The Black Stuff is a natural soil conditioner mined from an ancient crater lake bed on Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands. Growers who use it regularly find the benefits build season after season. Here are 36 reasons to make it part of your program, drawn from what the product is and what our growers have seen.
Where it comes from
- Formed by nature over tens of thousands of years. The Black Stuff is biogenic peat, laid down as plant material settled on the bed of a freshwater crater lake.
- Nothing added, nothing extracted. We mine it and screen it. That is the entire process.
- Not a brown coal product. Most humates are made from leonardite, an oxidised brown coal that is chemically extracted. Ours is not.
- The whole natural package. Humic and fulvic complexes arrive with the organic matter they formed in, not as an isolated extract.
- No fillers. Every part of the product does work in the soil.
- Mined in Far North Queensland. A local source for tropical and subtropical growers, mined on the Atherton Tablelands.
Soil structure and water
- More friable soil. Humate helps fine particles form crumbly aggregates.
- Opens up heavy clays. Fine feeder roots can reach minerals they could not before.
- Less compaction. A better-structured soil resists packing down under machinery and stock.
- A deeper root zone. More air in the soil lets roots grow deeper and spread wider.
- Easier to work. Better tilth and a better seed bed.
- Less erosion. Well-bound aggregates hold together under heavy rain.
- Holds more water. The organic matter acts like a sponge in the root zone.
- Better infiltration. Rain soaks in rather than running off.
- A reserve for dry spells. Stored moisture carries crops between rain and irrigation.
- Lower risk in dry seasons. More water in reserve means less chance of crop stress or failure.
Nutrients
- Higher nutrient-holding capacity. Humic substances raise the soil’s cation exchange capacity, so it stores more calcium, magnesium and potassium.
- Nutrients released as the crop needs them. Stored nutrients are held and then released gradually.
- Less nitrogen lost. More nitrogen stays in the root zone instead of leaching away.
- Holds the mobile nutrients too. Helps keep phosphate, sulphate and boron within reach of the roots.
- Unlocks what is already there. Supports the release of bound phosphorus and trace elements.
- Keeps trace elements available. Humic complexes chelate metal ions, keeping them in plant-available forms.
- Steadier pH. Improved buffering helps moderate acidification.
- Makes fertiliser go further, and blends easily. Works alongside your fertiliser program and mixes with lime, gypsum or whatever minerals your soil test calls for.
Soil biology, plants and results
- Feeds beneficial soil life. Organic matter fuels the bacteria and fungi that cycle nutrients.
- A home for mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi extend the reach of plant roots.
- Stronger roots. Humic substances stimulate root growth and respiration.
- Better nutrient uptake. They make root membranes more permeable to nutrients.
- Better germination and early vigour. Seedlings get a stronger start.
- Greener, healthier trees. Dimbulah grower Oscar Bugno reports his lemon and lime trees are now dark green and setting commercial fruit.
- Proven yield gains. Mareeba lime grower John Jennings has seen more than a 200% increase in fruit per set, held across seasons.
- Long-lasting. In trials it has been found still present and active more than five years after a single application.
- Benefits that build. Each application adds to the last instead of wearing off.
- Fewer inputs over time. Healthier soil and plants can mean less spent on fertiliser and sprays.
- Clean to handle. No odour and no animal pathogens, unlike raw manures.
- Suits a wide range of crops. Citrus, custard apple, bananas, papaya, plantains, blueberries, taro, native fruit, turf and pasture. See Your Crop.
Getting started
The standard rate across our trials is 3 m³ per hectare.
| Size | Best for | Price |
|---|
| 10 L pail (about 9 kg) | Home gardens and test plots | $29.95 incl. GST + $24.95 postage |
| 1 m³ bulk bag | Orchards and market gardens | $900 + GST |
| Loose bulk, from 20 m³ | Larger blocks and broadacre | $700 + GST per m³ |
The Black Stuff is registered as a soil conditioner, not an agricultural chemical. Results vary with soil, crop and season, so talk to us about the right rate for your block.
Peter Topperwien has also written on this subject at petertopperwien.com.
