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It has more than enough of the rich compost for its own needs, says Joburg Zoo, prompting it to sell the garden gold to the public.
ZOO Grow, Joburg Zoo’s own compost which it uses in its gardens, is now available for sale
ZOO Grow, Joburg Zoo's own compost which it uses in its gardens, is now available for sale.
The zoo's horticulture department decided to sell its homemade compost to the public to raise money and to create a few jobs, says Sakhile Maphumulo, a senior manager in the department.
It has been making and using the compost for some time, Maphumulo says the thought of selling it to the public for profit was never "executed properly". "We were mainly supplying our gardens and to those who asked, until April last year when new management in the horticulture department was introduced," he explains.
The zoo does not yet have the equipment needed to produce large quantities of the compost, Maphumulo says, but it relies heavily on human labour to manufacture and package the product, a fact it was using to create employment.
Zoo Grow consists of decayed organic materials - kitchen waste such as green vegetable peelings and leaves, non-woody prunings, leaves and flowers and dung excreted by animals that eat green grass - says Maphumulo. In other cases, compost or humus forms naturally when plants and animals die and decompose.
Raising cash
Like any other Joburg entity, "we need to come up with ideas which will generate income", he says about the reason behind the decision to sell Zoo Grow. It also has more than enough of the stuff for its own gardens.
Before it began selling the compost, samples of it were taken to a Cape Town laboratory for testing, where it was "[given] a thumbs up". The national Department of Agriculture followed, issuing a sales permit.
While acknowledging that Zoo Grow is a new product on the market and would be going up against other long-trusted brands, Maphumulo says it is not your typical compost. "It is unique in a sense that it has waste from grass eating animals which has high nutrients that are needed for plant growth."
It can also be used to grow vegetables. It provides plants and flowers with good nutrients, it helps to retain moisture and so saves water, and improves plants' lifespan and growth rate.
Benefits
It is also rich in nitrogen, which breaks down the remains of bacteria and fungi into smaller components. These are released into the soil as nutrients when the plants are watered, contributing to their overall growth and health.
The compost also helps to bind soil particles, ultimately increasing the soil's ability to hold water and air. Together these stop plant deterioration and prevent soil erosion, leaving plants in the garden healthy and prolific.
"Our advice would be, use it when planning to develop a garden or during the winter period when preparing for summer months ... for a well-established garden we recommend that you apply compost once or twice annually."
You should be able to see the difference in three weeks after putting Zoo Grow in your garden beds, Maphumulo says. Plants will become healthier and greener, cover soil quicker and promote new shoots and flowers.
A bag of Zoo Grow sells for R15. Bags can be bought at any Joburg Zoo cashier at its entrance and collected from the technical/horticulture building, inside the zoo. The Joburg Zoo is on Upper Park Drive, in Forest Town.
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