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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 new product (available soon) Amgrow
Organix Ecoguard Foliar 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
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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 Ecoguard Foliar Spray it is possible to
treat the cause not just alleviate the symptoms.
Ecoguard Foliar 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 Ecoguard Foliar
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 Ecoguard Foliar Spray
is the answer. It is available in a 500L concentrate
and a 1 litre ready to use 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 |
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
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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.
