Barricade (Prodiamine) and Carbon Trader – for the Professional Nurseryman

Recent research by Todd Layt of Ozbreed Pty Ltd has found that there’s potential to greatly reduce hand weeding and keep plants greener in winter in Australian Nurseries

In the turf industry a lot of chemicals and other specialist products are widely used. These can have major benefits for the nursery industry, but only if they are ultimately registered or trialled in the growing of plants.

Literature Review from USA:

• USA research shows Prodiamine moves less deeply in the soil or potting mix than Oryzalin.
• Both these chemicals are listed for most plants in the USA. Oryzalin is not listed for many ornamental grasses. Prodiamine OK on ornamental grasses.
• Prodiamine did not do so well on Broadleaf weeds in USA trials, but USA rates are low. Higher rates worked for Broadleaf weeds in Australian trials.

Summary of Research:
Prodiamine: used 30ml per 100 square metres with the following results:

• Broadleaf weeds were not stopped.
• Stopped most grass weeds.
• No harm to health of any plant.
• Weeds were more numerous in control.

Prodiamine: used 45ml per 100 square metres with the following results:

• Broadleaf weeds were reduced, but not totally eliminated.
• Stopped all grass weeds.
• No harm to health of any plant.
• Weeds were far more numerous in control.

Prodiamine: used 60ml per 100 square metres with the following results:

• Broadleaf weeds were totally eliminated.
• Stopped all grass weeds.
• No harm to health of any plant.
• Weeds were far more numerous in control.

Both the garden and container trials showed similar results, although it was noted that the second trial in the garden reduced weeds by more than in the containers. 3-4 months of control.
Soils in the garden were clay. Less drainage should keep more chemical near top of soil.
Syngenta is looking at registering for ornamental pots, growing beds, and landscape plantings i.e plant plants then spray barricade over the top immediately…read more

Recent Research Into Myrtle Rust Resistance on Australian Native Plants

Recent research into Myrtle Rust Resistance on Australian natives plants found Ozbreed Plants to be highly resistant to Myrtle Rust…

Myrtle Rust is a recently discovered fungus that can have devastating effects on many popular plants. It is very distinctive, producing masses of powdery bright yellow spores on infected plant parts consisting of spore-filled lesions on young growing leaves, shoots, flower buds and fruits.

Myrtle rust affects plants belonging to the Myrtaceae family including popular Australian natives such as Callistemons, Lilly Pillies, Tea Trees and Eucalyptus. Infection on vulnerable plants can have a devasting affect on the plant, resulting in the leaves becoming distorted and buckled, and sometimes even plant death.

Understandably people have recently become weary of chosing popular Bottlebrush and the like, based on the risk that Myrtle rust poses. However, recent research into the effects of the fungus have shown that there are in fact many varieties of Australian natives available on the market that are resistant to Myrtle Rust.

This research conducted by Dr. Karanjeet Sandhu, a Myrtle Rust Pathologist from the University of Sydney, concluded that varieties of Bottlebrush and other native shrubs and trees in the Myrtaceae family can offer varying degrees of resistance to this toxic fungus.

Many plant varieties were tested, and Ozbreed are proud to announce that many of our exclusively bred natives performed outstandingly, with some even given a status of ‘highly resistant’ as summarised here…read more

Ozbreed Launches New Website

We’ve recently launched  our new user-friendly website with a whole stack of new features that make so easy to find the plants and turf  your looking for and the grower that’s closest to you.

When we created the new Ozbreed website our focus was on the user’s experience. Simplicity, usability and getting the information you need on your screen as effortlessly as possible is our number 1 goal.

If there is something particular you are after, simply use the new search function to access all of its multimedia resources including research, articles, videos, photos and more.

Every Ozbreed plant range and turf variety is now hosted on the one Ozbreed website. If you want to see all the plants we offer, see the Browse by Name page for a list of plants sorted either by trade name, botanical name or native plants only. If you are ever unsure of what turf is best for the job, look at the easy guide on Choosing the Right Turf on the Compare All Varieties page.

Each plant on the website has high resolution images available to download, free to use in design documents. For those wanting to find large numbers of plants, the top wholesale growers for each plant are listed down the bottom of the page. Also all licensed Ozbreed turf suppliers are listed on the Where to Buy page, which now includes a link to Evergreen Connect (a plant sourcing website to save you time). Many of the plants are available online, so if your clients want to purchase the plants themselves, direct them to the Ozbreed website to have the plants delivered to their door.

Specialised information for the Landscape Professional is a must visit page. It is tailored to give you the most relevant information (including plant sizes available). Ozbreed 3D graphics for plants are available to download for free and are formatted for popular design programs. Also Tour Brochures for each state are available to see how Ozbreed plants have performed in landscapes around Australia.

For a resource that is now easy to use and loaded with all your landscaping needs, visit the new website and see for yourself.

TURF WARS – EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

The common preconception is that Buffalo turf is the best turf on the market today but recent research and findings on Zoysia grasses have discovered that this is not really the case, and that Zoysia can actually out-perform Buffalo in many aspects.

The most popular Zoysias on the market today are Empire turf and Nara Native turf. Empire turf was released in Australia by Ozbreed, and prior to its release rigorous testing was carried out by Ozbreed to ensure that Empire turf would be suitable for Australian climates, and Nara Native turf is bred, trialed and delivered by Ozbreed. Recent research on these varieties and on common buffalo varieties has shown outstanding results for Zoysia grasses. The most interesting result being that Zoysias can tolerate chemical control.

e.g. Lets say that the highly invasive Kikuyu grass gets into your Buffalo lawn, unfortunately there aren’t any sprays available that will not kill off your Buffalo turf. On the other hand Zoysias can readily be sprayed with chemicals that are available on the market, and will survive this treatment. This means you can protect your Zoysia grass from a common Kikuyu invasion. Research has shown that Zoysia’s are also resistant to Army Worm and Web Worm and significantly less damaged by Black Beetle.

Empire™ (Zoysia japonica ‘SS500 PBR’) is a lovely soft fine textured lawn with deep green colour that looks stunning. Empire is a very low maintenance turf, requiring 2 to 3 times less mowing and less edging than most Buffalo, Couch and Kikuyu varieties. This fact alone can dramatically reduce maintenance costs, specifically if you are hiring a contractor or paying staff to maintain your lawn. It will thrive in any tough climatic condition including drought, humidity and even extreme wet conditions. Empire is also very hard wearing and waterwise, making it an excellent choice for home gardeners and landscapers Australia wide.

Nara Native Turf™ (Zoysia macrantha ‘MAC03’ PBR) is a beautiful fine textured lawn that survives on much less water than other varieties. The Department of Primary Industries stated that …read more

Killing Weeds In Your Couch or Zoysia Grass

Killing Weeds In Your Couch or Zoysia Grass

If you find grass weeds in your Couch or Zoysia you can use a specialist to get many of them out of your lawn with commercial chemicals.

You can also spot grass weeds out by yourself using Round Up or other mechanical methods. The great thing is that this’ll work for all lawn types, including Buffalo, and Kikuyu, in addition to your Couch and Zoysia.

The easiest way to remove them is to chip them before they seed. Use a knife, a pick, or a specialised weeding fork, which definitely works the best but if you must, another method is to use a wick wiper filled with round up. All you do is wipe the herbicide on to the weed itself, and it’ll die. You might find that you’ll need to do this again in a few weeks or so. Just make sure you don’t get any on your lawn.

On occasion you can get Kikuyu in your Buffalo lawn which you definitely don’t want. To kill it, you get comfy, and paint the round up on, making sure you’re wearing a rubber glove.

Another way is, you can set up a bit of Cardboard underneath the Kikuyu and above the lawn, and paint the round up on your Kikuyu.

Kikuyu can be taken out using commercial chemicals (by a specialist) which are not generally available for home sale, however DSMA or MCPA at this moment are available in some home formulations such as Paspalum killer, and may be used to take out stubborn grass weeds such as Kikuyu and Paspalum in Zoysia and Couch.

Make sure you read the label carefully if you decide to have a go yourself, as labels may vary from product to product. Some claim these chemicals will take out nut grass as well, but generally Sempra would be a better option.

Having Nut grass, there are specialist nut grass killers, but they’re usually so expensive for a small quantity that its better value to hire a specialist commercial weed killing service, although recently …read more

Protecting Our Playgrounds – We Need To Make Playgrounds More Natural

We’re now able to make playgrounds and surrounding areas safer by using the methods implemented by Ozbreed and Fiona Robbé Landscape Architects. These methods meet the Australian Standard and have also won an award at the Kidsafe 2012 National Playspace Design Awards.

In conjunction with Fiona Robbé Landscape Architects, Ozbreed found the need to make playgrounds more natural because during their time playing in playgrounds, kids very often wander off to explore their surroundings.

Whilst still ensuring to create an optimum safe play environment, something that needs to be considered more closely by landscape architects and designers is that kids love to play with plants.

The premise for this trial was set by the increasing demand and interest in the performance of non-woody plants in mulch, in and around play equipment (including fall zones).

The core aim of the trial is to systematically determine the optimum growth conditions for non-woody plants in playgrounds mulch. This will allow playgrounds to look more natural and reduce the open bare appearance of play equipment without compromising safety.

Plant Health in Playground Mulch:

2 garden beds were used in the trial, containing 2 different mulches; Playbark Pinebark Mulch and Port Stephens Pine Mulch. Naringa™ Westringia ‘WES01′ PBR and Tanika® Lomandra longifolia ‘LM300’ PBR, were installed in each garden bed and planted in two different sets of conditions: Planted in pure mulch and planted with soil underneath (soil base method).

Preliminary results as of November 2010 showed that plants with soil underneath established and rooted out much quicker than the plants planted straight into the mulch, and the plants in Port Stephens Pine Mulch had rooted out much quicker than in the Playbark Pinebark Mulch.

Naringa displayed affected growth between the soil base method and when planted straight into mulch. Photos depict that with soil, growth has been abundant, while without it seemed to stay the same since planting.

Tanika however showed a better growth habit in the soil base method and the foliage looked cleaner. Results as of February 2011 showed that …read more

Summer Stunners – Want Your Garden Full of Flowers For Christmas?

Summer Stunners – Want Your Garden Full of Flowers For Christmas?

Wouldn’t you love your garden to be full of stunning and flowers this Christmas?

It’s time to get organised and get those showy plants planted. You know? The ones that put on a spectacle of flowers in December.

Aussie Christmases are an awesome thing. The days feel longer and are filled with one barbecue after another. There’s back yard cricket and incredible weather. It really is the time of year when our gardens come into their own and are totally enjoyed. Plants like Agapanthus and Christmas Bush are renowned for putting on extravagant displays at that time of year, in particular, Agapanthus which have become a much loved favourite and a true icon of Aussie summer gardens.

There’s also Nandinas which have red growth in summer, plus other reddish foliage plants that’ll give your garden a great Christmas feel. With a warm spring heralding what will be a hot summer, it’s time to plant these plants now. Keep them well watered until established, and you should have a magnificent display of flowers in December.

Queen Mum (the new cultivar of Agapanthus) is the first bi-coloured variety with blue and white  flowers that bloom in large stunning starbursts of multiple head flowers. These flower heads are extra large and make this plant a real show stopper in the garden.

When in flower Queen MumTM will reach up to 1.5m tall and has the typical clumping, glossy green strap like foliage. Cloudy DaysTM is a somewhat smaller version of Queen MumTM that reaches up to 1m high and provides excellent height contrast. Both boast low seed set and multiplication rates when compared with non-hybridised forms, meaning they are a more environmentally friendly choice.

There are many other plants that will produce stunning results in the garden at Christmas time such as…read more

Via http://www.ozbreed.com.au/

Native Hedging Plants – For Hot Dry Windy Positions

Native Hedging Plants – For Harsh, Hot, Dry, Windy Positions

For years the main specialist native hedging plants have been Lilly Pillies. They are fine for shaded or general conditions, but in hot, dry, exposed and windy sites they can struggle. Now there are a number of new specialist native hedging and screening plants that love exposure, with unique Westringia and Callistemon plants leading the way.

Part of the reason for the revival in hedging plants is the increased use of low cost long arm and standard hedge trimmers that can hedge plants in a fraction of the time. Pruning can be done more often at a lower cost of time and money, and without the back-breaking work. If you haven’t tried one yet you don’t know what you’re missing.Many exotics like English and Japanese Box make good hedges but are a little slow to establish. Murraya, Viburnum, and Photinia are widely used as screens and larger hedges, and are ideal for many situations, but for hot, exposed and windy sites they can struggle at times. For most years they will be fine, but in Australia every now and then we get extreme heat and wind.

Most of our capitals experience 40 to 45 degree days with hot winds at some time. This is when plants are truly tested. Even Acmenasmithii can be tested in these situations. Add severe drought to the equation, finding plants that survive our tough, sun burnt country can be hard. With all the rain on the East Coast lately, it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security and not plan for the certain return of drought, heat, and hot winds.

In years gone by certain species of native plants like Callistemon, Westringia, Leptospermum and Melaleuca have survived these harsh periods very well, but most cultivars are poorly suited to hedging. Their internodes are not spaced right, or the shape is wrong, or they get untidy after a few years. Breeding has improved many of these plants to the point that they now make great hedging and screening plants for hot exposed conditions.

Some exotics like Raphiolepisalso cope with these conditions. Some of the best forms of this plant are recent releases, such as Oriental Pearl. It is ideal for use in smaller hedges, and has dark green shiny leaves and lots of white flowers in spring. Cosmic Pink is a small Raphiolepis with pink flowers that makes a nice hedge with regular pruning. Cosmic White will make a medium sized hedge with the same dark green leaves and even larger white flowers. These three plants set very little seed, making them a safer choice, and were bred by Vic Ciccolella.

Moving back to the natives, Callistemon and Westringia are known as some of the most reliable landscape plants, however read more…

The Best Erosion Control Plants And Turf Types – Erosion Control Research

When it comes to strengthening your soil, it’s well known that plant roots and rhizomes are really helpful and can also assist with erosion control. Until recently though, there hasn’t been much research conducted to find out which plants strengthen the soil better than other ones, and the research conducted was only focusing on a really small sample of plants.

This investigation’s purposes are to test the influence that 31 different – widely used – landscape plants, and three commonly used erosion control turf varieties have on soil shear strength.

The different varieties were chosen from the most regularly used Australian erosion control landscape plants and turf types. Many of these plants and turf types are also used in the USA, Europe, and Asia. A lot of improved varieties were also included, as they’re widely used in Australia, and it allowed this investigation to test the improved varieties compared with the common forms from the same genus and species Read more…

For other research articles you might like click here

Top 5 Australian Native Plants For A Green Roof

Top 5 Australian Native Plants For A Green Roof 

Whilst today’s green roofs have really gone beyond the basic rooftop garden, a lot of the key pricipals that make them work still apply. They have to be beautiful, green, vegetative, healthy and easy to look after with out much work.

In order to get the benefits of a green roof, or a rooftop garden, the plants must be healthy and look good.

The University of Western Sydney in Austrailia conducted research that had similar results as a USA Texas study which shows that many of Ozbreed’s native plants do just as well, if not better when compared to introduced succulents.

These studies also show that organics are a viable low maintenance option for green roofs.

Now designers are able to create a way more functional and visually appealing green roof.

Here are the Top 5 performing plants from the Australian and US based trial:

1. SharaTM Lomandra fluviatilis ‘ABU7’PBR Click here

2. MundiTM Westringia fruticosa ‘WES05′ PBR Click here

3. YareenaTM Myoporum parvifolium ‘PARV01’PBR Click here

4. Tanika® Lomandra longifolia ‘LM300’ PBR Click here

5. Double GoldTM Gazania hybrid ‘GT20’ PBR (replacement for Tiny Tom) Click here

Click here for more information, including a detailed downloadable paper on this study…