The Gold Coast’s highly trafficked Olsen Avenue is seeing a new shade of green with the successful application of Hydroganics for long-term batter stabilisation.
Delivered for client Georgiou Group, Hydroganics was brought in to support a road upgrade project, which is taking the roadway from four to six lanes and required rehabilitation support for 2,500m2 of the site’s area.
The roadside’s emerging vegetation is now the positive result of a major Queensland innovation that turns green waste and other waste streams into high-grade compost and ultimately the Hydroganics germination media.
NuGrow’s Manager of Land Rehabilitation, Ben Brown, said the first step was getting Hydroganics recognised as an alternative to traditional topsoil solutions.
“Because it’s new to the market, Hydroganics had to go through a review process because the project had originally specified the use of imported topsoil and double-pass hydromulch,” Ben said.
“Successful approval as an alternative was a great step for our client as well as the environment. Hydroganics is a topsoil free solution offering a higher quality germination media in a single-pass application – meaning better results for less,” Ben said.
The process started with a soil test that revealed an extreme pH of 4.2. Hydroganics’ high-grade compost was tailored to suit, including the addition of ameliorants, a wetting agent and a tackifier.
The approved native seed mix – at 10kg per hectare – and cover crop – at 30kg per hectare – was added as part of the single-pass application, at a rate of 100m3 per hectare of organics.
“It was great to see the site quickly stabilise and native species starting to germinate within three weeks,” Ben said.
“We emphasise post-application follow-up with our clients because even though the environment can be unpredictable, we absolutely back the quality of the results we can achieve through Hydroganics,” he said.
“The combination of factors is what makes it such a win for clients – from the quality of inputs to the ease and speed of application to the tailored approach we take for each site.”
For more information on Hydroganics and NuGrow’s products and services, please contact Ben Brown on 0409 148 638.