Although the discussion here focuses mainly on natural phosphate products such as CarboPhos and Viafos, the general points apply across the board.

Synthetic often seem inexpensive, easy to access and come with a lot of “free” advice. But what provides a short term fix can often have hidden costs (does your vet bill really need to be that high?) and a good result this year can easily lock you into diminishing returns (and future costs) in the years ahead.

If you shift your focus to the health of the soil and plants you can move the focus of “doing the job today” to ensuring the health of your farm tomorrow.

“Natural” in this context means that the product is only minimally processed and the nutrients remain bound up in their natural forms rather than being extracted and refined.

In addition to releasing nutrients as they break down, natural phosphates improve the structure of the soil and increase its ability to hold water and nutrients. Over time, natural fertilisers will make your soil–and plants–healthy and strong.

Natural phosphates are the ultimate slow-release fertilisers, minimising the risk of over-use and the risk of build up of toxic chemicals and salts that can be deadly to plants.

We promote CarboPhos and the Viofos range of natural fertilisers as our primary products in this area.