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Frequently Asked Questions
Talborne Organics is a supplier of Vita solid & Nourish liquid organic fertilizers and therefore most answers are general and applicable to these commercial organic fertilizers supplied.
ABOUT TALBORNE ORGANICS PRODUCT RANGES:
- Solid organic fertilizer: The VITA & Eco organic fertilisers consist of blends of up to 12 sources of plant & animal products and naturally mined minerals. The exact compositions are a trade secret, but its “all-good” stuff and complies with IFOAM regulations for fertilizer inputs.
- These fertilisers are formulated to contain NO “animal manures, chicken litter, seabird and cave bat guano, and insect meals” due to inconsistent and varying nutrient levels and potential food safety contamination.
- Liquid organic fertilizer: NOURISH is made from plant-based fertilizer fermented from sugar beet and potatoes.
- Healthy soils grow resilient crops: Talborne Organic fertilizers create healthy soils by increasing microbial populations and diversity, replenish carbon sources (humus), build good soil structure which assists with water and nutrient retention of soils, and of course, supply plants with nutrition in the way that Nature does. This leads to productive and balanced soils. Incidences of pests, diseases and weeds are reduced as these are all indicators of imbalance, deficiency, or unsuitable growing conditions. Healthy soils lead to resilient plants & crops, providing increased immunity, and resistance to heat and cold, drought and flooding.
- Quality food: Food grown in healthy fertile soil is more nutritious and delicious and the high brix means produce has a longer shelf life.
- Regenerating: On soils that are damaged and depleted, from a history of intensive and extractive farming, the Talborne Organics fertilizers replenish nutrients, stimulate microbial activity and this improves soil structure and water retention in combination with proven regenerative farming methods like green manures, cover crops and intensive animal grazing to restore soil to productivity surprising quickly.
- Using nature’s own nutrients: Of the many types of Organic plant nutrients available, most are some forms of animal manure or compost. Talborne’s fertilisers do not contain either, instead they are made by blending a mixture of nature’s own nutrients from plants, animal products and mineral deposits.
- High Value Nutrients: When compared with manure or compost-based fertilizers, Talborne Organics fertilisers for commercial farmers, growers, and home gardeners, typically contain 2 – 4 times more major nutrients (N: P: K), as well as significant amounts of minor (S, Ca, Mg) and micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mo, B plus). Because they are more concentrated, less fertiliser is required, which saves money on transport and application costs.
- Balanced and Formulated products: The Nutrients in manure-based fertilizers are determined by the animals’ diet, so the basic major (N: P: K), minor and micronutrients do not vary much after they are composted. For example, manures usually contain a lot of Phosphate, and the high applications required to supply sufficient Nitrogen for crop demand, can lead to excess Phosphate, soil imbalances and poor crop yields. With the Talborne organic fertilizers, if your plants don’t require one of these nutrients, like Nitrogen, Phosphate or Potassium, you can choose a product that meets your crops needs.
- Fit for purpose: Animal manure or chicken litter fertilisers from intensive commercial farms often contain high levels of salts, volatile Nitrogen (Urea, Ammonia and Nitrate) and other forms of residues like growth stimulants and antibiotics. Because of the high quantities applied, these can build up in soils to represent serious problems over time, which may impede soil health or require expensive soil remediation. If compost is made from poor quality components, with too low a Nitrogen content, the high Carbon:Nitrogen ratio can create nitrogen negative symptoms in crops as microbes feed on the available Nitrogen to decompose the Carbon, leaving crops yellow, stunted, and unproductive on the land.
- Incomparable: Direct comparisons are difficult, so an explanation to introduce a few concepts would be useful. In the past, organic farming methods were viewed as low-cost inputs (i.e., when animal manures or composts were the only source of nutrients) which often resulted in low productivity and was hardly commercially viable. Produce was stunted, diseased and nutritionally deficient when grown in the naturally poor soils found in many parts of South and Southern Africa. Talborne responded to this challenge by developing and sourcing scientifically formulated complete organic fertilizers which supply generous feeds of Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P) and Potassium (K), minor and micronutrients for optimum commercial production.
- Reduced applications, cut costs: Standard synthetic chemical fertilizers supply one, two or three nutrients only, with little or no minor or micronutrients (e.g., LAN, Superphosphate or synthetic 2: 3: 2). This results in multiple applications of straights or single fertilizers to ensure sufficient of the correct nutrients are applied with perfect timing for uptake. These regular applications of top ups and foliar micronutrients are costly.
- Minimal nutrient lost to leaching: Most synthetic chemical fertilizers are treated to be water soluble, by combining the nutrient with a salt to make it readily available to the plant. This property increases the potential loss of nutrient through leaching of up to 50%. This loss is seldom factored into cost. By using natural nutrients from plant, animal and mineral sources, the nutrients in Talborne Organic Fertilizers are bound in complex forms such as carbon and proteins, so are not water soluble. Nutrients are released by the soil life (fungi, bacteria, algae, plant exudes and soil insects) resulting in longer term sustained release and availability.
- No fillers or bulking materials: The bulk of synthetic fertilizers consist of fillers or carriers like salts, lime or granite chips with nutrients contributing anything from 10-33% of actual weight purchased. Talborne Organic Fertilizers do not contain added carriers or fillers and are rich in carbon.
- No soil and water pollution: Many additional factors impact indirectly on eventual cost of fertilizer, particularly when the sustainability of the farming enterprise is considered. S.A. farmers are being pressured by lifeless unproductive soils, pollution of rivers and the escalating cost of pest and disease control associated with years of overuse of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and poisons.
- Compounding benefits: Feedback from farmers using Talborne organic fertilizers, is that for a similar cost to synthetics, they are getting equivalent or increased production yields while soil health and fertility improves. This is an investment in increasingly fertile and productive soils, which results in a saving through reduced inputs in subsequent plantings and pest and disease control measures.
Talborne Organics manufacture:
Solid Organic Fertilizer ranges and a biological fertilizer range:
- VITA: is a high feed N, P, K range with minor and micronutrients. The only organic Registered Group 1 Fertilizer in S.A. for commercial farmers, growers’, turf, and landscape maintenance.
ECO: eco- logical, economical compost enriched with VITA fertilizer to deliver a medium range feed of N, P, K, minor and micro elements. Especially valuable where soil humus levels are depleted. - NOURISH Liquid Organic Fertilizer Range: Natural, 100% plant-based fertilizer. Various blends to choose from for crop requirements. Rich in Nitrogen (Amino acid), Potassium, carbohydrates, and sugars. The nutrients are readily assimilated to grow healthy plant tissue, resulting in vigorous and productive crops. The minor and micronutrients increase yields, prevent deficiency diseases, and strengthen cells to resist pest and disease and climatic stress. Use as a foliar application or a soil drench through irrigation and fertigation systems.
- High quality nutrient dense ingredients: Talborne organics blends only high quality, nutrient dense input materials from reliable sources for formulating Group 1 registered organic fertilizers. This makes the product superior to many others, but it also adds costs. When comparing Talborne Organic fertilizers to others, it is important to consider the complete feed of major, minor and micronutrients, the long term sustained release of the fertilizer, therefore reduced applications, application rate, and how often it should be applied and not just the price per ton.
- Improved crop quality from soil health and fertility: It is important to consider the benefits of the health of your soil over the long term, which will produce stronger and more resilient plants which require less costly interventions for pest and disease control.
- Investment in productivity: When thinking long-term, it is important to view organic fertiliser as an investment in your soil, because in most cases your soil is your farm’s biggest and most important asset. Value = Price/ Quality
- No legislated standard for Organic in SA: Unfortunately, there is no legislation in South Africa to prevent anyone from using the term “Organic”, or “100% Organic” so many companies sell products that are marketed as such but do not meet the international standards that regulate “Certified Organic”. For your assurance, support the businesses that are compliant and look for the Certified Organic logo and request a valid Organic Certificate from an accredited 3rd party inspector such as Control Union, EcoCert, CERES, SAOSO, PGS.
- Approved input for Certified Organic: Talborne Organics undergoes extensive auditing by Control Union (The Netherlands) to ensure our input products and processes conform to EU and US NOP standards. This enables certified organic farmers to use Talborne Inputs to produce food and produce which can be sold as complying to Certified Organic standards. This allows farmers greater access to export markets as it is trusted by health-conscious consumers and could lead to better prices.
- Different requirements for different crops: Nutrition to be used varies greatly depending on the choice of crop, the intensity of plants, the expected yield potential, the soil fertility and physical qualities, and the climatic conditions such as rainfall and heat units in the production area. Perennials, such as tree crops also require different amounts of nutrients based on their age, size, and crop yields. It is therefore impossible to provide an application rate without knowing this information.
- The choice to use solid or liquid organic fertilizer: For best effect to suit your farming practice, equipment, and facilities, speak to one of our plant nutrition specialists who can guide you with accuracy based on crop requirement with your soil, sap, and leaf analysis.
- Optimise your application: Fertiliser is one of the biggest costs for a farmer, and it is sensible to only use what is necessary. We therefore suggest using soil, sap, and leaf analysis to guide you. Speak to our Technical & Advisory Services to ensure you use the correct product and the correct quantity.
- Optimise your soil: Healthy soil can cycle free nutrients like Nitrogen from the atmosphere and breaking parent rock and organic matter to access available minerals. It also holds onto nutrients better than degraded and sandy soils. Plants grown in healthy soil means less added organic fertilizers.
- Do the recommended soil remediation: Fertilisers are most effective when the soil chemistry allows nutrients to be taken up by the plant. It is important to ensure soils have correct pH, low salinity, and high levels of carbon for best results.
Make use of farming practices that improve soil health: There are many soil- building practices which can reduce the amount of organic fertiliser applied, such as planting cover crops, mulching, avoid overwatering, incorporate regenerative farming methods, improve biodiversity, avoid all chemicals detrimental to soil health.
- Yes: Most of the Talborne Organics fertilizers are available in small, pelletised form and are easily spread with commercial fertilizer machines.
- Yes: In meal form fertilizers can be broadcast by hand or with lime spreading equipment. The meal form can be added and blended into growing mediums, potting soils, and lawn dressings very effectively.
- Not water soluble: These solid fertilizers do not dissolve in water and can not be applied through the irrigation system. Rather chose from the NOURISH liquid fertilizer range for foliar or soil drench through irrigation or fertigation.
- Compost for fertile soil: Talborne Organics recommends the use of compost wherever possible, however compost should not be confused with fertiliser, nor should it replace fertiliser.
- Compost for soil conditioning: Compost is a soil improver as it provides valuable fertility enhancement in soil:
- Adds carbon to build up humus levels in the soil. This is where the food chain starts as carbon is used as food for beneficial microbes.
- Compost moderates soil temperature and improves the water and nutrient holding capacity of the soil.
- Adds biological life and thereby a diverse and beneficial soil life ecosystem, which is an unpaid work force working symbiotically to feed and protect your crop against damagers like pathogenic fungi which cause root rots like phytophthora, and root knot nematode which causes great crop losses.
- Compost is very low in nutrients: Although compost does contain plant nutrients, it only contains a small quantity. To apply enough compost to satiate a high yielding crop’s requirement is impractical, thus organic fertilisers in solid or liquid form are used together with compost for best results.
- Mixing with other organic liquids: These products can be mixed into spray tank with most other liquid organic fertilizers like kelp and bio stimulants (please check with your supplier of these products before doing so) or spray a Test patch to check compatibility.
- Caution: there are some limitations for example, Nourish and other liquid fertilisers should not be mixed with concentrated copper fungicides as this could inhibit action or uptake.
- NOURISH will not clog nozzles: But mixtures with other liquid organic fertilizers or micronutrients that are not fully soluble might block nozzles in commercial spraying systems, so we cannot guarantee this when mixed with other products.
- No, can prevent efficient uptake: This is not recommended good practise as the pest and disease products have carriers and spreaders such as oils, soaps, ethanol, and silica as bases that seal plant surfaces and could prevent efficient uptake of nutrients through leaves and stems.
- No, dilution rates of application: Pest and disease control products require a recommended concentration of active ingredients and a dilution rate for efficacy against pest and disease. Apply NOURISH and leave a day or 2 before spraying pest and disease remedies on crops for prevention or control.
- No, the pest and disease products could be harmful to soil microbes: Fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides, can kill off beneficial soil life and cause damage to the soil ecosystem, therefore reducing microbial release or effective plant uptake of nutrients.
- Use NOURISH to improve resilience, and resistance to disease and pests: NOURISH is rich in natural amino acid Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K), micronutrients, and carbohydrates and is readily assimilated to grow healthy plant tissue, resulting in vigorous and productive crops. Therefore, supplementing healthy plants through peak growth phases, stressful climatic conditions and nutritional deficiencies can condition crops and build immunity to overcome challenging growing conditions.
- Spraying for weed control is not allowed for EU Organic Production Standards. Talborne Organics formulated a weed control range using natural plant acids, but cost of this control product was prohibitive, and therefore not suitable for commercial application.
- We supply Biogrow Finalsan as a safe, non-toxic, non-selective, weed control product to spray very carefully between growing areas where soft and fine weeds are choking out newly germinating seeds.
- PLEASE NOTE: Not suitable for lawn and grass weed control.
- Biogrow Finalsan can be used for landscape maintenance projects and growing nurseries to be applied on paving, floors, and walls where algae or moss grow which causes slippery conditions or staining on walls and water features.
- CAUTION: Apply as directed by the manufacturer only. Do a test sample to ensure suitable efficacy for application.
DOING BUSINESS WITH TALBORNE ORGANICS:
- Yes. Talborne supplies to over 2,300 TO Agri and TO Urban customers, of which most are farming or landscaping on commercial scale.
- ALL Bulk orders: Are manufactured on order, so if you require bulk loads from 34 Tons to 500 tons, it is advisable to place orders at least 14 days to 1 month before the fertilizer is required to ensure that input materials are available to support your order and production planned accordingly.
- Bulk orders of 500 to 1000 Tons +: Please contact Talborne Organics to plan for your required fertilizers and required time scales.
(PLEASE NOTE: Talborne Organics is a wholesaler, and only supplies to registered businesses, NOT direct to the public. We do NOT have a factory shop)
- Distribution network: Talborne Organics has a distribution network to ensure products can be made available quickly and at the lowest possible cost.
- Factory location: Our factory is near Bronkhorstspruit in Gauteng, where most bulk trucks are loaded, and deliveries despatched.
- Regional Depots: Talborne Organics depots are in Western Cape, Northern Cape, KZN, Southern Cape and there are several distributors around the country and in Swaziland.
- Pre-orders and payment, NO walk-ins: Customers must place orders with Talborne Organics Sales Office but can collect from the factory or depots. We do NOT accept cash as a form of payment, and as such, all orders must be pre-paid by EFT before they will be released.
- Delivery of bulk orders: Truckloads and consolidated loads can be quoted for delivery direct from the factory to the farm, (with the proviso that roads are in good condition, with easy and safe access). We can get a quote from reliable transporters and distributors that we use, or the client can arrange their own collection.
- Part-loads or smaller orders: can be delivered in Gauteng and the Western Cape with added delivery cost. PLEASE NOTE: Talborne Urban Organics (TUO) supplies Talborne Organics products to the Garden Centres, Retail, DIY trade, On-line Stockists, Landscapers and NPO Projects direct. Place orders direct with TUO.
- Please Contact Us so we can provide the latest price list for your closest Regional Depot, Distributor or Agent for your requirements.
- Talborne does not provide financing or credit terms, however Talborne Organics Agri bulk products can be ordered through several large Co-ops and Farmers supply stores, which can provide Accounts and financing to approved clients.
- See our Contact Us page to view our Supplier partners.
- Production lead times are normally between 7 – 14 days after receipt of payment. Small orders up to 1 ton, are normally available immediately as stock items.
- Please advise required date in time when you place your order. We will do our best to accommodate your plans.
- Talborne strongly recommends using analysis to help guide your farming decisions.
- We do not have our own testing facility and therefore do not accept soil samples.
- We encourage our customers to make use of reputable labs.
Contact our Technical Services Department for more information.
GUIDELINES FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY:
- Registered & Approved Inputs: The Talborne Organics fertilizer inputs are obtained from registered production facilities producing sterilized animal products, so are disease and pathogen free and therefore safe to use on dairy pastures and paddocks for free range animals, crops grown for livestock feed for nutritional density, and for stock breeding and sporting facilities.
- Safety: Inputs and formulations are assessed for safety before being allowed, based on product analysis, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and Import Permits and inspection of our records.
- Storage facilities, marking and packaging: Are regulated as per Organic Certification standards to prevent co-mingling and contamination in storage and transport.
- Some of these documents are available for download on our Products pages or Contact Us to request documents.
- Free of harmful residues and Heavy Metals: Although Heavy metals such as Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb),Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni) Arsenic (As) Copper (Cu) are present and part of nature in small quantities, in higher concentrations or through contamination, they can be highly toxic and harmful to healthy growth and development of children’s organs, such as brain retardation, and general poor health in adults, such as cancer and chronic diseases. Talborne Organics fertilizer complies with the Certified Organic Standards regulated by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements) protocols for fertilizer, and inspected by Control Union of The Netherlands, for compliance to EU and US NOP (National Organic Production) standards. This assurance together with the SA NDA Registration of Fertilizer, limits heavy metals in fertilizer to minimum residue limits (MRL’s). For Certified Organic only approved sources that comply with stringent standards for human, animal and environmental health and safety are allowed as fertilizer Inputs.
- It is generally not harmful: to children, workers or pets in the office, home, garden or on farm use. See above explanation.
- General health and safety precautions: For handling and spreading fertilizer products, such as dust masks, eye shields, and skin protection such as gloves, as well as safe storage are important measures to ensure safety when applying solid or liquid organic fertilizers.
- Non-polluting: Talborne Organic fertilizers do not pollute and contaminate water or air, thereby protecting fish, frogs, beneficial insects, birdlife, and sensitive eco-systems.
CAUTION: If your dogs are very excitable and tend to be destructive in the garden, consider using plant based NOURISH liquid organic fertilizer as a foliar or drench application instead.
Initially Vita organic fertilizers will attract the dog’s attention as a new and interesting smell in the garden. With training and familiarity most problems are amicably resolved when it comes to using these fertilizers.
Introduce dogs to Talborne organic fertilizer by preferably spreading the fertilizer throughout the garden for the 1st application. Do not use on 1 shrub, tree, or container with planting as it will be dug out if the dog does not know this new smell. OR
By sprinkling a small amount – about 20ml on a lawn area where they can lap up a small quantity and so do not have to dig up the garden or shrub to investigate the new smell in their environment.
There are some ingredients like bone meal in it, which will be attractive to dogs. In small quantities it supplies good nutrients to dogs. The rich potassium component in fertilizer is what could be harmful, but only if taken in large quantities. (That is the last number) e.g., in Vita Green it is N 5: P1: K5.
Since the product is made from natural components, but like anything in life, moderation is key. If a dog eats large quantities, they could vomit or suffer from diarrhoea, depending on the quantity and blend of fertilizer they eat.
- Make sure that the bag is not left where the dog can easily open bag to eat it direct out of a bag or a container to ingest a quantity more than 20ml of these concentrated fertilizer ingredients. Just like with people, one slice of cake is fine, the entire cake will make you ill.
- When you spread the fertilizer on the lawn or beds put the sprinkler on. This will help the granules to break up and be assimilated into the soil, and the attractive smell reduces.
- If the dogs pick up a little from the ground, it should not be harmful but might result in purging this rich concentration of ingredients by vomiting. Please ensure they remain outdoors with free access to drinking clean water until vomiting passes
THE VALUE OF ORGANIC AND REGENERATIVE FARMING AND GROWING:
- The essence of Organic growing is the building up of soil health to deliver quality plant, animal, and human life through quality food. (Soil life like beneficial micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi), humus content (compost) content, structure of the soil and nutrient levels.
- Inputs which damage the environment, pollute, kill soil life, or cause toxicity in food, soil and water sources are strictly forbidden in organic methods.
- When a product, food or process is Certified Organic the user is assured that a stringent inspection and control system, governed by worldwide standards through IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) is applied.
- Talborne Organics primary market is the “environmentally aware” soil health and regenerative farmer, producing for the high value, healthy food, or niche markets such as certified organic or produce destined for the export market, under Global Gap. This is a market encompassing a very wide spread of growers from Avocado’s, Citrus, Table and Wine Grapes, Vegetables, Culinary, Medicinal and Essential Oil Herbs to wheat for organic flour. Other markets are wholesale and retail nurseries and landscapers.
- Talborne Organics produces a range of specialist Turf fertilizers used on sports grounds and leading golf courses. Sports fields are using environmentally friendly products to prevent pollution and comply with ever increasing responsibility for climate change measures.
- In addition to the above, organic fertilizers stimulate microbial activity, replenish carbon sources (humus), build good soil structure which assists with water and nutrient retention of soils. As balance is regained, incidence of pest, disease and weed is reduced as these are all indicators of imbalance, deficiency, or unsuitable growing conditions. Food grown in good soil is more nutritious and delicious and has a longer shelf life.
- The organic grower will be guided by the saying “Prevention is easier and less costly than cure.” They strive to grow strong and healthy plants which resist pests and disease with natural immunity. High pest attack is nature’s quality control system removing the weak plant to prevent propagation of a poor specimen. In preference to using poisons, which kill the good with the bad, the organic grower uses products that disrupt the pest’s life cycles, comfort, feeding habits, or acts as a repellent. This allows for the preservation of predators and beneficial insects to flourish and contain pest outbreaks naturally. Only as a last resort are natural poisons like Pyrethrum used to regain control of pest attacks. Natural poisons breakdown rapidly so do not result in toxic poison residues in food or the environment.
- Talborne exported components of our fertilizer range to Europe, mostly Germany in the early 1990’s when environmental legislation restricted the use of synthetic, water-soluble fertilizers to control environmental pollution.
- Talborne Organics fertilizers were conceptualised in the early 90’s but local market interest justified the launch of Vita Organic Fertilizer in 2000. Organic methods were previously regarded with suspicion and classified as emotional or eccentric by BIG AG companies. Today there is a focus on organic methods as the future of growing albeit under different labels such as Regenerative, Biological, Conservation farming, Nature, Sustainable, Biodynamic and Permaculture all subscribe to the organic concept of nurturing the soil. Large commercial agricultural groups have embraced and benefited from these methods.
Many a farmer converted from conventional synthetic growing has remarked, that the organic approach and farming co-operatively rather than in conflict with nature, has rekindled a passion for farming that had been “lost in a haze of toxic chemicals” applied to kill and poison before a problem developed in an attempt to produce viable crop quality and yields.
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Contact
- +27 61 454 9632
- +27 13 933 3172
- +27 13 933 3603
- 079 896 5814
- Info@talborne.co.za
- 9 Tungsten str, Ekandustria, Bronkhorstspruit, GP, RSA
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