CMZ for Soil Conditioning & Improvement

Australian soils are generally poor to very poor due to their age, the extent to which they have been leached and the way they have been managed. The addition of CMZ along with other inputs into the soil can assist in the regeneration from bottom up. 

CMZ reduces the requirement for cationic fertilisers and provides more yield for less fertiliser. 

CMZ is a benefical element in the improvement of the physics and chemistry of the soil. It adds moisture binding to the soil, but not to the extent that after heavy or torrential rain, the soil fluidises and any subsequent wind will blow down trees and large shrubs. Under dry conditions it may be the difference between getting a vegetable crop and not getting one.

CMZ increases the CEC of the soil and hence reduces leaching of cationic fertilisers from the soil. Having applied it once, it continues to function thus requiring less nitrogenous and other cationic fertilisers in subsequent years.

CMZ improves the AFP of the soil thus providing no limitation to growth of roots due to lack of oxygen. In laboratory tests the optimal particle size is ~3 mm.  In potting mixes these larger sizes are employed, but in horticulture or broad scale agriculture also needs addition of small particle sizes especially for physical and chemical soil improvement.

Repeated administration of ZSUN 30/00 at 0.5kg/m^2 each year is indicated.

For vegetable gardens, grass, lawn and artificial grass FM 16/30 (1.20 - 0.50 mm) at ~1kg/m^2 is recommended followed by watering the product in. This application reduces the requirement for frequent watering, a good outcome in times of below average rainfall. A benefit for artifical grass is that the watering cools the artificial grass, very important in summer areas in inland areas. 

CMZ for Soil Treatment and Remediation

CMZ finds use in treating soils which naturally contain high levels of heavy metals, particularly lead in the soil in the NW of QLD, near Mt Isa, where lead, nickel, silver and zinc are mined. 

In the rest of the world Zeolite has been used to remediate land affected by nuclear accidents, binding U, Po, Pl and Cs. These include Sellarfield in the UK, 3 Mile Island in the USA, Chernobyl in Bellarus and Fukushima in Japan.

CMZ for Soil Fertility

Australian soils are some of the lowest levels of Carbon in the world. CMZ homes soil microorganisms in an environment where is sufficiently moist to facilitate microbial growth and proliferation. Of greatest importance are non pathogenic fungal species. It is a truism that soil fertility is mediated by soil fungi. All fungi are aerobes, so the air voids created by granular CMZ are doubly important. Generally a fertile soil requires Carbon: the more Carbon in the soil the less fertiliser required. Soil fertility is usually related to soil fungi.

CMZ assists in U2: 

• aeration (all fungi are obligate aerobes) 
• moisture retention without which fungi can't survive
• nutrient retention without which fungi can't survive 

(For more information see the section on ZeoChar.)