Golden Bay Dolomite December Newsletter

Written By Sam Kilpatrick

Keep your soils robust for crop rotation with one easy application – cropping benefits of using Dolomite. 

As cropping farmers you’ll know how important soil health and fertility is for achieving high-yielding crops across your rotation.  

The value of including a renewal phase like pasture, or using “no-tillage”, are management techniques that most of the industry use to maintain soil structure and health – adding Dolomite where necessary to your fertiliser program can also be a valuable tool. 

Magnesium and Calcium base saturation levels

The advantages to crops of Dolomite containing key elements Magnesium (11%) and Calcium (24%) are numerous, and compared to just using ag lime, provide added benefits to your soil. Firstly, Dolomite is 15% more effective at lifting pH than a 90% purity agriculture lime, making it a good alternative when needing higher pHs for increased nutrient availability. 

The additional win is that Dolomite also lifts your soil base saturation levels of Magnesium and Calcium - often helping to correct soil structure and pore space, resulting in benefits like; 

  • Improved water-holding capacity 

  • Better nutrient uptake, and 

  • Increased soil biology   

Higher yields - cropping farmer Tom Rudge

Tom had become frustrated with their traditional NPKS approach seeing the same issues paired with static crop yields year-on-year. He turned things around with help from the team at Golden Bay Dolomite. Read more from Tom here: 

https://www.goldenbaydolomite.co.nz/tom-rudge

Applying Dolomite maintains soil Magnesium (and Calcium) for your next crop, the functions of Magnesium in plants include; 

  • Found at the centre of the chlorophyll, essential for plant photosynthesis  

  • It is a carrier for Phosphorus, ensuring a steady supply to the plant  

  • Will increase nitrogen fixation in legumes  

  • It is both an enzyme activator and a constituent of many enzymes  

  • Responsible for sugar synthesis and starch translocation  

  • Nutrient uptake control 

Get in touch to incorporate Golden Bay Dolomite into your cropping plan. Visit our website at goldenbaydolomite.co.nz, phone 03 525 9843 or email  sales@goldenbaydolomite.co.nz 

Sam Kilpatrick
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Golden Bay Dolomite November Newsletter