February is one of the hottest months of the year, whether you are in a winter rainfall region, subtropical or a dry, semi-arid region, it is hot everywhere!
February is the time to focus on your garden. It is also the time to enjoy the fruit, veg’ and flowers of your labour, however, there are many tasks to be done to ensure a healthy, colourful and bountiful garden.
Good soil preparation is the key to success for a healthy garden bed with healthy, fertile soil.
The first step is to turn soil over to a depth of at least 30 cm. Then add a layer of compost and turn it into the bed. Soil should be loose and airy to retain moisture and nutrients. If you have heavy or sandy soil, it is vital to improve the structure of the soil by adding compost. Add the correct amount of Garden Phosphate and NutriGreen Gwano Pellets to the soil. Garden Phosphate is essential for root development and new growth. NutriGreen Gwano Pellets is a 100 % organic, slow releasing, balanced fertiliser. To improve the quality of the soil even more, add Protek Peat Moss (acidic or universal blends, depending on the plants’ requirements) or Protek Coco Peat. These products are 100 % organic growing mediums with high water retaining capabilities.
Is mulching essential? Of course it is, it is sizzling February!
Mulching is a layer on top of the soil and contributes towards soil health. It saves water, time, effort and money.
Mulch can be made up from natural products like compost, wood chips, shredded leaves, bark, straw, composted manure and stones, but synthetic materials such as plastic landscape sheeting or weed control mat can also be used.
Mulch may be used for several reasons, such as reduction of evaporation of moisture, insulation of soil to keep roots cool or to suppress weed growth. When using natural materials, the material will break down and combine with the soil, which provides organic matter and nutrients to the soil.
Spread the mulch with a rake to a depth of 5 to 10 cm, but remember to leave a space around tree trunks and plant stems.
Allow the beds to rest for about two weeks, before you get down and dirty!
Reap what you sow! Timing is critical when sowing flower, herb or vegetable seeds. Make sure that you sow seeds during the right season for your specific area. Follow the instructions on the reverse side of the seed packet before you start sowing. Some seeds can be sown directly into the soil e.g. carrots, beetroot, etc, but fine seeds should first be sown in seed trays to maximise success. When sowing fine seeds directly into the soil, mix the seed with a little sand before sprinkling it over the surface of the soil to distribute them evenly.
For cheerful autumn and winter colour, sow primulas, stocks, pansies, violas, sweet peas, Iceland poppies, larkspur, delphiniums, gazanias, primulas, etc. Keep them cool and moist. Primula and sweet pea seeds germinate better when kept chilled in the fridge before sowing.
For your kitchen garden, sow winter veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, chinese cabbage, spinach and kohlrabi into seedling trays. You can still sow celery, turnips, leeks, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, radish, lettuce, parsley, swiss chard, onions and spring onions. Make use of raised seed beds when planting vegetables.
Easy, peasy planting! A wise man once said: “The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today”. Trees are a wonderful addition to any garden, especially fruit trees. Find out which fruit trees will thrive in your particular area. A lemon tree is a garden must have.
It is Valentine’s Day on the 14th of February and the month of love. Gentlemen, why not give the love of your life a potted rose plant which can later be planted in your garden? Rose bouquets are too expensive, wilt and die quickly and is so yesteryear!
Replace annuals past their prime with fast maturing, heat-tolerant marigolds, petunias, salvias, zinnias, verbenas, alyssum and phlox. For instant gratification, plant a few trays of bedding plants in your flower beds or in strategically placed pots. February is the perfect time to plant annuals and biennials like cineraria, dianthus, sweet william, foxgloves, aquilegia, violas, primulas and iceland poppies. Plant perennials like fuchsias, pelargonium, hydrangeas, felicias, osteospernum, lavender, carnations, begonias, verbenas and daisy bushes.
Keep watering and dead heading flowers, then feed them with an organic liquid fertiliser like Guanoflo.
Prune back asters, hydrangeas and malvas and treat the open cutting wounds with a mixture of Mycoguard and Sprayfilm 10 to prevent fungal infections. You can also lift and split irises and arum lilies as well as summers bulbs as soon as they are past their prime.
Divide and replant perennials and groundcovers.
Plant herbs like chives, parsley, thyme, basil, coriander, flat-leaf parsley and marjoram. And don’t forget, it is garlic planting season.
Remove any vegetables that are past their productive cycle.
Maximise the health of your garden.
A farmer was driving along the road with a load of fertilizer. A little boy, playing in front of his house, saw him and called, “What’ve you got in your truck?”
“Fertilizer,” the farmer replied.
“What are you going to do with it?” asked the little boy.
“Put it on strawberries,” answered the farmer.
“You ought to live here,” the little boy advised him. “We put sugar and cream on ours!”
Feed evergreen trees and shrubs with Protek Lawn & Foliage Fertiliser 7:1:3 or NutriGreen Gro Green.
To immediately improve crop yield, increase fruit and flower formation and maintaining a lush, healthy green lawn, the importance of fertiliser cannot be overstated. Because February is a hot month you should do the whole shebang to help garden plants survive the heat. And for that, amongst other things, you need to feed your garden.
Feed containers and hanging baskets every two weeks with Guanoflo, a natural fertiliser made from seabird guano. Use the nifty MixNozle for trouble-free application of your liquid fertiliser. You can also insert Guanosol pills in baskets and pots for up to 3 months of nutritious feeding.
To ensure that camelias and azalias flower during late winter, it is now time to feed with Guanoflo, a fertiliser rich in magnesium and calcium. Also apply Peat Moss Acidic as both camelias and azalias are acid loving plants.
To improve yields, feed your leafy vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, spinach, etc. and herbs with Protek Lawn & Foliage fertiliser 7:1:3, or NutriGreen Gro Green. Feed fruit bearing plants like peppers, brinjals, tomatoes, etc. with Rose and Flower fertiliser 8:1:5, or for a natural option, NutriGreen Flower Power.
Between late February and March, grass slows down to prepare for cold winters. It is essential to continue feeding your lawn with Protek Lawn & Foliage 7:1:3 or NutriGreen Gro Green until approximately 6 weeks before frost is expected. Fertiliser improves wear tolerance as well as to survival during cold and hot conditions and also droughts. Additionally, this allows for early spring greening of warm season grasses, like kikuyu, dichondra wonderlawn and cynodon dactylon. The cool-season grasses like Protek’s Pro-Lawn, fertiliser should be applied during late summer. This enhances leaf density, maximizes it’s green colour and prepares the grass for winter.
What’s bugging you? Controlling pests and diseases is of the utmost importance in the agricultural market. Healthy plants can help to end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment and boost economic development. An excellent example of the importance of pesticides is the Irish Great Famine, also called Irish Patato Famine or The Great Hunger. Between 1845-52 Ireland suffered a period of starvation, disease and emigration. The main cause was a disease which affected the potato crop. A mold caused a destructive plant disease that spread swiftly throughout Ireland. The infestation had a catastrophic impact on Ireland and its population as a third of the population was dependent on potatoes for food. It resulted in the death of approximately one million from starvation and related causes. At least another million were forced to leave Ireland as refugees.
The above example shows the importance of controlling pests and although insects and fungi in your garden are not going to lead to famine, it is important to control their numbers.
Your roses have started their autumn flush and must be protected against an attack from insects and fungi. Treat preventatively against sucking and biting insects with a systemic insecticide. Thrips, aphids, whitefly, mealybugs and mites are examples of sucking insects that live off the sap of your roses, vegetables, fruit and flowers. These insects will migrate to your plants or be brought to your plants by other insects, only to rapidly multiply. Complete or Imidor can be applied as a seasonal drench application to the root area of your plants. Kemprin, Knox Worm and Avi Gard are contact insecticides and have a very short withholding period on vegetables and fruit.
As the humidity and high temperatures are an ideal breeding ground for fungi like black spot, powdery mildew and rust, it is important to regularly treat plants that are susceptible to fungal diseases. Treat preventatively on a regular basis with Mycoguard, a broad spectrum contact fungicide which kills the spores of fungi, preventing them from destroying your plants. If plants are already infected, a general systemic fungicide can remedy the disease. Tenazole is a systemic fungicide which can be applied preventatively as well as curatively. Copper Flow Plus is a contact fungicide and bacteriacide. Rose Guard offers 3-in-1 protection against insects like aphids and red spider mites as well as fungi like black spot, powdery mildew and rust. It contains a contact insecticide and a contact and systemic fungicide. Water gardens early in the morning to restrict the germination of fungi.
Protect your seedlings against snails and slugs by putting out Scatterkill for Snails. It’s made from a bran bait that is very tasty for snails. It also features a unique pet repellent!
Protect your lawn against broad leaf weeds with Protek Versus, Pure Lawn or Scatterkill for Weeds. These products will get rid of weeds without killing your lawn. Make sure that you use the correct dosage, but also that you do not put too much of the mixture on the plants as this will stunt your lawn and cause yellowing. Apply until just before run-off.
Treat your lawn preventatively against fungal diseases like dollar spot, fairy ring, brown spot, etc. with Mycoguard. Be on the lookout for lawn caterpillars and army worm on your lawn and treat these effectively with Kemprin, Knox Worm or Avigard. Mole crickets, ants and harvester termites could destroy your lawn. Mole crickets can be effectively controlled with Imidor and harvester termites can be controlled with Spraykill 1, Kemprin, Scatterkill for Insects or Termite Stop. Treat against ants with Nip it Ant Control.
More about the products mentioned above:
Granular Fertilisers:
- Garden Phosphate is essential for root development and new growth.
- Lawn & Foliage Fertiliser 7:1:3 is a granular fertiliser for general feeding of lawns and foliage.
- Rose and Flower fertiliser 8:1:5 is a granular fertiliser specially formulated for roses, seed, flower and fruit bearing plants.
NutriGreen Organic Fertilisers:
- NutriGreen Gwano Pellets. is a 100 % organic, balanced fertiliser for your whole garden.
- NutriGreen Gro Green is an organic based fertiliser ideal for new or established lawns and evergreen plants.
- NutriGreen Flower Power is an organic based fertiliser for ornamental plants, including annual and perennial plants, roses, shrubs, fruit trees, trees, vegetables, herbs and all flowering and fruit bearing plants
The NutriGreen range of fertilisers are made of composted poultry manure with marcro and micro elements. It slowly releases nutrients and the addition of carbon improves the retention of nutrition in your garden soil. It promotes the activity of micro-organisms in the soil to break down plant nutrient elements into a form that is available for the plants to absorb. It strengthens cell walls of the plant which in turn reduces water requirements and increase resistance against extreme temperatures.
- Guanoflo is a liquid foliar fertiliser and ideal for your whole garden. It is easy to apply with the nifty Mixnozle. For quick results, feed your whole garden every two weeks. 200 ml covers 80 m², 2 liter covers 800 m² and 5 liter covers 2 000 m².
- Guanosol is an easy to apply, ready to use slow release fertiliser in pill form, supplying up to 3 months of nutrition. It is ideal for pots and hanging baskets (insert 1 pill per 10 liter container), for vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, rose shrubs and other shrubs and trees, including fruit trees.
Guanoflo and Guanosol are 100 % organic fertilisers made from seabird droppings and contains macro and micro nutrients essential for healthy growth.
Organic Grow Mediums:
- Peat Moss Universal Blend is an organic growing medium formulated for your whole garden.
- Peat Mos Acidic Blend is an organic growing medium formulated for acid loving plants.
- Protek Coco Peat is an organic growing medium made from coconut husks.
These products are 100 % organic growing mediums with high water holding capabilities and slow release of important biolocial nutrients. They bind sandy soils and aerate heavy clay soils. They promote superior root growth and healthy plant development, Peat is environmentally friendly and sustainable, parasite, pathogen and weed seed free and reduces leaching.
Fungicides:
- Copper Flow Plus is a copper containing, contact bactericide and fungicide. It controls a wide range of bacteria as well as fungi.
- Mycoguard is contact fungicide and preventatively controls a wide range of fungi by preventing the germination of spores.
- Tenazole is a systemic fungicide and offers preventative and corrective control of a wide range of fungi.
- Rose Guard is a 3-in-1 contact and systemic fungicide as well as a contact insecticide offering preventative and corrective control of a wide range of fungi, as well as insects, including red spider mite.
Insecticides:
- Avi Gard Mercaptothion controls a wide range of insects in your garden as well as your home, including beetles which are notoriously difficult to control. It offers a quick knock down and a very short withholding period on vegetables and fruit.
- Complete is a systemic concentrate insecticide for preventative and corrective control of a wide range of sucking and biting insects, including psylla and whiteflies. The long lasting insecticide is applied as an easy seasonal soil drench.
- Imidor is a systemic concentrate insecticide for preventative and corrective control of a wide range of insects, including mole crickets and the dreaded cypress aphids. The long lasting insecticide is applied as an easy seasonal soil drench.
- Kemprin is a contact and stomach insecticide for the control of a wide range of garden insects. It has a relatively short withholding period on vegetables and fruit.
- Knox Worm is a contact and stomach insecticide for the control of a wide range of garden insects, including the dreaded lily borer or “amaryllis borer” on amaryllis, clivias, nerines and other bulb plants, as well as lawn caterpillars, army worms, the greater cabbage moth larvae and fruit flies. It has a relative short withholding period on vegetables and fruits.
- Nip it Ant Control is a convenient, ready to use granular bait for the control of ants outside. It eradicates the whole colony including the queen. It is 99 % organic with very low toxicity to humans and pets.
- Scatterkill for Insects is a convenient, ready to use granular insecticide controlling ants, termites, lawn caterpillars and crickets.
- Scatterkill for Snails is a convenient, ready to use bran bait and controls snails and slugs. It contains a unique pet repellent.
- Spraykill 1 is a value for money water miscible contact insecticide for the control of ants, harvester termites, crickets, locusts and cockroaches.
- Termite Stop is a convenient, ready to use bait with stomach action for the control of harvester termites.
Herbicides:
- Scatterkill for Weeds is a ready to use selective granular herbicide for the control of a wide spectrum annual broadleaf weeds on lawns, turfs and pavings. It does not kill your lawn.
- Pure Lawn is a soluble selective herbicide for the control of broadleaf weeds on lawns. It does not kill your lawn.
- Versus is a selective herbicide for the control of broadleaf weeds on lawns. It contains a wetter/spreader to ensure excellent performance. It offers pre-emergence control of weeds in newly planted lawns and will not kill your lawn.
Other products:
- Sprayfilm 10 is a wetter, sticker and spreader for even distribution of pesticide. It is rain fast within 1 hour and can withstand 25 mm rain. It offers protection against the UV rays of the sun and improves the performance of pesticides.
- MixNozle is a multi-purpose venturi applicator and is ideal to apply Guanoflo liquid plant fertiliser. It automatically mixes at a ratio of 1:10 and is easy to use.
- Pro-Lawn is an all seasons, evergreen grass mixture which stays green throughout the year and grows in full sun, semi-shade and full shade conditions. It is frost resistant, forms tufts, not creepers, and germinates between 5 and 10 days after sowing.
When choosing a product, make sure that you read the instructions on the labels provided in or on the box or other containers. Only use as per the label and never use an unregistered product. There are many unregistered, illegal products on the market. These cheap imports are usually not tested and can be very dangerous to you, your pets and the general environment.
To prevent the development of resistance against a pesticide, you should frequently switch to a pesticide with a different mode of action.
Wherever and however big your insect problem, Protek has the right solution!
Lastly, do not go out in the garden without a hat, sunblock and a bottle of water close by.
Act 36 of 1947
Gwano Pellets: B4904, N 21 g/kg, P 32.5 g/kg, K 27.6 g/kg, Zn 2000 mg/kg, Cu 70 mg/kg, Mo 4500 mg/kg, Fe 2200 mg/kg, B 1200 mg/kg, Mn 1000 mg/kg C 350 g/kg, Group 2 fertiliser, registration holder: Farmworx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, PO Box 645, Heidelberg, 1439, telephone number: 011 812 9800
Gro Green: B4665, N 39 g/kg, P 10 g/kg, K 40 g/kg, Zn 61 mg/kg, Cu 17 mg/kg, Mo 22 mg/kg, Fe 869 mg/kg, B 256 mg/kg, Mn 212 mg/kg, C 315 g/kg, Group 2 fertiliser, registration holder: Farmworx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, PO Box 645, Heidelberg, 1439, telephone number: 011 812 9800
Flower Power: B4655, N 48 g/kg, P 10 g/kg, K 36 g/kg, Zn 61 mg/kg, Cu 17 mg/kg, Mo 22 mg/kg, Fe 869 mg/kg, B 256 mg/kg, Mn 212 mg/kg, C 296 g/kg, B4652, Group 2 fertiliser, registration holder: Farmworx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, PO Box 645, Heidelberg, 1439, telephone number: 011 812 9800
Guanoflo: B3415, 13.8 g/kg N, 17 g/kg P, 2.1 g/kg K, 40.38 mg/kg Ca, 2521 mg/kg Mg, 1990 mg/kg Na, 16 mg/kg Mn, 606 mg/kg Fe, 11 mg/kg Cu, 91 mg/kg Zn, 6 mg/kg B, Group 2 fertiliser, registration holder: Farmworx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, PO Box 645, Heidelberg, 1439, telephone number: (011) 812 9800
Guanosol: B3416, 77 g/kg N, 51 g/kg P, 36 g/kg K, 22 mg/kg Mn, 15 mg/kg Cu, 8.43 mg/kg Ca, 0,61 mg/kg Mg, 1110 g/kg Na, 516 mg/kg Zn, 16 mg/kg B, Group 2 fertiliser, registration holder: FarmWorx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, P O Box 645, Heidelberg, 1438, telephone number: 011 812 9800
Garden Phosphate 8.3: K7668, 83 g/kg P (8.3 % soluble in 2 % citric acid), Group 1 fertiliser, registration holder: FarmWorx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, P O Box 645, Heidelberg, 1438, telephone number: 011 812 9800
Lawn & Foliage Fertilizer 7:1:3 (15): K9915, 95 g/kg N, 13 g/kg P, 41 g/kg K, Group 1 fertiliser, registration holder: FarmWorx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, P O Box 645, Heidelberg, 1438, telephone number: 011 812 9800
Rose & Flower Fertilizer 8:1:5 (17): K9914, 96 g/kg N, 12 g/kg P, 60 g/kg K, registration holder: FarmWorx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, P O Box 645, Heidelberg, 1438, telephone number: 011 812 9800
Copper-Flow-Plus: L6831, copper ammonium acetate 315 g/l, CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Mycoguard 720 SC: L8417, chlorothalonil (phthalonitrile), 720 g/l, CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd,, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Rose Guard: L10840, bifenthrin (pyrethroid) 10 g/l, bupirimate (pyrimidine) 75 g/l, propiconazole (triazole) 25 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Tenazole 250 EW: L8558, tebuconazole (triazole), 250 g/l, CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Pure Lawn: L7220, MCPA 400 g/l, CAUTION, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Scatterkill for Weeds: L4182, dicamba (dimethyl amine salt) 10 g/kg, MCPA (dimethyl amine salt) 5 g/kg, CAUTION, registration holder: Effecticide (Pty) Ltd, company registration number 08/06493/07, Unit 5, King Court, Mineral Crescent, Crown Industrial, Johannesburg, 2001, telephone number: 011 839 1636
Versus: L8879, dicamba 120 g/l, 2.4-D 180 g/l a.e., MCPA 157.5 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Avi Gard: L216, mercaptothion (organophosphate) 500 g/l, CAUTION, registration holder: Avima (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 1961/001744/07, PO Box 3131, Kenmare, 1745, telephone number: 011 769 1300
Complete 350 SC: L7959, imidacloprid (chloro-nicotinyl) 350 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 5145600
Imidor 350 SC: L8019, imidacloprid (chloronicotynil) 350 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Villa Crop Protection (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 1992/002472/07, PO Box 10413, Aston Manor, 1630, telephone number: 011 396 2233
Kemprin 200 EC, L3145, cypermethrin (pyrethroid) 200 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Knox Worm: L7176, cypermethrin (pyrethroid) 200 g/l, HARMFUL, registration holder: Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Nip-It Ant Control: L8579, hydramethylnon, CAUTION, registration holder: Prinswer Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd., company registration number 2005/036309/23, PO Box 1610, Wingate Park, 0153, telephone number: 082 855 9940
Scatterkill for Insects: L4118, cypermethrin 3 g/kg, piperonyl butoxide 15 g/kg, CAUTION, registration holder: Effecticide (Pty) Ltd, registration number: 08/06493/07, Unit 5, King Court, Mineral Crescent, Crown Industrial, Johannesburg, 2001, telephone number: (011) 839 1636
Spray-Kill 1: L4189, cypermethrin 10 g / l, piperonyl butoxide 50 g / l, CAUTION, registration holder: Effecticide (Pty) Ltd, registration number: 08/06493/07, Unit 5, King Court, Mineral Crescent, Crown Industrial, Johannesburg, 2001, telephone number: (011) 839 1636
Termite Stop: L5437, Sodium fluosilicate 50 g/kg, CAUTION, registration holder: Small Pack Solutions, company registration number: 1997/17900/07, Aschenberg St, Chamdor, Krugersdorp, telephone number: 011 769 1300
Sprayfilm 10: L7120, terpenic polymer, 902,4 g/l, L7120, CAUTION, Arysta LifeScience South Africa (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2009/019713/07, 7 Sunbury Office Park, Off Douglas Saunders Drive, La Lucia, 4019, telephone number: 031 514 5600
Distributed by: Protek, a division of PE-BEE Agri (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 72, Heidelberg, 1438, tel no (011) 812-9800 or 0861 PROTEK (0861 77 68 35), www.protek.co.za