March is officially the end of summer and the first month of autumn and there is no better time to breathe new life into your garden and prepare for the cooler months ahead.
Here are some tips:
Good soil preparation is the key to success for any garden bed. Double dig the soil by turning soil over to a depth of at least 50 cm and remove all old vegetation, including the roots. This will assist with good drainage, help to prevent root rot in new plants, air the soil and improve the absorption of nutrients by the roots. Work in a layer of compost together with Protek’s Garden Phosphate or Bonemeal into the top 30 cm of the soil surface. Superphosphate stimulates root growth which will help the plants establish quickly in the soil. The last step is to add Protek’s Peat Moss Universal Blend into the soil to improve the water holding capabilities of the soil and to reduce leaching. The peat moss also supports strong root growth, germination of seeds, ensures healthier plant life and acts as a soil conditioner.
Wait two weeks before you start sowing seeds.
For your kitchen garden, sow vegetable seed such as lettuce, carrots, beets, cauliflower, spinach, peas, broccoli, onions, cabbage and many more for a bountiful harvest. Sow herbs such as basil, coriander and flat-leaf parsley. Make sure you sow the seeds during the right season for your area. Follow the instructions on the back of the seed packet before you start sowing. Some seeds can be sown directly into the ground, e.g. carrots, beets, etc., but fine seeds should be sown in seed trays first to maximize success. When fine seed is sown directly into the soil, mix the seed with a little sand before sprinkling it over the surface of the soil to spread it evenly. Spread Protek Scatterkill for Snails to ensure that snails do not destroy the young seedlings as well as Cutworm Bait as cutworms are ferocious feeders that can cause a lot of damage to a wide variety of crops in your home garden.
For cheery autumn and winter color, sow primroses, pansies, violas, sweet peas, Icelandic poppies, delphiniums, gazanias, bokbaaivygies, cornflowers, snapdragons, cinerarias and many others.
For instant gratification, plant a few pots of bedding plants in your flower beds or in strategically placed pots.
Plan and prepare beds for winter bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths, anemones, hydrangea, freesias and sparaxis for splashes of winter and spring color in your garden. Just wait until the soil temperatures have cooled before you start planting.
Divide and replant overcrowded perennials and ground covers. You can also lift and split irises and aron lilies as well as summer bulbs once they are past their bloom time. This will hugely improve the overall aesthetics of your garden.
Prune back asters, hydrangeas and geraniums and treat the open cuts with a mixture of Mycoguard and Sprayfilm 10 to prevent fungal infections.
Trees are a wonderful addition to any garden, especially fruit trees. Planting a tree is a lifetime investment. Make sure you plant the tree in the right position, far enough away from your house, walls, underground water lines or overhead power and telephone lines. Tree roots need room to spread out, and the general rule of thumb is to dig a hole at least twice the size of the root ball but only as deep as the root ball. Enrich the soil that comes out of the hole by adding compost and fertiliser. A tree needs a strong root system to grow strong and healthy. Add Protek Garden Phosphate to this soil mix or for a green option, you can add NutriGreen Gwano Pellets to the soil mix.
Mulch is essential in every season of the year. Apply a generous layer to your garden beds to retain moisture, suppress weed growth and regulate soil temperature. Mulch with organic material such as bark, composted manure, grass clippings or shredded leaves spread over the surface of the soil and rake in to a depth of 5 to 10 cm. It improves soil fertility, suppresses weeds, retains moisture and keeps the soil cool, thereby reducing water requirements.
Prune with purpose by taking advantage of the dormant period in autumn to prune deciduous trees and shrubs. Remove dead and diseased branches and shape overgrown plants.
Good fertilisation is essential in your garden. Not only does fertilisers feed your plants but protects against fungal diseases and insect attacks.
To ensure that Camelias and Azalias bloom during the winter, it is time to feed with a fertilizer rich in Mg and Ca. Guanoflo is a certified organic fertiliser made from pure seabird guano and contains all the macro and micronutrients needed for healthy plants and large, colorful flowers.
Feed your lawn with Protek Lawn & Foliage Fertilizer 7:1:3 or NutriGreen Gro Green.
Feed your leafy vegetable and herb gardens with Protek Lawn & Foliage Fertilizer 7:1:3 and fruit bearing plants with Rose and Flower Fertilizer 8:1:5. For a natural option, choose NutriGreen Gro Green and NutriGreen Flower Power respectively.
Your roses have started their autumn flush and need to be protected from insects and fungi. Treat sucking and biting insects preventatively with a systemic insecticide. Complete can be applied as a seasonal application to the root area of your plants. Also treat preventively against fungal infections such as black spot – Protek Mycoguard is a contact insecticide and kills the spores of fungi, preventing them from destroying your plants. Tenazole is a systemic fungicide that can be applied preventively as well as curatively.
Protect your seedlings from slugs and snails by applying Scatterkill for Snails. It is made from a unique bran that is very palatable to snails. It also features a unique pet repellent.
Protect your lawn from broadleaf weeds with Protek Versus. Versus will get rid of these weeds without killing your lawn. Treat your lawn preventively against fungal diseases such as dollar spot, fairy ring, brown spot, etc. with Mycoguard. Watch out for lawn caterpillars on your lawn and treat effectively with Knox Worm or Avigard.
As the autumn leaves begin to fall and the crisp air sets in, may you enjoy the changing colours and cooler days as you tend to your autumn garden. So, dust off your gardening gloves, grab your gardening tools and usher in the new season with passion and excitement.
Act 36 of 1947
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
Bonemeal: K11139, 40 g/kg N, 100 g/kg P, Group 2 fertiliser, registration holder: Farmworx (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 2012/092415/07, PO Box 645, Heidelberg, 1439, telephone number: (011) 812 9800
Scatterkill for Snails: L5058, metaldehyde 30 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
Cutworm Bait: L8070, sodium fluosilicate 100 g/kg, CAUTION, registration holder: Avima (Pty) Ltd, company registration number: 1961/001744/07, PO Box 3131, Kenmare, 1745, telephone number: 011 769 1300
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
