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Visual indicators of soil condition

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What weeds do you see and when?

  • High content of capeweed, barley grass, thistles and/or marshmallow within pasture or in stock camps, gateways or adjacent to tree plantations
  • Seen from autumn to December
Capeweed (Arctotheca calendula)
Barley grass (Hordeum leporinum)
Thistles (Cirsium vulgare)
Marshmallow (Malva parviflora)

What could this indicate?

  • High fertility, particularly nitrogen
  • Presence of barley grass also indicates high phosphorus levels.
  • Overgrazing in late summer. This provides ideal conditions for germination.

What test can I do to confirm?

  • Soil test with reference to nitrogen and phosphorus.
  • Note location where the weeds are most dominant.

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