PROFILE: VAN SCHAIK’S BIO GRO
Production of media at Van Schaik’s Bio Gro By David Ford, Van Schaik’s Bio Gro When keen gardeners whether they are experienced or new comers to gardening peruse the aisles of their local retailer for the perfect plant, they may not necessarily be aware that without the incredible story of the development of Australian potting media, we would not have the phenomenal nursery and landscape industries and quality of plants we see today. Potting media is not soil. Quality potting media is predominantly made from radiata softwood pine bark that is sourced from sustainable softwood plantation forests. Bio Gro sources its bark from radiata softwood pine forests, initially established over 110 years ago in the south east of South Australia by the South Australian Government. The forests are akin to a sustainable crop that undergoes a number of thinning operations before the remaining trees are clear felled at an average age of 30 years. Bio Gro is a major contributor to the circular economy as it produces bark based product that the foresters then use in the growing of pine seedlings
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that get planted after a clear fell operation, a classic example of the circular economy. Once the trees are logged, they are taken to local timber mills for processing. From Bio Gro’s viewpoint the main part of the process is removing the bark from the sawlog known as de-barking. Once the log has been de-barked, the bark residue is collected by our vehicles and transferred to Bio Gro’s 110 acre composting site located in Wandilo located 15kms north of Mount Gambier in the south east of South Australia. Wandilo processes the raw ungraded bark into high quality potting media and landscape products.
