Happy Labour Weekend. A stitch in time saves nine.
I have been swinging on the end of a sprayer and weedeater for the last week, trying to get ahead of the spring growth. First thing most mornings, we head out with the sprayer, before the wind gets up. Grass is the worst enemy of your plantings, so keeping it clear from around your latest plantings is crucial for them to thrive.
Getting on top of your maintenance now will pay dividends later in the season.
Convolvulus is on the march, as is old mans beard. Staying on top of these vine weeds is also a must-do at this time of year.
The paper wasps are building nests everywhere they can at the moment. They particularly love the protection of plant guards, so be extremely careful if you are putting your hand down a guard to clear weeds. I always carry a puffer with "Dust to Dust" in it on my belt at this time of year. A quick puff of that deals with the little beasties.
I started my career in conservation, swinging on the end of a weedeater on the Milford Track, 40 years ago and here I am still getting up close and personal with weedeaters one month out from getting my Supergold card. In the intervening 40 years, I have worked in local Government, been a City Councillor, worked for Charitable organisations, at the local Polytechnic teaching business courses as well as running a successful environmental company alongside Robert for the past 12 years. I have sat through many hours of meetings putting together Fresh Water Policy, Urban Growth Strategies, Zero Waste initiatives to name just a few. The cynic in me looks back and says, "what was the point as we don't seem to have made any forward progress". That's partly why I really like my weedeater. At the end of the day, I can see where I've been.
There are still endless weeds and ongoing battles to have environmental work properly recognised, alongside the need for effective and efficient systems to be put in place. Relying on volunteers and charitable donations is not the answer.
I'm happy for someone else to pick up that challenge now. I'm looking forward to spending more time in my own neglected garden and spending precious time with our gorgeous grandchildren. In addition to our two lovely granddaughters in Wellington, Emma is expecting her first baby in December and we are very excited.
Robert (who doesn't quite qualify for his Supergold card yet) is still going full steam ahead with lots of projects. We still have EmGuards too, but I am planning to take more of a casual approach. I will do the jobs that must be done with running any business, but will take time to tend the roses and grow flowers for fun.
Business is always a challenging environment to be in, especially in the current economic climate. Working in the environmental sector has become way more challenging in the past couple of years. As a result, we have right-sized the business, we are doing the projects we want to do and are future-proofing by cutting out extra costs.
Part of that has been looking line by line at where our costs are and what is most essential. Sadly, the newsletter didn't quite make the threshold, so this will be our last newsletter. We have enjoyed the feedback from everyone who has enjoyed reading it over the last few years. We hope you have learned some useful tips and we are happy to still answer questions via phone or email. However, readership has dropped off, and the cost of producing and sending a monthly newsletter is one of the many things that we looked at seriously when assessing where our dollar and time are best spent.
Thanks for your support. Keep an eye on our website for blogs and updates and you can still order EmGuards via the website.
Keep up the good work for the environment.
A huge thanks from us to Cheril Barber from Digital Spaces for helping me send out such a great newsletter every month for the past few years.
Hira reserve 2021
Hira reserve 2026
EmGuard Survey
By Jan Fryer.
Interesting times indeed.
We have a good supply of high quality, field tested original EmGuards, so if you are needing any for projects between now and March, please get in touch and get your order in.
For the past six months, we have been consulting with a range of potential board suppliers, after the Hamilton factory that manufactured our guards closed.
The sad fact is that it is no longer possible to obtain the board that we made our guards from in New Zealand.
What started out as a proudly New Zealand made product, can now only be sourced offshore. Previously, that cardboard supported local forestry, Kinleith pulp and paper mill, the manufacturers in Hamilton, the local freight company and our own staff.
Now, like so much New Zealand manufacturing, we are having to explore options available with overseas sourced board. We have narrowed it down to a supplier and can get the product diecut in New Zealand.
However, before we sign any dotted lines, we would appreciate your feedback on what drives your purchasing decision.
Can you please send us an email to EmGuard@futurecology.co.nz with the three key drivers: from most important to least for your purchasing decision, from the following list:
Quality
Height
Strength
Price
Longevity
Loyalty
Ease of installation – i.e. one cane or two
Any other feedback would be much appreciated.
Plant of the Month
Rubus squarrosus Leafless lawyer or yellow prickled lawyer
We made a purchase a year or two ago of an interesting looking plant – with lots of amazing tiny yellow thorns.
Little did we realise just how vigorous this would be and how mean!!
It is described as extremely prickly and usually leafless, or nearly so, that forms a scrambling vine. The stems, petioles and leaf midribs are covered in conspicuous yellow prickles.
If any leaves are present, they are lanceolat shaped and deeply toothed.
The flowers are cream or white from October to December followed by a red to red-orange fruit in February to March. The fruit is edible although small and insipid.
They are found in coastal to montane areas, usually in open areas. Dune fields, grey scrub and other shrubland is their most common habitat but they can also be found in open forest, riverbeds, cliff faces and boulder slopes.
It grows easily in open free-draining areas and will tolerate drought and frost.
It will climb up through other shrubs.
If you want to create a very good deterrent for pests such as possums, deer or rabbits, this might be just the ticket.
Weed of the Month
Image courtesy of www.herbalreality.com
Marrubium vulgare – White Horehound
This is a flowering plant from the mint family.
It is originally native to Europe, northern Africa and southwestern and central Asia, but has naturalised throughout the world.
It is a grey leaved, herbaceous perennial that grows up to 45 cms tall.The leaves are 2-5 cm long with a densely crinkled surface and covered in downy hairs. The flowers are white and borne in clusters on the upper part of the main stem.
It is generally found in grasslands and pasture, thriving in dry sites and is unpalatable to stock.
The plant has been used in folk medicine dating back to the first century BC.
However, due to its growth habit, it has become an invasive weed in many parts of NZ.
A new biological control programme is being introduced into New Zealand and in Nelson, the Council is looking for potential sites.
They are using the horehound plume moth (Wheeleria spilodactylus) which eats its way through the plants.
If anyone would like to get involved in the trial, please contact Andrew Nevin, the Biosecurity Officer for Nelson City Council Andrew.Nevin@ncc.govt.nz
EmGuard Update
As mentioned, we are in the final stages of sorting out our future EmGuard supply.
Interestingly, we are seeing more and more green plastic guards appearing in plantings. This feels like a huge backward step, after the effort we put in to change the industry.
There are also many copies of the original EmGuard in the market now, all made from a much lighter grade board.
We have always prided ourselves on producing a quality, robust guard, designed to withstand the elements. However, with that robustness comes cost.
We could also produce a cheaper, lighter grade guard. However, we would certainly not have the confidence to stand by the product to do the job we want it to do for at least two years. Giving your plants the best start in life.
We have ample supplies of original EmGuards, dagmats and canes at the moment. However, if you wish to secure the original EmGuards, we suggest you place your orders for these prior to Christmas, if you want them between now and March. It will be on a first come, first serve basis.
Anything after that will be new board and there will be longer lead in times. You will need to allow at least 3 months.
As we move into the busy leadup to Christmas (I hate to say that word so early), lead times for freighting, especially to rural addresses can become longer.
Please allow at least a week and up to 10 days for rural delivery. If you need guards urgently for a project, let us know as soon as possible, to ensure we can get them to you on time. Our freighters, Team Global Express are great, but they are also bound by weather and unforeseen issues like staff shortages and vehicle breakdowns.
Just a reminder again that the price increased from 1 July to $1.85 exc GST for EmGuards.
Wholesale rates for orders over 1500 (1 full pallet) have increased also by 5 cents per unit. Please enquire directly about qualifying for wholesale rates.
Bamboo canes are 32 cents each exc GST
Dagwool mats are 85 cents each exc GST
Freight is charged at cost.
Jan’s details are:
Ph: 027 497 5838
Interesting Snippets
What we’ve been watching
Clarkson's Farm. TVNZ plus.
Love him or hate him, Jeremy Clarkson is certainly a character.
Our son in law introduced us to this series and although neither of us had particularly warmed to Jeremy Clarkson, our attitudes have changed somewhat with this programme.
It follows his often bumbling, chaotic and comical attempts to run his 1000-acre Cotswold Farm - Didley Squat, a mostly arable farm growing barley, rapeseed and wheat.
Luckily, he has some very competent staff and a wonderful partner, all who have no hesitation in giving back as good as they get. He is often called an "eejut" by his delightful partner, Lisa.
His relationship with his young farm manager is so funny at times. Despite being young, Kaleb has absolutely no hesitation in taking the mickey out of Jeremy. His amusement and frustration at Jeremy's attempts at farming are a running theme throughout the series.
It is a genuine look at the challenges facing farming however, with weather, local council restrictions, disease and all the other trials and joys that working the land can bring.
His battles with the Council and government regulations will strike a chord with many of us here.
What really sold us on the programme, was how he genuinely cares about his people, the land and his belief in making a better future for everyone in the local community.
It is very relatable, the characters are wonderful and they are not even actors. That's probably why they are so good.
He has become quite an advocate for the farming community in Britain, which they certainly need, especially since Brexit.
Conclusion
And so that is a wrap.
Thank you for being interested in our goings on at FuturEcology and our monthly newsletter.
We have really appreciated the positive feedback.
FuturEcology and EmGuards continue on quietly in the background, getting on with what really matters. Planting trees, controlling weeds and making a difference. That is where we are putting our time and money, rather than into the hands of Facebook, Mailchimp and all those tech giants who don't pay their fair share of tax in little old New Zealand.
Our website will remain active, and you can still order product through that. Keep an eye out for blogs on there.
An early happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year. Keep up your great efforts at saving the planet one tree at a time.
If you have any projects in mind and would like to talk further, give us a call.
We look forward to hearing from you!