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"Grow Talk" with Ian
Thomas |
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Healthy Plants Without Chemicals/Australian
natives/Drought Protection/Lawn
Grubs
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Healthy
plants without nasty chemicals
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Getting
the most out of your plants can be a struggle. There are a
multitude of pests and  diseases just waiting to attack.
Whether it be a large garden or a couple of potted plants on
the apartment balcony there is always an insect pest or
disease ready to strike.
All of us like our plants to look healthy and grow well.
Our recent new product Amgrow Organix Plant Health
Spray will help achieve excellent growth and good plant health
without resorting to nasty pesticide products.
There
is a proven link between health and the incidence of pests and
disease.
A healthy plant has an ‘immune’ system that
protects it from insect and disease attack. Research has shown
that insects can identify plants that are not healthy enough
to resist the insect attack. Similarly diseases are more
likely to infect plants that are under stress.
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Our
use of plants in and around our homes often involves putting
the plants in conditions that are not optimal. This may be due
to poor soil nutrition, poor light conditions or simply
climatic conditions that are too hot or too cold. While such
conditions may not be bad enough to cause the plant to die it
will mean that the plant is constantly struggling to achieve
effective growth and to develop the necessary resistance to
insect and disease attack. The
result is that a variety of products are used to treat the
symptoms, rather than treating the cause. Insecticides are
used to treat infestations of insect pests that may congregate
on an unhealthy plant. |
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Fungicides are used to treat disease
outbreaks and often high nitrogen chemical fertilizers are
used to try and promote healthy growth.
All
of these things can exacerbate the problem leading to a
constant, seemingly never ending battle. With Plant Health
Spray it is possible to treat the cause not just alleviate the
symptoms. Plant Health Spray contains organic nutrients, amino
acids, vitamins, plant growth stimulants and plant extracts
that assist overall plant health.
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product is not designed to treat any particular pest or
disease but, when used on a regular basis, the ingredients
work together to produce a healthier plant that is resistant
to pest and disease attack.
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 Although
the product has just been released, I have been using it
for the last three years on a wide variety of plants
with exceptional results. The most obvious benefit
occurred on the plant types that are prone to problems.
On roses the foliage acquires a deep vibrant green and
the incidence of aphids and black spot has been reduced
to negligible levels. Similarly azaleas respond with
amazing vigour and a reduction in leaf and petal
problems.
But
it is not just limited to ‘problem’ plants. All
plant types respond and are visually more healthy and
vigorous with the
use of the product.
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From ferns and foliage plants to
native shrubs and fruit trees, the benefit of plant
health spray can be easily seen. It is also excellent
for assisting the establishment of seedlings and for
aiding the growth of healthy vegetables. I have also
found that the product helps with preventing damage by
possums. I
co-habit my garden with a large number of possums and
while I am happy for them to do what possums do, it was
getting frustrating watching the damage caused to a
photinia hedge that I was trying to grow. Every time the
new red foliage appeared, the possums immediately helped
themselves. Hence after about two years the hedge was
only 50 cm high and struggling to grow. After using
plant health spray on a regular basis, the possums are
feeding elsewhere and the hedge
is now 2 metres tall.
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If
you want a healthier garden and wish to avoid the
regular use of chemical sprays Plant Health Spray is the
answer. It is available in a 500 ml concentrate and a 4
litre ready to use spray pack. If you don’t see it on
the shelves please ask your garden centre or nursery.
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Growing
Australian Native Plants
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Australian native plants continue to grow in popularity
for garden planting. These days there are very few gardens
that would not  have at least a Eucalyptus, Grevillea, Banksia
or Melaleuca. There are native plant species available for all
garden applications from feature trees to flowering shrubs,
from hedging plants to ground covers.
Australian
native plants have a reputation for being difficult to grow
and having sensitivity to a number of factors that impact upon
their growth in pots and in in-ground situations.
While not all native species are sensitive, many of the
commonly grown species will not thrive unless provided with
the correct growing conditions.
Unless the requirement of the particular species is
well known, it is a sensible precaution to use a specialised
product for the growing of all native plants. Amgrow
Australian Native Mix is the best product available for
growing natives in pots or as a planting mix to provide the
ideal start when they are planted.
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Soil
wetting agents are one of the most valuable aids to ensuring
your gardens survival throughout dry periods. These products break down the surface
tension, which allows the water to penetrate the soil more
easily. So rather having the water run off it is more readily
absorbed into the soil. There are now myriad soil wetters on
the market, but the original and still the best is Wettasoil. Wettasoil
with Seaweed is available in liquid concentrate, granular and hose on forms
so you can choose the easiest method of application. Wettasoil
is the most concentrated soil wetter on the market and
although it may be a little more expensive it will go further,
be more effective and last for longer. One application will
last for up to 12 months. Wettasoil has been enriched with
Seaweed extract to reduce plant stress and improve plant &
soil health. To ensure maximum effectiveness it
is best to apply before the normal period of wet weather. This
will ensure that moisture reserves are built up deep in the
soil. If your normal rainfall
pattern is for winter rain a repeat application during summer
will help during those long periods when your garden is
dependent
on watering.
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Mulching
is the other main weapon in the fight against drought. A
mulch is a layer of material placed over the soil
surface. Their prime function is to reduce the amount of
evaporation from the soil surface. They should have a
coarse structure that allows water to pass through them.
The last thing you want is wet mulch and dry soil.
There are many different mulching products available,
including such products as pinebark, sugar cane mulch,
lucernes and straw.
Unfortunately, some of the mulch products on the market
are not as good as they should be. To capitalise on the
demand for mulches a couple of well known companies have
brought out mulches with names like water saver
mulch. |
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These
products are mainly composed of sawdust. These mulches
have a very fine structure and hold a lot of water when
wet. Such mulches do the opposite of what is required.
The mulch itself holds a lot of water and prevents the
water reaching the soil root zone. Over time the plants
roots will invade the mulch to access the water rather
than making deep roots which are the only way for
long-term survival in a dry environment.
Amgrow Water Saving Mulch is different. It is
composed of composted pinebark with a particle size that
encourages the water to pass through to the soil while
effectively limiting evaporation. Wettasoil Granular
Soil Wetter is added to this product to ensure maximum
effectiveness for months. |
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| Lawn
Grubs |
 At
Amgrow we are proud of the quality of our products. As
part of our quality assurance program we have a trial
area where our products are used and the results
monitored.
Recently, while checking on some of our trials I
noticed that some roses were wilting when they should
not have been. The plants in question were in 10-inch
pots and had been potted some 2 years before. To
establish what was ailing them I removed them from the
pot and the cause of the wilting could be readily
seen. Instead of a healthy root ball there was a mass
of curl grubs that had completely devastated the root
system. In one pot I counted 30 curl grubs.
This is not an unusual problem in large pots where the
plants are not repotted on a regular basis. The curl
grubs can be controlled by treating with a lawn grub
control product. These are either liquid concentrates Chemspray
Lawn Grub Killer 500 or granular, Garden
King Lawn Grub & Beetle Killer Granules.
Either product will effectively control these pests.
The liquid product is mixed with water and applied
with a watering can while the granular product can be
simply sprinkled over the pot surface and watered.
This should be done twice a year in around July or
August and again in January or February to ensure
control.
Needless to say, after finding the curl grubs I was
very quick to treat the rest of the plants. It was a
pity I had not taken my own advice and done it on a
regular basis.
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 The
good news from this episode was the condition of the potting
mix. The mix in question was our Shrub'N'Tub potting mix that is designed particularly
for large pots. One of our design parameters was long-term
structural integrity. I was pleasantly surprised at how good
the mix still was after over two years. Most potting mixes
would have turned to mush in this time but the Shrub'N'Tub mix
had maintained its structure and looked ready to keep on for
another 12 months.
That's
all for now, enjoy your gardening and remember Amgrow Garden
superior products
Ian Thomas - Technical
and Marketing Services Manager, Amgrow
Garden King
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All
these factors have been taken into account in the development
of Amgrow Australian Native Mix providing home gardeners with
the same quality of growing media that are used by commercial
growers. Amgrow has been providing commercial native mixes to
wholesale nurseries for over 25 years.
