-
Fertile Minds contents page
- Fertile Minds archive (back issues)
- Refer this site to a friend / colleague
June 2010
Welcome to the June 2010 edition of Fertile Minds, the newsletter of Sydney Environmental & Soil Laboratory.
With this issue we would like to welcome the more than 1700 new readers who gave us their contact details at the recent CIVENEX construction and public works expo in western Sydney, where SESL had a stand.
If you have any questions you would like answered in Fertile Minds, please write to info@sesl.com.au. If you have any special requirements, we would be pleased to talk with you and tailor a package and price. Please contact the office on (02) 9980 6554 or write to us at info@sesl.com.au.
If you have received our newsletter by mistake or would like to be removed from our mailing list, please go to the bottom of the e-mail you received and click on Safe Unsubscribe. This action will remove you immediately and you won’t hear from us again.
In this issue
- The Loam Ranger – Is silicon a plant nutrient?
- Glyphosate can increase plant disease
- Acid sulphate soils
- What’s wrong with the Base Cation Saturation Ratio concept?
- Soils of Sydney – Sandstone soils
- Did you know ... ? – Ten things you probably didn’t know about domain names
The Loam Ranger – Is silicon a plant nutrient?
Dear Loam Ranger,
I’ve heard that I should be adding silicon fertilizer to my soil. But isn’t all soil made of silicon? Why should I pay money for something that’s already present? Is this a scam?
The short answer is that it appears that plants benefit from silicon. So it’s probably not a scam. The long answer has many ifs and buts.
Click here for silicon fertiliser facts and furphies (1100 words, 4 minutes)
Glyphosate can increase plant disease
In our previous issue we looked at evidence that over-reliance on glyphosate can increase nutrient deficiencies. In this article we consider evidence that it can also increase plant susceptibility to diseases.
Click here to see how glyphosate can increase disease and how to combat it (400 words, 2 minutes)
Acid sulphate soils
Acid sulphate soils (ASS) are of concern all along the NSW coastline and around much of Australia. ASS can cause major damage to plants, animals, waterways and structures. If you live in an area of potential ASS, it is critical that you know where the soils are, how to avoid disturbing them and what to do if they cause problems.
Click here for how to manage acid sulphate soils (1150 words, 3 minutes)
What’s wrong with the Base Cation Saturation Ratio concept?
How much fertiliser do you need to apply? Do a soil test and the results will tell you what’s there. Decide what should be there and add the difference. But how do you determine what should be there?
Two approaches are commonly used: the Base Cation Saturation Ratio (BCSR) concept and the nutrient sufficiency concept.
The BCSR has a long and popular history. Unfortunately, neither theory nor facts support it.
Click here to see why BCSR can waste your money (770 words, 3 minutes)
Soils of Sydney – Sandstone soils
In the last issue we introduced the five main geological units that make up the Sydney Basin and Cumberland Plain: sandstones, shales, basalt caps and plugs, the Botany Sand Sheet and the riverine alluviums. In this issue we look at the soils that form on the iconic Hawkesbury Sandstones so characteristic of Sydney, the Hawkesbury River, Port Hacking, the Woronora Plateau and the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
In this article we look at how soil formation on low-fertility sandstone soils depends on landscape position, and the vegetation the different soils support.
Click here for a brief introduction to the sandstone soils of Sydney (720 words, 3 minutes)
Did you know ... ? – Ten things you probably didn’t know about domain names
1. The world’s longest domain name
Domain names (for example, the “SESL” in www.sesl.com.au) are allowed to be no longer than 63 characters. The page at http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch.com/ claims this domain name to be the longest, at 60 characters. This page promotes the Welsh town of the same name.