Natural seed input as a factor in the reclamation of limestone quarry wastes at Marulan,New South Wales,Australia

Seed traps consisting of plastic germination trays filled with steam pasteurized soil were set out on spoil banks in a limestone quarry to monitor the seed rain in the area. The traps were returned to a greenhouse for germination where the average number of seedlings counted was 148.7 m^?2. This was approximately seven times the density of the established plant cover on the waste materials. The spoil materials were very coarse textured, subject to settling and rilling, and, with the exception of calcium, low in essential plant nutrients. The adverse effects of the physical and chemical nature of the rooting medium is discussed and a reclamation scheme for the quarry is proposed.