Fertiliser responses in Eucalyptus nitens at Powelltown.  L. A. Pederick, F. G. Craig and F. J. May.  July 1974.  17 pp. (unpubl.)

SUMMARY

1. Survival and early growth of planted nitens, at Britannia Creek, Powelltown, were increased by fertilizing with blood and bone or with Magamp. At four years of age the most successful treatments produced trees with a volume more than three times that of unfertilized controls.
2. The method of application of blood and bone had neither a large nor significant effect on the growth of the trees at four years of age, but the rate of application did.
3. Four years after planting, value of the fertilizer responses in volume markedly exceeded the cost of fertilization, using a discount rate of 7% per annum. The fertilizer treatments were clearly economic; discounted net returns of between $16.25 and $27.90 per ha being realized when the product was valued as pulpwood.
4. 7g of Magamp gave about the same growth response as 56g of blood and bone. Thus Magamp contained a much better balance of nutrients for nitens.
5. The most profitable treatment was clearly 14g of Magamp per tree, placed in the planting hole, and this treatment should be preferred to any of the others for operational practice.
6. Because of the high cost per unit weight of Magamp, there is considerable scope for further improvements by investigating cheaper fertilizers with nutrient ratios similar to those of Magamp.

Also published:

May, F.J., Pederick, L.A. and Craig, F.G. (1975)  Fertiliser responses in Eucalyptus nitens at Powelltown.  For. Comm. Vic., For. Tech. Pap. 22: 11-14.