AU2007335237B2

AU2007335237B2 - Organic fertilizer and application system therefore

Info

Publication number: AU2007335237B2
Application number: AU2007335237A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Geoffrey Charles Cresswell; Jeremy Gilder
Original assignee: Plantmaster Products Int Pty Ltd
Current assignee: PLANTMASTER PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-12-18
Filing date: 2007-12-17
Publication date: 2012-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2027-12-17
Also published as: WO2008074062A1; JP2010513190A; AU2007335237A1

Abstract

A delivery system for applying a liquid nutrient composition to plants, the system comprising a water permeable container housing a fertilizer composition comprising at least about 70wt% dried lucerne, whereby when the container is contacted with water nutrients are released from the composition into the water.

Description

WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 1 ORGANIC FERTILIZER AND APPLICATION SYSTEM THEREFORE Field of the Invention 5 The present invention relates to an organic fertilizer composition and a system for producing a nutrient solution prepared from the composition. In particular the present invention is directed towards a fertilizer preparation system for use with plants that require very little fertilizer or are sensitive to inorganic fertilizers such as indoor plants, bonzi and seedlings. 10 Background of the Invention Organic fertilizers are becoming increasingly popular in agriculture and domestic gardening. In the art, organic fertilizers are understood to be those derived from plant and animal residues and from naturally occurring minerals. 15 Organic fertilizers are available in solid or liquid form. Examples of solid fertilizers are compost, animal and bird manures in natural or pelletised form, blood and bone, fish powder or meal. Organic fertilizers generally release nutrients relatively slowly as they must undergo microbial breakdown to water soluble, ionic forms before they can be absorbed by 20 roots. For this reason, the fertilizer is not immediately available and is less likely to cause a salt burn to plants. However, the high rates of solid organic fertilizer needed for fast growing plants can cause problems. If the fertilizer is buried in moist soil or media, there may not be sufficient oxygen to sustain the microbial processes required to release nutrients. Under these anaerobic 25 conditions, compounds such as alcohol that are toxic to plants may be produced. This problem may be avoided by applying the solid organic fertilizer to the surface of the growing medium. However, this practice is generally unacceptable because these fertilizers give off offensive odours and may attract insects. Liquid organic fertilizers may be used in such situations. 30 Liquid fertilizers are generally made from water extracts of fish or animal wastes and commonly contain seaweed which is considered a source of plant hormones and trace elements. Those made with plant wastes are known as WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 2 compostt tea". Compost teas are the fermentation products of composts. Typically compost is placed in water for a period of up to about a week and the mixture is allowed to ferment. Compost tea provides a range of microbes which are believed to improve soil health and to suppress plant pathogens. 5 However, the nutrient value of these products is very low and the actual composition of the final product is subject to a large number of variables such as the compost substrate, fermentation time and temperature and the like. Despite a large number of anecdotal reports regarding the efficacy of compost tea, there is very little scientific data in support of their value as a nutrient 10 source. A recognized disadvantage of all plant or animal based organic fertilizers is that they have an unpleasant odour. This makes them particularly unattractive for domestic gardens and in particular indoor use. Attempts have been made to provide organic fertilizers in a deodorized pellet form. In 15 practice, the pellets still have a residual odour and/or become odorous over time when in contact with water or in humid conditions. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an organic fertilizer which may at least partially overcome the above disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice. 20 Summary of the Invention According to a first broad form of the invention, there is provided a system for producing a liquid organic fertilizer, the system comprising a water permeable container housing a fertilizer composition comprising at least 70wt% dried lucerne, whereby when the container is contacted with water to release 25 nutrients and other useful compounds from the composition into the water. Lucerne is traditionally used as a high protein crop for animal feed and also as a green manure crop to increase soil organic matter and to provide nitrogen. Instead of being harvested and removed from site, green manure crops are incorporated into the soil where they have been grown. At this stage of growth 30 the plants have a relatively high nitrogen and moisture content, and provide WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 3 an ideal food source for soil microbes and other organisms like earthworms. Under favourable conditions these organisms decompose the green manure reasonably quickly. During this process, organic matter and nutrients are released into the soil where they become available for use by other organisms 5 including crop plants. The present inventors have surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered that lucerne in dried form when contacted with water may provide a suitable balance of nutrients and which does not have an unpleasant odour. The lucerne is preferably in the form of a powder. 10 The fertilizer composition may comprise 100wt% lucerne, however it is - preferred that the composition may further comprise other ingredients that contribute plant nutrients. Examples of such other ingredients are selected from the group consisting of an organic potassium source such as greensand or a plant based ash, an additional organic nitrogen and phosphorus source 15 such as guano and a natural source of trace elements and micronutrients such as seaweed and rock powder. According to a further broad form of the invention, there is provided a fertilizer composition in dried form, the composition comprising between about 2 to about lOwt% guano, preferably between about 4 to about 8wt%, between 20 about 0 to about 6wt% rock powder preferably between about 2 to about 4wt%, between about 0 to about 4% palm ash, preferably between about 1 to about 3wt% and between about 0 to about 1Owt%, preferably between about 2 to about 6wt% seaweed and the remainder comprising dried lucerne. Preferably the composition has a NPK ratio of about 2.8-3.2:0.8-1.2:1.8-2.5. 25 The water permeable container may be in any suitable form such as an envelope or bag. Typically, the container is made from a biodegradable material such as cotton, paper or a biodegradable polymer such as a starch based polymer. Such containers may be conveniently discarded after use or incorporated into garden soil. Alternatively, the container may be reusable, WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 4 and may be in the form of a fine mesh or the like. In this case, the contents of the container may be discarded after use and the container re-used. The container is contacted with water for a time sufficient to release nutrients. The nutrients may be in water soluble or water insoluble form in which case, 5 they are present in the form of an emulsion, suspension or dispersion. The fertilizer is preferably contacted with water having a higher than ambient temperature. It will be appreciated that the time the water is in contact with the container may be dependent upon the water temperature. Preferably, the container is contacted with water having a temperature of at least about 70 0 c 10 and more preferably close to or at boiling point. Typically, the container remains in contact for the water for at least about 10 minutes, although it will be appreciated that shorter times may be acceptable in some circumstances. The water may be allowed to cool to ambient naturally or can be mixed with cold water. The water extract may be applied to the soil or foliage. 15 Preferably, the container is agitated at least part of the time the container is in contact with the water. This may facilitate release of the nutrients into the water and/or facilitate dispersion of water-insoluble particles or compounds, thereby increasing the strength of the nutrient solution. Preferably, the container further includes a means for allowing a user to agitate the container 20 during dispersion. Typically, this is in the form of a handle, string or the like. The amount of fertilizer housed in the container may vary according to the desired final volume of the nutrient composition. For example, a lesser amount may be suitable for application to a small number of indoor plants as compared to a vegetable garden. Alternatively, if desired a user may use 25 more than one container at a time. Typically for indoor use, the container houses between about 5g to about 20g, preferably between about 8 to about 15g of the fertilizer composition. Typically, 1g of the fertilizer will supply between about 10 to about 100, preferably between about 20 to about 60 ml water with nutrients. 30 Lucerne contains triacontanol a fatty alcohol of the formula C 30

H

62 0 found in plant cuticle waxes. Triacontanol is a plant growth stimulant and may have a WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 5 role explaining the plant response to the fertilizer. Whilst not wishing to be bound by theory, the present inventors believe that triacontanol is released into the water upon contact of the lucerne therewith, in an amount sufficient to favourably influence the growth of a plant to which the water is applied. 5 According to a further broad form of the invention there is provided a method of applying a liquid nutrient composition to a plant, the method comprising contacting a fertilizer composition comprising at least about 70wt% dried lucerne with water for a time sufficient to release nutrients from the composition into the water and applying the resultant mixture to or about a 10 plant. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a graph showing the growth response of radish to the fertilizer recorded in a pot trial and Figures 2 to 5 are photographs of seedlings in the trial at harvest. 15 By way of example only, the present invention will now be described with reference to the following Examples: Example 1 A composition was prepared having the following formulation: Lucerne powder 85wt% - Premium grade protein >20% Range 20-25% 20 Guano 6% Prefossilised Guano Rock Powder 3% (available from Hall Rock Minerals) Palm Ash 2% Ex Malaysia Seaweed 4% Tasmanian Bull Kelp The above formulation has a NPK of 3.0:1.0:2.1 25 Example 2 Lucerne 90% WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 6 Guano 6% Seaweed 4% Growing Trials Trials were conducted to assess the growth response of radish seedlings to 5 five liquid feed treatments:. 1. water only control 2. a commercial synthetic fertilizer available under the tradename Peters Complete liquid feed sold by Scotts Australia at 2g/L 3. The composition of Example 1 in pellet form in a paper bag 1Og/bag 10 4. The composition of Example 1 in powder form in a paper bag 1 Og/bag 5. The composition of Example 1 powder form The composition for each of 3, 4 and 5 were placed in 100ml boiling water for 5-10 minutes with agitation. The tea bags for 3 and 4 were discarded at this time. The solution was made to 300ml with tap water and applied to the 15 seedlings within an hour of preparation. Fertilizer treatments began as soon as the seeds had germinated. Five applications were made over the course of the trial. At harvest, the plants were photographed and the weight of the edible root was measured. The results are shown in Figure 1. Root weight was highest in 20 treatment 5 and decreased in the series 5>2>4>3>1, thereby confirming the efficacy of the present invention. Figure 2 shows photographs of the seedlings for treatments 5, 4, 2, and 1 from left to right respectively. Figures 3 and 4 shows photographs of seedlings for treatments 5, 1, 2 from 25 left to right respectively and Figure 5 shows photographs of seedlings 5 and 4 from left to right respectively.

WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 7 It may be seen that the nutrient composition as applied by the method of the invention shows a result comparable to the synthetic fertilizer and certainly superior to the control. These results show that the method and composition of the present invention are capable of supplying nutrients in a balanced 5 manner to seedlings. This is a surprising result, considering that an organic plant product such as lucerne would be considered to be only suitable for slow release of some nutrients. It will be appreciated that the terms "comprises" "comprising" and "comprise" are to be interpreted inclusively rather than exhaustively and should not be 10 construed as being limited only to the recited features or integers but may also include unrecited features or integers. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made to the present invention as described and claimed herein without departing form the spirit and scope thereof. 15

Claims

1. A delivery system for applying a liquid nutrient composition to plants, the system comprising a water permeable container housing a fertilizer composition comprising at least about 70wt% dried 5 lucerne, whereby when the container is contacted with water nutrients are released from the composition into the water.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises 100wt% lucerne.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises an 10 organic source of nitrogen and an organic source of potassium.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises an organic source of phosphorous

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the nitrogen source is guano and the potassium source is ash. 15

6. The system of claim 1, wherein triacontanol is released into the water.

7. A fertilizer composition in dried form, the composition comprising between about 2 to about 10wt% guano, up to about 6wt% rock powder, up to about 4% palm ash and up to about 1 Owt% seaweed 20 and the remainder comprising dried lucerne.

8. The composition of claim 6 wherein the NPK ratio is about 2.8 3.2:0.8-1.2:1.8-2.5.

9. A method of applying a liquid nutrient composition to a plant, the method comprising contacting a water permeable container housing 25 a fertilizer composition comprising at least about 70wt% dried lucerne with water for a time sufficient to release nutrients from the composition into the water and applying the resultant liquid to or about a plant.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the water is above ambient 30 temperature.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the container is a biodegradable water permeable envelope. WO 2008/074062 PCT/AU2007/001946 9

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the fertilizer composition is contacted with the water for a period of at least about 10 minutes and the fertilizer is agitated for at least part of that time.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein triacontanol is released into the 5 water.