The importance of providing water to a plant is affected by the water supplied and the water drained. Many growing mediums become waterlogged during irrigation which either entraps the carbon dioxide within the medium or the water surrounds the entire root system thereby suppressing the presence of oxygen available to the roots. The oxygen moves from an area of high concentration, which in this case would be the environment, to an area of low oxygen concentration. Oxygen traverses into a growing medium through the process of diffusion. As the carbon dioxide fills the growing medium, it must be replaced by oxygen so that the roots are protected from carbon dioxide poisoning and can partake in root respiration. The roots and microorganisms within a growing medium absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis is another key process in plant growth, however the reactions and interactions taking place below the surface of the growing medium is often neglected. Understanding the purpose that each growing medium serves is the first step to selecting a unique blend for your needs.Īir, water and nutrients are the three basic requirements of plants and finding a balance between these three will ensure you promote strong root growth and healthy plants. It is recommended for high-performance animals where the additional capital investment will be offset not only by the reduced bedding costs but also should manifest in a better performing and healthier horse. Although SteriStall may be used with the normal wood chip system to dry out the floors of the stable, it is believed that combining it with the SteriMat will be the most appropriate solution. The SteriStall and SteriMat system makes economic sense and has many benefits to the health of the horses. This is based on the cost of the bedding and does not include the health benefits as described above. With a saving of approximately R450/month, the payback for the system should be 16 months. In this instance, the stable was 12 square meters and the cost of the installed system was R 7500.ī. The cost will be dependent on the size of the stable. Steristall R 5/liter and 5 liters per day R 750/monthĪ. A significant reduction in the presence of flies was evident.ī. A total lack of ammonia smells was evident, as the conversion from the urine to ammonia was prevented.Ĥ. The hooves of the horse showed no thrush or bacterial growth.ģ. The horse recovered faster from its leg injury that anticipated.Ģ. Less impact on the horse due to the soft rubber with a shore hardness of 50 to 65. The consumption of the chips per month reduced by approximately 75% as the horse was urinating less on the chips and more on the open SteriMat /SteriSltall area.ġ. This correlates very well with a typical daily urine quantity for a fully-grown horse of 10 liters per day. Average consumption over a 6 weeks period was 5 liters of product per day, that equates to approximately 7,5 liters of urine per day. Therefore, the usage should be directly proportional to the urination in the stable. Results: SteriStall has an ability to absorb approximately 150 % of its own mass in liquid.The quantity and prevalence of flies were also monitored but not measured. The ammonia smell was continually compared with adjacent stables where the normal wood chip system was being employed. The usage per month of wood chips was also measured. The quantity of the SteriStall used was recorded. The saturated areas that are visible between the slats of the SteriMat – was removed and replenished with new dry powder. The wood chips that were made into a bed area of approximately 30 % of the total was repositioned as required. A tool was designed and used to lift the individual blocks to ease the removal of the saturated SteriStall. The test was conducted over a three-month period on a horse that was stabled for an extended period, recovering from a leg injury.Ī 1 x 25 Kg bag of SteriStall was used to cover the complete stable floor of 12 square meters before installing the SteriMat blocks. This has now been followed up by extensive trials in real-world conditions. Sun Silicates recently developed an innovative horse bedding system. Trials conducted on SteriStall and SteriMat
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