Tola Organics
Carbon in Umhlali

Supplier of microbial carbon for use in agriculture.

Microbial Carbon provides a unique blend of compensating organic based products in a single formulation to improve soil health. We have identified a serious problem looming in agricultural soils where increased levels of fertilization per area over the last number of years have not provided the comensurate incremental yield increases. It is our mission to ease the painful process of healing the unhealthy soils at an affordable cost and in most instances at no additional cost to the farmer. Golf green keepers and turf managers are finding it increasing difficult to maintain their turf healthy and green. The main problem is degradation of soil health by chemical fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides. The increasing cost of maintenance is limiting the options especially in a recession. Conventional fertilizing practices have practically destroyed the root zone with unbalanced use of chemicals that have seriously damaged the micro-ecosystem of the soil. The soil needs humus and organic material to stay healthy, but green keepers are forced to remove most of the organic material produced at cutting to keep the greens to specifications. As the years go by, the turf gets poorer and poorer in organic material and the ecosystem breaks down. To try and compensate the green keepers have to apply fertilizer more often and even this is not working. The increased chemical fertilizer makes the situation even worse in a downward spiral that seems hopeless to prevent without compromising the quality of the playing surface. Water conservation is also a problem for golf courses as huge amounts of water have to be applied to the course to keep it green. Carbon in the soil profile retains water and enables the green keepers conserve water. However, carbon in the soil is reducing due to the management systems used to keep them looking good and good to play on. The fairway and margin has been treated with Microbial Carbon Plus, compared to the rough. An increase of 2 degrees has been seen in row crops where Microbial Carbon has been applied, and the same effect has been seen at Gowrie Golf Course after a serious frost, although it was not measured. Mycorrhizae are a fungal complex that attaches itself to plant roots and provides protection against pathogens and assists with nutrient and water uptake. It becomes an extension of the plants root system and is therefore essential for good plant growth. Naturally occurring bacteria are necessary for good plant health and growth and these include yeasts, photosynthetic bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. There is a symbiotic arrangement between the grass and the bacteria where the bacteria make nutrients available to the plant in an accessible form and the plant in turn provides carbohydrates to the bacteria for food. Plant, mycorrhizae and bacteria all interact to their mutual benefit. Microbial Carbon Fertilizer only needs to be applied to the course twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn. This obviously has a huge benefit to the cost of running a golf course in reducing this significant expense. Organic nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) can be added to the carbon, keeping the whole product organic, which is best for the soil.