We should view compost as an investment to rebuild the health of soils and growing environments and be stewards of the land.
New Zealand growers normal soil management has always been a regular use of herbicides and fertilisers and we're simultaneously asking more from productivity and output.
If New Zealand growers continue to use synthetic fertilisation schemes year after year, plant yield can drop. This may be a direct correlation to the drop in organic matter and carbon content in soils.
In the past, compost-based solutions have been provided and sold to horticulture and viticulture industries as a replacement or competitor to synthetic fertilisers. These commercial fertilisers primarily help with weed suppression and moisture retention. They can also typically contain small amounts of specific nutrients based on what growers are looking for. But looking back at these statistics, there is a need to reconsider the vast value and long-term benefits of compost.
- Compost can be seen as all-around fertiliser and soil condition.
- Compost can build up organic matter and carbon contents in soils.
- Compost can be made by repurposing waste and blending it with bark fines or another carbon rich natural material to increase organic matter.