these two nutrients; too much of one causes a deficiency in the other as they are both positively charged particles that compete for negatively charged sites on soil particles.

Both calcium and magnesium are very important elements in a potting mix because most fertilisers don't contain them. The ability of a mix to hold on to these nutrients (cations) is important so they can be supplied to the root when they are required.

Biogreen Peat contains calcium and magnesium; adding Peat to a mix increases the long-term supply of these nutrients.

Add Biogreen peat based products to your soil to improve your watering efficiency and reduce frequency of watering.

Many are off-putting due to their strong smell- particularly manure based fertilisers. Biogreen’s Superior Boost holds high analysis fertiliser in a peat pellet using extrusion technology preventing any odours from escaping. Superior Boost is an excellent replacement to manure based fertilisers as it contains more nutrients, releases them over longer period of time, and has no smell!