FuturEcology & EmGuard ™ May 2022 Update
Hello from the team at FuturEcology & EmGuard ™
We woke to our first frost of the season this morning. Luckily, we had frost protected the avocados last week, so they look happy enough this morning. The mountains got their first dusting of snow on Saturday and look magnificent. Winter seems to be getting later each year, but the lovely autumn days have been very much appreciated especially for the start of the planting season.
Hopefully these cold mornings will give the wasps a bit of a hurry along as well. We still have swarms of them in Marlborough which makes site preparation for planting somewhat challenging.
Alvin recommended we read The Vulgar Wasp by Phil Lester published in 2018. Very interesting and very readable about these ruthless invaders and ingenious predators and their impact on us and our biodiversity.
We also celebrated the graduation of Emma, our EmGuard extraordinaire, with a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) in Wellington last week.
The rain lifted just long enough for the parade which was lovely to see.
Well done Emma.
Introducing the TerraMulch Mat
We are now stocking TerraMulch mats, which are fully biodegradable and made of jute reinforced wool mulch matting.
Effective for weed suppression, moisture retention, frost protection of root systems, biodegrades as mulch and feeds plant, easy installation with precut slits (we do not think pegs will be necessary for securing if they are under a guard).
The size is beneficial in that it suppresses a larger area of weeds around the guard, giving the plant its best possible chance.
Reduced need for chemical weed control which is something to be considered, given the pushback from the community about using chemicals, along with the rising cost of chemicals.
Made in New Zealand.
Planting has begun…
Planting season has rolled around already, and the team here at FuturEcology are fizzing to get stuck in. A strong start to the season, with the team heading down to Wakapuaka Mouri to start planting 17,000 plants, restoring a valley and river ecosystem.
The weather was absolutely perfect, and we celebrated getting the first 1,000 in with Jan bringing ice creams from the local dairy.
Here’s to many thousands more trees going into the ground this season.
Weed of the Month - Ink Weed
Botanical Name - Phytolacca octandra
Family - Phytolaccaceae
About
Ink weed is originally from Tropical South and Central America and was introduced to New Zealand as an ornamental plant in 1867.
Growing up to 2m tall (more if supported), ink weed is a tall, many branched, upright bush. It has bluntly pointed, elliptical leaves that are around 15x5cm in size. Ink weed is grounded by a very deep, pliable tap root. The plant has soft, woody stems that are often reddish towards the base as well as reddish coloured petioles. Ink weed stems tend to have numerous white dots of crystalline calcium oxalate inside.
Ink weed has cylindrical seed heads that when flowering, consist of whiteish flowers clustered around an upright stem that spans up to 7cm. The ink weed fruit is a purple-clack berry that can grow up to 8mm in diameter with dark red juice that contains the seeds.
Ink weed is considered a weed as it grows and matures quickly, producing many well dispersed, long-lived seeds. Ink weed is incredibly resilient and can tolerate damage from wind, fire, loose soils and wet to moderately dry conditions. Ink weed however, does not like deep shade, deep humus and heavy frost (WeedBusters, 2022).
How to get rid of ink weed
Ink weed only needs to be controlled where it is rare, habitat is vulnerable, or where disturbance has caused dense sites. Establishing ground cover through regeneration is an effective way of shading out ink weed. Alternatively, small plants can be pulled out. Larger stems can be slashed close to the ground. Anecdotally we have found that there is the possibility of an allergic reaction when the stems are cut with a weedeater so be careful when cutting and mulching this plant.
Interesting Snippets
What we’ve been reading - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
This engaging and beautifully written story is currently doing the rounds with the whole team here. Two brothers venture across 1950s America to New York in this absorbing novel.
What we’ve been watching - CODA (Child of Deaf Adults)
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
What we've been listening to - Nu Genea, Bar Mediterraneo
Recommended by one of our staff, Alvin, who is a very talented musician.
"A few gigs are starting to emerge. Here is an italian duo making music guaranteed to get you moving"
To listen to the Nu Genea album on Spotify click here or click here for Bandcamp.
We continue to compile our orders with our EmGuard ™ manufacturer, who are facing the usual Covid challenges, but doing a fantastic job nonetheless in keeping our supplies going. They are looking forward to a new die cutting machine due to arrive in late June (fingers crossed) which will mean a shorter production time.
We have EmGuards on hand for smaller orders, but if you have a larger order please make sure you give us plenty of notice.
Thank you.