Month: January 2022

Soil quality is not only a key indicator of environmental health, but also a crucial component of success in a range of infrastructure, mining and roading projects – and achieving the desired outcome is of greater importance than ever before.

The problem that many property owners have faced is that the soil revegetation process can be costly in terms of time, energy and money. 

In terms of rapid, effective revegetation solutions that achieve self-sustaining results in the long-term, EnviroStraw’s BioGrowth™ program is one of a kind. 

The BioGrowth™ program: a summary

The world-first BioGrowth™ program focuses on developing the optimum rhizosphere for plant growth using nature’s components. In other words, the program looks to rebuild soils in a natural way using a specific suite of microbes, biostimulants, phytonutrients and minerals designed to enhance microbial activity in highly disturbed low-nutrient low-carbon soils. Combining nature with modern science, the system is able to build carbon, release locked up nutrients and adjust pH, allowing healthy plants to grow in the most challenging of soils and climatic conditions.

As a uniquely innovative and effective outcome-driven alternative to conventional revegetation practices, BioGrowth™ assesses and addresses influential ecological factors and constraints and helps mitigate risks commonly associated with revegetation projects. 

The BioGrowth approach is unique in that it only implements products, application rates and soil cultivation practices that speed up the natural processes of re-building soil health, without impeding on vegetation establishment.

In severely disturbed environments, soil biology is key to bringing back soil balance and health, by making use of all the natural mineral and organic derived resources found in the soil and in the inputs added via the revegetation process, the BioGrowth program creates a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship between plants and soil. 

The natural and holistic approach of the BioGrowth program employs scientifically validated soil remediation, application and soil cultivation techniques and processes, designed to achieve desired outcomes with minimal cost. This optimises the natural succession phase of building soil health and vegetation establishment, leading to the development of long-term, self-sustaining outcomes within the shortest possible time frame.

The application process

The BioGrowth™ program is designed for easy implementation, reducing the amount of time and water required in the application process. Steering away from traditional volume-based application processes, the BioGrowth™ soil conditioning process reduces the quantity of soil conditioners like Gypsum and lime by up to 80%. It also requires significantly less water due to increased mix rates of the Biotic Growth amendment hydromulch. On each project, our soil scientists determine application rates of all inputs and design a detailed plan to optimise microbial activity. When the microbiome is re-established in these highly disturbed soils, incredible outcomes can be achieved. 

Hydromulch equipment is key to streamlining the application process itself. Compared to typical projects which would require loaders, tractor spreaders and other machinery, hydromulch application can be completed with one purpose-built vehicle, which makes for faster, more efficient outcomes.  

The products 

The BioGrowth™ program includes a full range of products, from standard Hydromulch, Bonded Fibre Matrix (BFM), EnviroMatrix ECM and Biotic Growth Amendments to soil-stabilising polymers and purpose-designed soil amendments.

The range of products used as inputs in the BioGrowth™ program includes: 

• Hydromulch products manufactured from waste and recycled material;
• Cereal straw sourced from stubble often burned in farmers’ paddocks;
• Recycled paper, and;
• Waste wood fibre from the timber industry.

The benefits of the BioGrowth™ program 

FINANCIAL SAVINGS
All the components needed to create functionally sustainable soils are present in a single bale of EnviroMatrix ECM Biotic Growth Amendment and BFM Complete. The BioGrowth™ program also produces self-sustaining results, significantly reducing long-term maintenance costs. 

ENHANCED PERFORMANCE
The BioGrowth™ program is designed to increase microbial activity, reduce erosion using nature’s soil glue, glomalin, and build soil carbon levels, and the results it delivers have earned International awards. To this end, all products are vigorously tested in independent laboratories and universities to ensure that they meet world standards and create desired project outcomes. Mixing higher rates of Hydromulch to water in each tank greatly improves on-site efficiencies, reducing the volume of water required and carbon emissions produced by increasing the area coverage capacity of each tank.

REDUCED MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS
The BioGrowth™ program gets results even when topsoil is scarce on site with up to 80% less soil conditioner, greatly reducing quantities of lime, gypsum and low quality compost. This in turn reduces purchasing and transportation costs, traffic management requirements, CO2 emissions and delivery charges. Topsoil and or compost as a soil conditioner is not required when a root-penetrable substrate subsoil is available. 

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
In favourable climatic conditions, the BioGrowth™ program is designed to establish deep-rooted native vegetation in a matter of months. In doing so, the program greatly reduces the associated soil loss that can create a major biodiversity problem and threaten wildlife habitat on any project. 

WATER-SAVING
Non-watering hydromulch options provide up to 18 months of functional longevity for the Hydromulch layer, protecting the seeds and the soil surface. The hydraulic application process and higher mix ratios of the hydromulch medium allows for increased coverage area per tank of Hydromulch applied, resulting in water savings of up to 42,000 Litres of water per hectare treated. 

AUSTRALIAN MADE
EnviroStraw products and programs are designed in Australian universities and laboratories with inputs coming from local farmers in rural Australia and other recycled Australian renewable inputs and resources. 

 

The table above demonstrates the powerful impact of our programs in balancing and remediating challenging soils. This snapshot is from a trial we performed on Maule Creek Mine site in NSW. The soil lab recommended 28 tons of Gypsum and 2.8 tons of magnesium oxide to adjust pH (9.7), balance the calcium magnesium ratios and reduce sodium levels. The EnviroStraw program was simple: reshape the batter, prepare a suitable seedbed and apply the EnviroMatrix Erosion Control Matrix and Biotic Growth Amendment at a rate of 10 tons per hectare.

At its core, the BioGrowth™ program is focused on utilising easy-to-adopt, scientifically validated, economical and environmentally sustainable practices and inputs to achieve optimal outcomes. By radically improving soil health, quality and fertility, BioGrowth™ reduces the costs associated with amelioration, watering and on-going maintenance, and lowers the risk of expensive reworks.

Soil science can make a substantial difference in the outcome of soil remediation projects, particularly when soil is depleted.

Using a high-quality hydromulch is essential for several reasons: it allows for natural soil hydration, reduces water usage and erosion risk, and optimises soil biology development processes.  

In contrast, using an ineffective hydromulch product can lead to problematic vegetation establishment patterns such as poor cover crop strike, signs of nutrient and mineral imbalances, and bare soil during establishment.  

Finding the right hydromulch comes down to knowing which key characteristics to look for. While other manufacturers of hydromulch media claim that higher water-holding capacity leads to better performance, we take a more holistic approach to maximising water penetration into the soil. 

Read on for a comprehensive review of the key qualities you should look for in a hydromulch medium. 

Ease of use

The EnviroStraw range has been carefully designed for ease of use, particularly our Australian-first all-in-one-bag hydromulch products. These come packed on heavy-duty pallets of 52 x 20 kg UV- and water-resistant bales wrapped in agriculture-grade pallet wrap. This ensures that the hydromulch is easy to transport, unload and move around the site upon delivery, reducing transport costs. Finally, the application is as simple as adding seed and spraying the slurry onto the earth. 

Mechanical and thermal processing

By mechanically processing the fibre, you get a more consistent end product with specific qualities, including desired fibre length. Thermal processing also improves water absorbency and ensures that the product is also free from pathogens and weed seeds.

Plant fibre diversity

Including a diversity of fibre improves slurry thickness, shear stress and ground coverage, which in turn improves overall performance. Different fibre lengths also encourage fibre entanglement and interlocking, which is critical to effective erosion control. EnviroStraw’s processing methods include up to 4 fibre sources and a varied range of fibre lengths, from 5mm to 25mm. It also encourages a diverse range of soil biology which is beneficial in soil conditioning and vegetation establishment. 

A balanced carbon-to-nitrogen ratio

All soil biology species need a range of nutrients, including carbon and nitrogen, in quantities determined by the climate and soil types in the region. While nitrogen drawdown hinders plant establishment, a balanced carbon-to-nitrogen ratio encourages healthy plant growth, minimising the effects of yellowing nutrient lock up and nitrogen draw down. All EnviroStraw Hydromulch products are balanced and independently tested to ensure that they meet the industry standard of below 50:1.

High water-to-mulch mix ratio

The correct mix of hydromulch fibres can significantly improve the volume of hydromulch that can be loaded into each tank. This in turn improves the coverage area and on-site efficiency which reduces the volume of water required to complete the project and the concentration of CO2 emissions released during truck movements on site. To assist clients and contractors in achieving these goals, EnviroStraw has created calculators for water use efficiency and coverage area per tank.  

Water-holding capacity

Water-absorbent Hydromulch acts like a sponge on the soil surface, hindering water penetration and increasing the quantity of water required to hydrate the soil beneath. Then, as this highly water-absorbent hydromulch layer dries out, it acts like a wick pulling up water from the soil below. This not only dries out the soil, but also hinders deep plant root penetration which is critical to effective erosion control and healthy drought-resistant plant growth.

In contrast, EnviroStraw Hydromulch products are designed to hold onto enough water to enhance soil microbiology activity, increase water penetration into the soil and encourage seed germination whilst minimising the wicking effect. This leads to deep root formation beyond the Hydromulch layer and topsoil, and ultimately more resilient grass coverage, even during extreme temperature fluctuations.

This new way of thinking about water-holding capacity in the EnviroStraw Hydromulch product range raises new insights into the process of growing healthy, drought-resistant plants in highly disturbed soils on revegetation projects.

Shoot distance and ground coverage

An effective hydromulch must be capable of covering the ground well and shooting long distances. This largely comes down to slurry thickness – if a Hydromulch slurry is too thin and watery, the mulch will separate from the water during the spraying process, reducing shoot distance and ground coverage. EnviroStraw Hydromulch products meet and exceed all machinery manufacturers’ specifications, ensuring that slurry thickness, fibre length, sprayability and shoot distance are all primed for maximum performance and efficiency.

Outstanding erosion control

Fast, effective germination allows the cover crop to absorb raindrop impact and control overland water flow, therefore minimising soil loss from a project site. EnviroStraw products have been independently tested to meet or exceed industry standards for erosion control with C-factor data as low as 0.001.

Diverse plant germination

Plant diversity across cover crops, pasture species and native plants is key to a thriving ecosystem. Native plants are particularly important as they typically thrive in the environment in which they are sown. They tend to grow deeper roots, leading to increased drought tolerance, reduced erosion and fewer ongoing maintenance requirements. For this reason, EnviroStraw  hydromulch products are designed to be native-plant friendly. The products include a suite of microbes specifically designed for disturbed soils as well as biostimulants and other inputs that build soil health and encourage the establishment of deep-rooted native plants. 

Sustainability

Hydromulch should be manufactured from renewable resources that are readily available that are not harmful to the environment. Read the EnviroStraw environmental policy.

Optimise your outcomes with EnviroStraw hydromulch

EnviroStraw’s hydromulch solutions are a key component of our revegetation product range. Designed with the optimum blend and length of fibres and ratio of carbon to nitrogen, our EnviroStraw range (HGM and BFM) and biotic growth media products (BFM Complete and EnviroMatrix ECM) give new growth every opportunity to thrive. Find out more about our selection of hydromulch products.