The Best Organic Gardening Products
Organic gardening products are becoming more and more popular as an effective and safe alternative to harsh chemicals. In response to this shift in customer preference, many gardening suppliers have listened and are responding by stocking products that are either ‘organic’ or natural to use in your garden, turf or veggie patch.
We’ve tried and tested and came across four organic products that are new, effective and really handy in the garden.
Slasher Weed Killer – The organic alternative to Glyphosate
Glyphosate is the most effective product to kill weeds in domestic and farming broadacre applications. But due to recent lawsuits and negative publicity in the US many are concerned about using glyphosate in their gardens. And up until now, finding an effective organic alternative has been difficult. Not anymore — insert Slasher organic weed killer, an organic alternative that effectively eradicates weeds.
This nonselective, fast-acting organic herbicide is designed for use around gardens and other public areas where chemical herbicides may be unsafe to use. It is ideal for use as a non-selective control for seedling and young broadleaf and grass weeds and can also be used for suppression of established weeds and perennial species or for control of moss and algae.Â
Slasher contains 525g/L Nananoic Acid (Pelargonic Acid) which occurs naturally in plants.Â
Independent trials have validated that it is considerably more cost-effective than the standard organic weed killers. It can be used where other herbicides pose significant risks in terms of health and safety, drift onto sensitive plants, and where soil residues can be taken up by larger trees. The contact weedkiller acts fast on the foliage causing it to quickly dehydrate and collapse. Results are seen as browning and wilting usually within hours of application. Â
To be effective, Slasher Weedkiller must come into contact with the green parts of the plant. The plant must be saturated with the product otherwise not all the plant will die. It is best applied in temperatures above 10 degrees celsius. If weeds are wet, avoid spraying until dry and do not water the treated area for at least 24 hours to allow the weed to absorb the product.
Eco Oil – A botanical oil based organic miticide and insecticide
Pests and insects can ravage gardens particularly in spring when new growth is emerging. When looking for natural products to eradicate mites and insects it is not always easy to find an organic solution that is effective on a broad range of insects.
We have recently tracked down a product that is Australia’s first botanical oil based organic miticide and insecticide made from 100% Australian-grown oils. This new organic botanical oil is called Eco Oil Organic Miticide & Insecticide Botanical Oil Concentrate.Â
It controls a broad range of insects including scale, mites, aphids, whitefly and leafminer in certain vegetables, olive trees, citrus trees, flowers, crops, and ornamental plants as well as improving wetting and sticking of sprays.
As the eco-oil uses light botanical oils that boil off plant surfaces fast, there is less risk of burning foliage with eco-oil than with white oil and other mineral/petroleum oil sprays. This also allows eco-oil to carry no withholding period for edible crops.
Eco-Oil is safe for use on veggies, as well as ornamentals, with no withholding period. Spray and eat on the same day. It is also safe for beneficial insects like bees, lady beetles, and earthworms.
Blood and bone liquid fertiliser – The organic fertiliser suitable for gardens
There are a number of natural and organic fertilisers that can be used on lawns, in gardens, and throughout veggie patches, including blood and bone liquid fertilisers.
Blood and bone is a balanced liquid fertiliser that contains all the major and minor elements required for healthy, strong growth and improved yields and quality by ensuring healthy soil.
It provides organic material, protein, amino acids and cholesterol, which feed plants and the soil’s micro-organisms, an integral part of the organic cycle. The soil organisms break down organic material into humus, release locked up nutrients, as well as improving the fixation and release of nitrogen and the soil structure.
Regular use of liquid fertilizers like Growth B&B Liquid Blood and Bone helps to increase the number of earthworms, soil microbes, and bacteria working in biologically active soil. The formulation of Growth B&B Liquid Blood and Bone allows some of the nutrients to be immediately available to the plant through the foliage as well as the roots.Â
The remaining nutrients, including the finely ground bone particles, attach to the foliage and permeate the soil, dissolving gradually, slowly releasing nutrients to continue to feed plants through the foliage and the soil.
What about organic lawn fertilisers? Golf Course Green
If you are just wanting to fertilise your turf, we highly recommend the organic-based quality lawn fertiliser ‘Golf Course Green. This fertiliser promotes healthy growth without extra mowing and can be used on all lawn varieties including Buffalo.
Supplying essential nutrients with trace elements, Golf Course Green Lawn Fertiliser is non pelletised, therefore it requires less watering in. Included in the fertiliser mix is a combination of Nitrogen N (12%), Phosphorous P (0.5%) and Potassium K (5%).
As an added water-saving benefit, it contains Munns unique organic ‘Weta–Lawn’, meaning it slows down the release of the Golf Course Green, so your lawn is greener and longer with less mowing.
Golf Course Green Lawn Fertiliser is a special formulation of ingredients, designed to maintain all species of grass in an environmentally friendly manner, without sacrificing the health or vigour of your lawn.
Golf Course Green Lawn Fertiliser also contains ‘Weta-Lawn’ which is a unique solution to water retention in your soil and further enhances the efficiency of Golf Course Green by not only reducing leaching of the active ingredients but also by binding some of the fertiliser elements so that they release slowly. The side benefit of this is that pollution of our streams and waterways is reduced.
