Nutrients and their impact on healthy plant growth – N is for Nitrogen

In contrast to the lack of awareness of the importance of plant nutrients such as boron, silicon and sulphur, it is probably safe to say, that every farmer is well-aware of the role of nitrogen in plant growth. The issues with nitrogen are different. Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and the atomic number 7. In its elemental form, it is an abundant gas throughout the universe. Nitrogen occurs in all living organisms, mostly in amino acids, and therefore proteins, but also in the nucleic acids of every living cell. It is essential to all life on Earth.

There are three main sources of Nitrogen: Atmosphere, Organic Protein Decay and Fertilizers.

Nutrients and their impact on healthy plant growth – S is for Sulphur

We continue with our series of articles about the biochemical sequence necessary for healthy plant growth. The biochemical sequence is an explanation of the cycles, and the roles that biochemicals play in the development of plants. You can read back on this blog about the fascinating interplay of boron, silicon and calcium.

In these previous articles, I’ve drawn the analogy that when it comes to their roles in healthy plant growth, boron is like the driver, silicon is the highway and calcium is the truck. To continue the comparison, the fourth element in the sequence, sulphur, can be likened to the key in the ignition. Sulphur, represented on the periodic table by the symbol S and bearing the atomic number 16, is an abundant non-metal element, and it is the classic catalyst in organic chemistry. When it comes to plant growth, nothing – not even boron, would work without sulphur.

Launch of Avondale’s Cyclus 2010 vintage celebrated at the Mount Nelson’s Chef Table

What a pleasure it was to experience the amazing cooking of the Mount Nelson’s Executive Chef Rudi Liebenberg at our lunch-time launch of the 2010 vintage of Avondale’s Cyclus. I was joined by award-wining wine writer, Joanne Gibson, and it is not every day that you are seated and served at the Chef’s Table in the iconic hotel’s kitchen.

The Gifts of the Three Kings

The biodynamic farmer can use the Three Kings preparation in a number of different ways, such as stirring up the tincture in a solution in the prescribed way and sprinkling it as you walk the boundary of your farm. At Avondale, we make use of it in our field broadcaster which contains a map of our farm. Sceptics may say that there is no way that a homeopathic remedy such as this could have any influence on protecting one’s farm from natural disaster. However, our recent experience of a raging inferno that bore down on Avondale for three days and nights; and yet repeatedly turned away at our boundaries, makes me thankful that we have included the Three Kings in our biodynamic way of farming!

The 2013 Inferno – An Extraordinary Experience for Avondale

So some of you may ask how this is possibly an extraordinary experience, well, let me explain. We had all gathered around the foot of the mountain waiting to defend the 2013 harvest. Staring at the fire with morbid fascination and huge amount of worry I looked to my right and left and saw all our staff standing by my side ready to risk all to stop the fire! This was not prompted or even asked, everybody was just willing to help. Interspersed between us were a large amount of friends who arrived to help with their “Bakkie sakkies” and eagerness to defeat the fire! AMAZING!

Spur-winged Goose Family enjoying Avondale’s Sweet Waters

My father, John Grieve is always on the look-out for the ‘nature happenings’ on the farm. He was delighted to come across this family of Spur-winged geese (Plectropterus gambensis) at the water’s edge of one of dams. The Spur-winged goose is the largest of the indigenous geese and ducks of Southern Africa, and is common throughout its range, occurring on rivers, lakes and other wetlands.

Avondale ‘s Leopard Visitor Survives the Great Fire

Many of you have asked for us to keep you up to date with any further information we may have about the beautiful Leopard who we photographed on the farm in September last year. After the great fire that swept down the mountain two weeks ago, we were concerned about the fate of the Leopard. We contacted the Cape Leopard Trust who fitted the Leopard known as “BM4” (Boland Male 4) with a GPS collar to find out if they had any news, and we’re pleased to report that they are continuing to track the Leopard who is moving about the territory as usual.

Nutrients and their impact on healthy plant growth – Ca is for Calcium

At Avondale, we take soil samples to check if maintenance applications of Calcium will be necessary. If so, we’ll apply natural forms of Calcium such as Calcitic Lime, Dolomitic Lime, Gypsum or Rock Phosphate in autumn before the rains. Of course, we also pay much attention to having a thriving ecosystem in the soil so that an abundance of micro-organisms can do their work of digesting and solubilising the Calcium, making it readily available to our vines.

Nutrients and their impact on healthy plant growth – Si is for Silica

As a plant nutrient, Silica should be hard for the farmer to ignore. Yet, many conventional farmers, with their narrow focus on Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K), have little or no idea that Silica plays such a great role in plant nutrition. There’s also the common perception that because soil is to a large degree made up of Silica, it is necessary to consider supplementing it. However, the issue is that this Silica is not available to the plant. For interest sake, legumes and specifically Medics, clovers and the like, foster acidic conditions around their roots systems which helps to solubilise the fixed silica rock. Our cover cropping system makes extensive use of legumes to help us with this.

New Adventures in Quantum Agriculture

Most of my overseas travels are busy business trips taken up with the work of developing new markets for Avondale’s extraordinary wines approved by Mother Nature. So, it was refreshing for me to get out to the Gold Coast of New South Wales in Australia with the aim of attending an Advanced Course in Quantum Agriculture. Hosted and facilitated by Quantum Agriculture pioneer Hugh Lovel and his wife Shabari Bird, the course promised to be a chance for me to deepen my understanding and share knowledge.