Growers’ demands from feeds and fertilisers do not seem to change too dramatically, but that’s not to say there isn’t continuous development work going on behind the scenes.
Scotts has been promoting what it calls ‘advanced fertiliser technology for growers’, with two new products falling into that category. Osmocote Hi-End is the first product unveiled by the firm to use Dual Coating Technology, which means that after initial release of the first dose of nutrients, a second coating around the granules postpones further fertilisation for two months. Scotts explains that this effectively saves nutrients for when the plant needs a boost in its growing cycle. Growers can therefore meet the increasing nutrient needs of their plants during cultivation, and save time and money on re-fertilisation, the firm adds.
Osmocote Hi-End is described as ideal for evergreen shrubs, potted conifers and container nursery stock, is used for potting in the March to April period, and lasts for eight to nine months.
The other new development in the Scotts range is an improved range of Peters Feed water-soluble fertilisers. These are said to have been developed using advanced technology, and provide plants with feed for all stages of growth, taking into account water quality and composition.
Scotts says that a key factor has been in recognising that hard and soft water need to be ‘corrected’ in order to give plants the nutrients they need. Peters Feed is designed for pot and bedding plants. Its makeup includes M77 chelated formula, a component which optimises the availability and absorption of nutrients.
Plant Solutions is another firm who have been getting new products onto the market in recent times, with its BioFence organic seed meal fertiliser and Caliente Mustard - a green manure and natural biofumigant crop - leading the way.
BioFence is a 100 percent vegetable organic fertiliser, with seed meal produced from a brassica crop bred specifically for the purpose by the ISCI Institute in Italy. The seed meal is formed into small pellets, producing a fertiliser that is described as high in organic matter and containing a spectrum of macro and micro nutrients.
The product has the added benefit of improving soil fertility and balance, using a new technique that incorporates natural compounds into the soil to help encourage beneficial soil micro flora and fauna.
According to the manufacturers, the nitrogen levels provided by BioFence have the potential to supply certain crops with their whole nitrogen requirement, for example lettuce and baby leaf salad crops.
This organic nitrogen is not released like mineral nitrogen, but is insoluble and must be first mineralised by micro-organisms in the soil. This process avoids the risk of over-availability of nutrients in the soil and may also reduce the likelihood of leaching.
Caliente Mustard meanwhile is a green manure with biofumigant properties. Unlike a legume green manure it does not provide direct nutrition to the soil, but is said to be very efficient at recycling surplus nutrients for subsequent crops, particularly nitrogen.
Adding large quantities of fresh green material to the soil also has the effect of increasing beneficial soil flora and fauna and thus encouraging greater microbial activity, Plant Solutions stresses.
The firm also points out that it is now distributing Perlka (calcium cyanamide) fertiliser, which provides a non-leaching slow release form of nitrogen and a ready source of calcium for plants, with a 50 percent lime content which brings stabilised soil pH and strong healthy plant growth.
It is also said to improve soil structure and increases the microbial activity of soils, therefore encouraging bio-control of soil borne crop pathogens such as Clubroot and Sclerotinia.
Indeed, slow-release fertilisers are being increasingly added to growers’ armouries. Compo has been selling the controlled-release fertiliser Basacote, which is applicable for nursery and ornamental plants, as well as products like Entec, which reduces nitrate leaching and provides greater nitrogen uptake efficiency. One of its key ingredients is DMPP, a nitrification inhibitor from the BASF research programme.
Kemira GrowHow, which has just completed a protracted merger with Terra Industries to form a new company called GrowHow UK, is concentrating its focus on promoting the Reciclean product in the UK, having seen success with it in the Benelux countries in the last 10 years.
Reciclean has been developed to clean glasshouse water and irrigation systems, as well as prevent clogging of pipes and drainpipes.
The product has been extensively used with protected glasshouse crops, but is also seeing good results now with soft fruit and ornamental growers. The product ensures even distribution of water from each emitter, meaning the grower can be sure that the whole plant receives an even amount of water. It can be applied when the crop is growing with no harm to the plant’s roots, as Reciclean can breakdown to H2O, CO2 and O2.
It is described as particularly suitable in situations where drippers or emitters may become blocked. It produces no residues, as can be the case with other products such as chlorine dioxide.
Elsewhere Hortifeeds is continuing to report great interest in its product Fytocell, a soilless growing medium which has been proving extremely popular with tomato, cucumber and pepper growers. The key aspect to the product is that the Fytocell flakes are even from top to bottom, offering very even water content and encouraging the development of finely branched roots. This improves the uptake of water and nutrients, ensures excellent oxygen content throughout the root zone, and gives growers more control over their water use, saving them money along the way.
Technical manager Terry Grimshaw said that the success of Fytocell means that a new factory is planned in Britain from next year, which will allow growers to tick further boxes in terms of reducing their carbon footprints. The product is already widely used around the world, but may now find itself being applied more widely in the UK in crops such as strawberries.
Martin Donnelly of Certis says that Celcote - an incorportated polymer which improves water holding capacity of organic composts - is making progress with growers now starting to realise that it is ‘not just another polymer wetting agent’, and has many other benefits. Celcote is activated with the first watering and migrates within the compost. It produces a water loving film on the compost surface, which then promotes water absorption and retention without affecting air fill porosity or total water holding capacity. The water is retained within the fibres themselves so the air spaces are still open to provide oxygen to the roots.
It is well suited to improving compost of nursery stock, herbaceous plants, hanging baskets and tubs, seedling and cutting compost and in situations where control of the water supply is vital.
Donnelly said that these days both growers and retailers are calling for extended shelf life, whether it be in garden centres or in the sheds, so staff do not need to spend so much time watering. Growers also want to spend less time watering to save on labour costs, he added.
Celcote has been relaunched in the last 12 months and is now being used successfully by some very large growers, according to Donnelly.
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