Giving nature a helping hand
Fertilisers add essential minerals to poor eroded ground and spoil lost through erosion. Specialist slow release compounds, approved by English Nature, give off small levels of nutrition over a period of up to two years. This encourages a quick cover of growth and stabilises the soil through increased root development. Use is restricted to agreed areas where there is little or no natural vegetation. This is because many upland species could be harmed if fertiliser was used inappropriately.
Fertiliser can be used on:
- Any reseeded areas.
- Stressed grass on the managed path line
- Mixed with poor soils or spoil before turfing
We normally apply fertiliser by hand, wearing protective gloves. We use a good handful per square metre.
Other products which aid germination and growth have also been used successfully:
Seed Aide
Expanding cellulose/wood fibre mulch granules enhance germination and ermeging seedlings. This is because it holds the seed in place and absorbs water. It includes an organic tackifier that helps reduce soil erosion, water runoff and seed wash out.
Alginure
Composted seaweed manure encourages the weathering affect on stabilised eroded scree. We apply this dust on a damp day . It sticks to the stones and forms an ideal medium for lichens and mosses to start growing. It also darkens the stone slightly, giving a more weathered look for a short period until vegetation starts growing.
Geotextiles
These help stabilise slopes where no stone is available. The woven mesh provides a bound structure to the surface which aids re-vegetation and stabilisation.
For upland site restoration, coir, jute or straw matting can be used, with different meshes depending on the intended use. These natural fibres retain moisture and offer protection from the elements to the new growth for a few years until they naturally biodegrade. For best results, we make sure the matting is well pegged down and in contact with the ground, especially in windy exposed areas.
We have also successfully used sheep’s fleeces in the place of a manufactured synthetic geotextile matting when laying paths on wet ground. This technique is believed to have been used in Roman times.
