Our top 5 products to get your crops through winter!
Winters can be exceptionally hard on plants. In South Africa winter temperatures can also vary significantly between day and nighttime and from day-to-day. This temperature variance as well as the occurrence of frost can put plants under a lot of stress causing wilting, damage to plant stems and leaves leading to lower yields at harvest, lower shelf-life and lower returns for you the farmer.
Here's a list of our 5 top products to get your crops through winter:
1. Potassium silicate
Potassium silicate liquid fertiliser (for example Maxsil or Agrisil K50) is used as a silica supplement in plants. Additional silica added through foliar spray to the plant is almost immediately available to the plant to use for strengthening of its cell walls. This strengthening of the cell walls has the following key benefits:
Improves plant tolerance to cold and heat stress, reducing damage and losses;
Added silica makes it harder for biting and sucking insects to cause damage to plants; and
Reduces wilting and improved shelf-life after harvest/picking (and potentially better prices if you’re selling on).
Have a look at some cabbages that did or didn't receive Agrisil K50 during winter:
Cabbage wilting after low winter temperatures
Cabbage tolerating cold winter temperatures well after silica supplementation
Top tip: Apply a product like Maxsil every 7 - 10 days by foliar spray to get the best results. Mix 1: 100 with water.
2. Excalibur Gold
Excalibur™ Gold is a Trichoderma based product that contains patented strains to help the plant produce a much larger root system, develop resistance to plant stresses such as disease, drought and cold, and increase nutrient uptake so that the plant will better utilise the nutrients readily available to create greater potential for a better crop.
Top tip: Apply Excalibur Gold as a soil or seedling drench at planting, 500g/ha or 10g/10L of water.
3. Agri-Boost 3-in-1 organic fertiliser
Agri-Boost is a complete liquid organic fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 4:1:3 (17) that is designed to nourish the plant and the soil. It is manufactured, on a sustainable basis, using blood meal (ox/sheep), bone meal, seaweed/kelp (ecklonia maxima) and molasses. Agri-Boost also contains humic and fulvic acid and important micro-nutrients. Because of its liquid formulation, Agri-Boost works quickly to make the nutrients almost immediately available the plant. The macro-nutrients and seaweed/kelp help improve plant growth and development, humic and fulvic acid provide nutrition to the plant and soil microbes in order to optimize nutrient uptake and the high levels of calcium help improve quality, taste, sweetness and ability of the plant to tolerate stress.
Have a look at how Agri-Boost works in the field:
Top tip: Apply Agri-Boost 3 x per month for best results. Mix at a ratio of 1:200 with water.
4. V12 Multi
V12 Multi is an all-in-one foliar fertiliser and vitality package incorporating a full spectrum of inorganic, amino acid chelated nutritional elements. V12 Multi includes N, P and K plus a full range of micronutrients as well as added vitamins for combating stress. This product is ideal for use when crop is under stress and during critical growth phases.
V12 Multi:
Improves plant tolerance to and recovery from stress;
Supplies all necessary macro (N,P and K) and micronutrients to meet plant growth needs; and
Boosts plant growth and vitality through the inclusion of Triacontanol in its formulation.
Top tip: Apply V12 Multi as a foliar spray at the first sign of cold stress, lowered temperatures or frost. Mix at a rate of 1: 100 with water.
5. Xcell Boost
Xcell Boost is a liquid complex of enzymatically hydrolyzed L-amino acids and kelp used to assist plants during periods of biotic and abiotic stress and to improve quality and yield. Xcell Boost is specifically designed to promote general plant growth and to enhance the plant’s ability to recover from biotic stress factors.
Top tip: Apply Xcell Boost every 14 - 21 days by foliar spray during times of cold stress. Application during late afternoon is preferred. Mix 1: 100 with water.
