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 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.

Bio Gro’s Wandilo operation is one of the largest fully licenced EPA composting sites in Australia. Bio Gro’s objective is to be an organic solution provider for a range of customers including government, industry and the community. Bio Gro’s operations reduce organic material going into landfill and it is now very well documented the benefits to communities and the environment by reducing landfill intake.

The manufacturing process at Wandilo initially involves grinding and screening of the raw pine bark to create multiple sizes, or fractions of bark products ready for either the composting process or to go into our range of top quality bark landscape products.

All composting processes at Wandilo meet Australian Standards and are in accordance with AS 4454.2012. To ensure premium quality potting media there are some critical processes and procedures to follow. To achieve premium quality potting media a very precise sequence of events is required including but not limited to:

> Activation timing

> Moisture control

> Temperate control and time at specific temperatures

> Specifically designed turning and screening regimes

> Maintaining optimum pH levels

> Regular QA checks throughout the cycle natives / exotics / grasses ornamentals / contract grow specialists

Our Quality Assurance “QA” team sign off on all the base potting media using the equipment and facilities of the Wandilo laboratory. At that stage we then have a base potting media ready for the addition of specific trace elements and fertilisers for individual customer requirements. The process of selecting key inputs for the potting media is about understanding the growing conditions and the plants to be grown. Factors including container size, watering systems, types of plants whether grown undercover or outside and even factors such as liquid feed onsite, all need to be taken into consideration when making the optimum potting media for a customer. Bio Gro prides itself on having tried and tested results in the field to assist growers in customising the media that suits their application and is fit for their specific purpose.

What is important to recognise is that potting media is a living product, it evolves over time and this is what makes it a fantastic product to work with. It is critical to understand the importance of regular quality checks to ensure the life of the potting media supports the customer requirements. Bio Gro is privileged to have worked over many years with some of the best nurseries in the country to finetune our craft.