Understanding the science behind my compost is really important to me. I want to know everything about it (good and bad) and I want to share it with everyone. This helps me improve the product, make sure I sell it to the right audience and to speak with authority at events such as Flowers @ the Abbey
It also helps you the grower make informed decisions about what's best for your garden, not only to grow amazing things, but improve the health of our soils which are in desperate need of help.
On to the tree's. We have two trials taking place, one with Bartlett Tree Experts and one with Lemon Balm.
Bartlett Tree Experts are using sensors to monitor rates of photosynthesis in leaves as a measure of tree health. They air spaded some trees in Feb and added our compost to help trees recover from having their roots buried too far below the surface. Their website has some great advice on tree care.
Lemon Balm are restoring a bed at Waitrose in Meanwood and planting apple trees. Izz has kindly offered to help with a trial to see how trees planted with Plate 2 Plate compost compare to trees planted with shop bought compost and no added compost. It's a visual comparison so may not give any true results but interesting non-the-less
Finally, our science page gives you the nutrient values of our compost and a link to growing tests conducted by Sciantec using our lawn dressing.
As you can see it's early days but the science is adding up and I can't wait to see how the tree's grow. Bring on the summer!