Intensive Soil Health Program

Green Food Australia offers growers the opportunity to participate in an intensive soil health program utilising the technologies pioneered by VRM Biologik®.  As part of this approach, we have developed a simple soil building program for intensive growing circumstances, including specialty crop growers, greenhouses, lifestyle blocks and hobby farms, that delivers:

• A reduced need for fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides;
• A return to sustainable growing processes, using natural formulations and processes;
• Enhanced yields and nutrient density in produce; and
• Improvement over time in soil condition, contributing to total ecosystem balance.

The program aims to catalyse important reactions in your soil that are responsible for capturing solar energy and using it to mobilise and accumulate nutrients from both soil and atmosphere.Ultimately these nutrients are stored as humus, the element which defines healthy fertile soil. An important by-product of this process is biological hydrosynthesis – the manufacture of water – which result in a net overall improvement in soil moisture retention.

The program commences with the supply of the two key catalysts HumiSoil® and XLR8® Bio. For those farmers familiar with composting and vermiculture, we teach you use any existing biomass on your property or locally to create your own agricultural input. Locally sourced organic materials are the ideal media in which to incubate the reactions you need. We are specifically targeting stimulation and regeneration of your local biome.

Tailored plan

Initially our expert agronomists work with you to identify your needs and specific challenges, generating a tailored plan that target the outcomes you wish to achieve. We use this plan to track improvements over time.

soil testing

We may ask for soil tests to be done across your farm to build a baseline picture of particular soil characteristics which give us an indication of the presence of the reactions we seek to stimulate.

initial amendment

HumiSoil® and XLR8® Bio are then delivered according to your plan. Optimally the products are spread and sprayed to the surface and then incorporated in to the top 100mm of soil along with any organic material currently present.

Prepare HumiSoil® on site

The overall cost of the process is significantly lower where you can manufacture HumiSoil® on your site. To do that we recommend collecting all available organic residues (crop residue, manures, etc) for conversion on your property or locally using the Groundswell® process.

Monitoring and Evaluation

VRM Biologik are in the process of addressing the restoration of topsoil and water resources in 25% of the world’s arable land over 25 years. To do that effectively it is important that we monitor progress towards sustained improvements in overall soil fertility and soil moisture retention. We work with you to develop a schedule of farm visits to measure your progress and assist with any information you need. We also ask that you share productivity data with us, to ask your general impressions and to record your observations of activity on your land. These might include grasses or plants that you observe appearing, the general soil moisture profile improvement or even the actions of animals, birds, insects and earthworms that you may have noticed. All of these data points help us build a picture of your contribution towards a global improvement in sustained productivity and drought resistance in the use of farming land.

The Groundswell® Micro Process

For creating up to 50t HumiSoil®

1. Spray organic residue with VRM Groundswell® Micro Accelerator at a rate of 500mL per 1 tonne of material (approximately 1 cubic metre).
2. Once sprayed with product, construct a pile from treated residue and water, ensuring the pile is as tall as possible and moisture level in the pile is at 50 – 60%.
3. When the pile is finalised, it should be covered with a tarpaulin and re-opened for physical inspection as necessary.
4. At the end of 26 weeks/ 6 months, the fully matured material can be used directly on the garden.
5. If material appears too wet to spread, moisture can be reduced before application by uncovering the pile and allowing to air dry.

Additional equipment required

Implementation of the Groundswell® process also requires:

• A tarpaulin of sufficient size to completely cover the material pile. This tarp is weighted to the ground using filled lay-flat water pipe around the edges of the tarpaulin.
• Standard farm equipment that allows movement of organic material into a pile formation.
• Spray equipment to allow for dilution and spraying of product onto the organic material.

To get involved in our Intensive Soil Health Program, register your interest below.