Spring has sprung
Planting season has certainly been interesting this year for everyone, I’m sure.
Weather events, Covid lockdowns, supply issues and freight disruptions have all transpired to make it a very challenging season.
However, what an impressive range of projects are being tackled throughout the country.
One of the pleasures of selling the plant guards is we get an idea of the wide range of really amazing projects that are going on and the hundreds of thousands of plants that are being planted by enthusiastic people from land owners to volunteers to Council and Corporate organisations.
We have had such wonderful feedback also from many of our customers and photos of their projects which we really enjoy seeing.
Be prepared
Its time to think about your plantings for the next season. Make sure you order your plants from the nurseries early to be sure they have enough in stock when planting season starts.
I’m currently negotiating with the factory about our requirements next year. We’re anticipating a busy season again, so if you could please email Jan to let us know the approximate number of EmGuard plant guards you might need, we can make sure we have plenty in stock for next year. Thank you.
Our team at FuturEcology planted over 50,000 plants around the Nelson and Tasman region this year and guarded the bulk of them with EmGuards.
One of our Council customers said it was great to see plants guarded as it made people realise just how much work is happening on Council land. Certainly, a swathe of plants and guards makes an impressive site.
EmGuard - withstanding the flood events this year
We had a couple of major floods go through some of our plantings but were very pleased with how the guards stood up to the floods, valiantly protecting the plants inside them.
The real key to success is making sure the bamboo canes are very firmly placed in the ground. Then your guards should not move anywhere.
Interesting snippets
Preparation is key.
As conservation contractors ourselves, we understand many of the issues our customers face in getting plants safely in the ground and surviving rabbits, pukekos, goats and deer not to mention competition with weeds and dry spells.
Good preparation of your site is a real key to success.
We use a bit of a scorched earth policy and have had a few comments from concerned people about the use of chemicals, but the key thing to remember is that we are essentially trying to grow a crop. The less competition it has to start with, the faster the plants will get away and you are aiming to get them to twice the height of the guard by the end of their first summer.
The sooner the plants join together to shade the ground, the less need for invasive weed control. You can then usually use mechanical means or spot spraying.
If you can get mulch to a site, it makes a huge difference in terms of weed control and moisture retention.
We’re always amazed with the different ways people come up with solutions using our products - here’s a selection of photos including a jig to assist with folding EmGuards, and how to increase the size of Emguard plant guards to use with larger plants.
