EP-4735403-A1 - IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO GROWING MEDIA

Abstract

A growing medium is made, which is rich in microorganisms, especially fungi. The growing medium is made in two stages. First, a starter composition is made by carrying out composting in the presence of one or more added components, namely microorganisms, food for microorganisms, and physical support for microorganisms. Second, after maturation, the starter composition is added to a compost or soil product, for example composted bark fines, to make a growing medium. The growing medium has a diverse microorganism population which promotes healthy plant growth.

Inventors

• IDDON, Daniel

Assignees

• Re-Genus Limited

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240628

Claims (20)

1. 1. A method of making a starter composition which can be added to a growing medium to effect improvement, the method comprising steps of: i) assembling a compostable mixture which comprises: (a) a first composting material; (b) optionally, a second composting material; and one or both of the following components (c) and (d): (c) a source of microorganisms added in a predetermined amount; (d) a microorganism support added in a predetermined amount; and ii) retaining the compostable mixture for a maturation period.
2. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first composting material has a carbon to nitrogen molar ratio in the range from 3:1 to 29:1 and the second composting material has a carbon to nitrogen molar ratio in the range from 30:1 to 400:1.
3. 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the source of microorganisms comprises a refined compost, a liquid compost, and/or a compost extract (including a portion taken from a previous starter composition made in accordance with the method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, or a liquid extract therefrom) and the microorganism support comprises a material which can be digested by a desired microorganism in the compostable mixture and/or a material which provides physical support for microorganisms in the compostable mixture.
4. 4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein: a microorganism support of the type which may be digested by a desired microorganism comprises one or more of the following organic materials: fish protein, including shellfish protein; dried sea algae, including brown seaweed, or kelp; and pressed cakes of plant matter, which may be left after oil or juice extraction, for example the residues from the pressing of hemp, olives, peanuts, coconut, soybeans, flax seed (linseed), cottonseed and sunflower seeds; and a microorganism support of the type which may provide physical support in the compostable mixture comprises a particulate inorganic material derived from one or more of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks.
5. 5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein, at the start of the maturation period, the compostable mixture is formed into a freestanding mass, for example a windrow, or the compostable mixture is loaded into a container which permits air flow through the walls of the container and the compostable mixture in the container is formed with air channels through its mass; and wherein the compostable mixture is not turned during the maturation period.
6. 6. A starter composition made by the method of any preceding claim.
7. 7. A starter composition as claimed in claim 6 in which the concentration of fungi is at least 175 pg/ml and may be at least lOOOpg/ml.
8. 8. A starter composition as claimed in claim 6 or 7 in which the concentration of bacteria (including actinobacteria) is at least 20 pg/ml.
9. 9. A starter composition as claimed in any preceding of claims 6 to 8 in which the ratio of the concentration of fungi to the concentration of bacteria (including actinobacteria) in the starter composition is at least 1:1 and may be at least 12:1.
10. 10. A growing medium comprising an amount of the starter composition as claimed in any of claims 6 to 9, a larger amount (by volume) of a tree bark component and, optionally, trace minerals.
11. 11. A growing medium as claimed in claim 10 wherein the starter composition provides from 5% to 40% by volume of the growing medium.
12. 12. A growing medium as claimed in claim 10 or 11 wherein the tree bark component comprises tree bark chippings or tree bark fines.
13. 13. A growing medium as claimed in claim 12 wherein the tree bark component comprises composted tree bark fines.
14. 14. A biodegradable pot intended to be planted directly into soil, the pot containing a growing medium as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13.
15. 15. A method of making a growing medium as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13 wherein the components are mixed together to form the growing medium, and kept for a dwell time of at least 2 weeks before being used.
16. 16. A method of making a growing medium as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13 wherein the addition of trace minerals is carried out following an assay to determine the content of such trace minerals in the starter composition and in the tree bark component, before they are mixed, or in the growing medium formed once they have been mixed.
17. 17. A method of producing a growing medium from composted bark fines by mixing composted bark fines with soil from an arboreal environment and retaining the resulting mixture for a maturation period, or by keeping the composted bark fines in an arboreal environment for a maturation period, the maturation period being sufficient in each case for the growing medium to be colonised by fungi to a concentration of at least 175 pg/ml, suitably to a concentration of at least 400 pg/ml, for example to a concentration of at least 800 pg/ml.
18. 18. A starter composition, or a method of making a starter composition, or a growing medium, or a method of making a growing medium, or a method of using a growing medium, respectively as claimed in any preceding claim; not including the addition of peat or a peat derivative, or of coir, or of a synthetic chemical NPK fertiliser.
19. 19. A starter composition, or a method of making a starter composition, or a growing medium, or a method of making a growing medium, or a method of using a growing medium, respectively as claimed in any preceding claim; not including the addition of peat or a peat derivative, or of coir or a coir derivative, or of a chemically synthesised fertiliser.
20. 20. A starter composition, or a method of making a starter composition, or a growing medium, or a method of making a growing medium, or a method of using a growing medium, respectively as claimed in any preceding claim; which includes the addition of a biologically- derived NPK fertiliser.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO GROWING MEDIA [001] The present invention relates to a growing medium for growing plants; to the production of the growing medium; to the use of the growing medium; to a starter composition for use in the production of the growing medium; to the production of the starter composition from a compostable mixture; and to the compostable mixture itself. The invention relates particularly to arboreal use (for example forests and woodlands) but may also be of application in other fields of field of horticulture and agriculture. [002] For reasons of environmental enhancement, the rate of tree planting in the UK is being accelerated. By 2025, the UK Government is seeking to increase tree planting to 10,000 hectares per year in England. Furthermore, the UK Government has set legally binding targets to increase tree and woodland cover to 16.5% of total UK land area by 2050. To meet such planting target, the UK Forestry Commission has launched the Tree Production Innovation Fund (TPIF). Objectives include enhancing the diversity of tree species, and improving germination, propagation, and establishment of trees. Another stated aim relates to the development of growing media to enhance the efficiency of tree production and improve the resilience of trees to a changing climate. Aside from this desired enhancement in the efficiency of tree production there will clearly need to be an increase in the UK production of growing media if the tree planting targets are to be met. [003] If the UK Government's stated objectives are to be met the adoption of new techniques and practices will be required. [004] The growing environment of trees is very important for their germination, health and rate of growth. Typically, young trees are initially grown in a nursery under conditions where factors such as soil moisture, air humidity, and chemical food source are carefully controlled. Difficulties have been observed when trees are planted out, for example in a garden or arboreal environment. Such environments - especially arboreal environments - may be very different from the environment of the nursery in which they were raised. Frequently, the transplanted trees may fail to thrive or may even die. If they grow at all, this may often be after a period of 1-3 years of stasis, in which they appear to undergo a shock, as if struggling to come to terms with their new environment. We believe, therefore, that there is a need to improve the compatibility between the nursery environment young plants experience and their final growing environment. For example, it would be desirable to produce a growing medium which more closely reflects arboreal conditions. [005] Similar considerations apply to other types of plants, for example herbaceous shrubs, and crops. Here, the focus is often on the food content (NPK) of the growing medium without realisation that the compatibility of the nursery growing medium and the soil of the final location of the plant, for example in a garden, may be of importance. [006] Peat-based composts have typically provided cheap growing media but peat is a finite resource, and peat-based composts are not sustainable. Accordingly the compost industry has been reducing the use of peat. The advantages of peat-based composts include that they have excellent water retention due to the types of fibrous materials used to form them. Other peat-free alternatives contain a high proportion of brown sterilised media or coir as a base and are not conducive to good root structure development or able to provide sufficient natural nutrients. There is a risk that the dry ingredients of peat-free alternatives become hydrophobic and so become unsuitable as growing media. [007] It is known that one of the most important issues with peat-free alternatives for potting/growing media is poor water retention capacity. This leads to lower germination rate and plant stress which causes elevated susceptibility to pests and diseases, and increased cost and labour for irrigation. [008] We have sought to make improvements to growing media which are of benefit to the forestation program initiated by the UK Government. In doing so we have sought to mitigate the problems we have described above with peat-based and current peat-free composts. [009] It is an object of embodiments of the invention to provide growing media which are rich and diverse in microorganisms and which are produced by processes of microbial colonisation and replication, for example in environments which naturally contain the colonising microorganisms. More specifically, it is an object of embodiments of the invention to provide growing media which are rich and diverse in fungal microorganisms. It is an object of embodiments of the invention to provide growing media which can be considered as grown or gestated, rather than assembled, in the manner of many bacterially-dominated commercial composts. [0010] Some of the improvements we have made have applicat