29/06/2026
🤠Finding ways to improve the survival and health of seedlings planted as part of our restoration projects is always on our mind🌿
We recently heard about a locally made soil amendment called Mineral Magic - a naturally occurring form of amorphous silica that is mined in the mid west and turned into granular form and distributed from a warehouse in Kelmscott. The granules are highly porous, have a high cation exchange capacity and are non toxic and safe to use.
We've heard great things about this product from other colleagues in the environmental restoration and management industry, so we are keen to see how it works in our context.
For this trial two plots were planted with the same suite of native species (50 seedlings from 10 species in each plot), one plot had mineral magic mixed into the soil at time of planting, the other plot is a control and has no amendments added. The trial has been conducted at two sites, one with loam soil and the other with sand over clay.
We are hoping to see improvement in soil moisture retention, nutrient availability and soil structure lead to higher survival and healthier growth of the seedlings planted in the treatment plots. A follow-up survey will be carried out in 9 months time, after summer has passed.
Check out Mineral Magic - Lawn & Garden for more information about this local business.
