An open mix with high air porosity and good drainage is important to stimulate root growth and prevent many root diseases but it also leads to rapid leaching of nutrients away from the root zones of plants. Escott Zeolite prevents this by attracting and holding the nutrients preventing them washing through the container. The typical approach to growing crops has been to apply high rates of fertiliser to overcome the losses due to leaching. This is both expensive and inefficient as well as environmentally damaging in terms of high nutrient run off.
Use of Escott Zeolite will soak up excess ammonium in mixes often released under hot conditions, preventing root burning. Escott Zeolite is not effected by temperature and buffers the dumping of nutrients by polymer coated fertilisers under hot conditions. And Escott Zeolite is not acidic. In fact it is marginally alkaline and its use with fertilisers can help buffer soil pH levels thus reducing the need for lime applications.
Zeolite carries a negative ionic charge which naturally attracts positive charged cations like Ammonium, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium. The open crystalline structure of zeolite has many storage sites for these ions which hold naturally through a loose chemical bond. These fertiliser ions are available to plants. Zeolite has a very high cation exchange capacity and thus increases the mixes ability to hold and release nutrients. As cations are water soluble they escape from mixes by leaching.
You get better value from your fertiliser dollar, improved plant growth and reduce the nutrient load in your runoff and collected water, reducing the E.C. levels of your water storages.
