Use of compost mixtures in fruit tree nursery

The showcase (10a) is located in Flevoland and focuses on the use of composts with supplements to improve soil and to substitute peat in rootstock beds. The showcase is carried out on a fruittree nursery and nursery for high quality plantmaterial for fruitgrowers in Zeewolde. Supplements can include multiple compounds depending on the plant and soil system. Examples are trace elements such as Sodium Molybdate, Manganese, Boron and Selenium to support plant nutrition, Leonardite, which provides humic substances for soil improvement, Lava for mineral content, Alfalfa for additional organic matter and microorganisms to improve soil and plant health and growth. The showcase highlights how combining compost and natural additives can create a balanced growing medium without the environmental impacts of peat.

Situation at the start

The producers of fruit trees face in future some large challenges. For the 2-year production of the fruit trees, new fields are sought. Replant disease, a reduced growth after planting fruit trees again on the same field is a large problem. Also the rootstock growers face some challenges. One of which is the reduced possibility to use peat as a substrate for the rootstocks. Investigations are carried out, using other materials or combinations of materials.

The possible solution is to develop a total strategy for improving soils. A strategy of using compost and additives. At the fruittree nursery, Smeets started with sowing field beans. This legume can bind nitrogen, improves the soil and develivers some yield. After the field beans, compost with additions was applied and a greenmanure was sown.