GRASSING BARE PATCHES |
Grassing Bare Patches was a citizen science demonstration on three small farms in the Capital Region. It aimed to test and demonstrate methods for improving grassy groundcover on persistent bare patches in acidic and low fertility soils through soil improvement, green manures and erosion management. The strategies for tackling bare patches were chosen to be practical, effective and easily applied on small farms in our region. See the project protocol for details of the strategies.
The demonstration ran from September 2020 to May 2022. Updates have been posted on this page.
Soil bare patches on farms can be caused by many different factors, in the Bywong/Sutton area this demonstration showed that low soil pH, high aluminium % and low fertility are associated with a loss of ground cover. Adding compost and lime improved the soil in the top 5 cm and was beneficial for pasture establishment, facilitating the repair of the bare patches. This project compared different treatments for repairing bare patches of soil on three farms.
Read the major findings from the demonstration here.
Grassing the bare patches field day blog post.
The Small Farms Network Capital Region received funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program for this demonstration.